Adrenaline Drive (1999)

"Adrenaline Drive", a misnomer, is about money and a shy guy and a not-so-shy girl who have it and a handful thugs and one real badass Yakuza dude who want it. A busy, fun, and creative little flick, "AD" works well in the beginning and slowly wears out as it plods sweetly but doggedly towards its conclusion. Worth a look for those into Japanese films. (B-)

Though fluffy and lacking purpose, Adrenaline Drive is extremely enjoyable. A parody of popular Japanese movies, it pokes fun at nearly every aspect of the typical take-the-money-and-run film. It simultaneously made me cringe and laugh out loud. Definitely not to be missed by anyone who can stand the familiar plot.

This film, while taking a rather sappy romantic story line (via circumstance, two passive losers find fire in their lives as a couple) and mixing it with a stale action 'hook' (innocents get mob money; mob pursues), produces a thoroughly enjoyable comedy that will appeal to almost everyone.Although there is very little adrenaline on display, except for the delightfully silly 'keystone kop' young Yakuza gang, everything clicks. Casting is dead on. There is a great diversity in the characters and each actor nails their part. The featured couple have a special magic charm going from mousy to wickedly clever. The 'old bag' head nurse is hilarious when interacting with the equally tough mobster, and the aforementioned gang of toughs throw a chaotic slapstick into the mix.Highly recommended to anyone who doesn't mind subtitled films.

Adrenaline Drive is highly derivative of existing genres: the on-the-run-from-the-mob-with-a-sack-full-of-money heist movie combined with a teen romance, but throws in such great slapstick humor and endearing characters that make the film completely entertaining to watch. It's got a sense of humor reminiscent of Beat Takeshi's films, but more lighthearted and broad. Everyone on the cast shows great comedic skill. My personal favorites are the pack of ditzy nurses who spend all their time slacking on the job, and Suzuki's boss, who taunts him relentlessly. The actor who plays Suzuki is quite a hottie, by the way.My main disappointment with the storyline was the transformation of the main female character from a mousy wallflower into the sassy chick after she gets a makeover and a new wardrobe. It was the loss of a great sight gag - the skinny, nerdy girl facing off against the mafia. Oh well. All in all this is a FUN movie. Even though you can probably predict the ending, every minute is worthwhile to watch.