This week on the B movie docket is Tokyo Gore Police (2008)
Hello good people. And welcome to 50 B Movies: The Sequel. It’s bigger, better, and badder. The original 50 b Movies covered a wide range of B Movies. There was everything from Thankskilling 3 to The Void. Some films were funny. Some were unintentionally funny. And some were mainstream with far-out concepts like zombie tigers. All in all, it was a hell of a list.
Why make a sequel? Because narrowing down a list of 50 B Movies To See Before You Die was arduous. With so many movies to watch, one can never really know if the movie is good. Sure sometimes 5 minutes in, you know it is a real stinker. Other times it might take a half an hour before one realizes they will never get that half hour back to their life. Poof. Gone. But all in all there are many great B Movies that didn’t make the original list.
So welcome back if you are a LRM reader and welcome if it’s your first time here. Be forewarned we will be treading deep into the bush to pull these B Movies. We aren’t rehashing anyone’s previous 50 or 100 or 1000 B Movies list. Nope. So, prepare yourself for 50 B Movies To See Before You Die: The Sequel. Bigger. Better. Badder. Oooh yeah.
WEEK 18 – Tokyo Gore Police (2008)
Welcome back to another week of 50 B Movies. This week’s film is not for the easily squeamish. But if you happen to be a lover of horror movies. More specifically if you’re a fan of that early 90’s David Cronenberg flair. You know what I am talking about. Those timely close-ups of someone’s eyes bulging from their sockets mirroring Judge Doom’s toon reveal. Just as the skull splinters like an egg left in the pot too long. Well, if you are, I have good news for you. This week’s film is The Void.
SYNOPSIS
This Japanese splatter-punk film is directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura. Set in a dystopian future version of Tokyo that seems like it grew from the demented and fertile imagination of filmmaker Takashi Miike, specifically his trippy film Gozu.
It focuses on Ruka, a young woman, and member of Tokyo’s privatized police force. Ruka is an expert in swordsmanship and equally masterful at cutting her own wrists. The world of this film is so bonkers that there are in-universe meta commercials that play out during the movie; many of which are advertisements for blades to cut your wrists with. And those commercials are marketing to the youth. So yes, this is one bonkers B-movie known for its dark humor and surreal environment.
IN A NUTSHELL
Tokyo Gore Police’s protagonist, Ruka is the daughter of a Tokyo Police Officer that was killed in the line of duty. And it was not a regular thug that killed her, it was a Tokyo mutant or as the film calls them Engineers. Ruka swore vengeance against the Engineers and joined the Tokyo Police Force.
THERE B GORE
The film features extreme levels of gore and violence, including graphic dismemberment, mutilation, and body horror. Despite its gruesome content, “Tokyo Gore Police” is also known for its surreal and darkly humorous tone, as well as its imaginative and bizarre creature designs.
The violence is so over the top that it might make you uncomfortable. I mean look it’s a surreally dark action movie that verges on body horror movie level of mutilation. It gives Carpentar’s The Thing a run for its money. I really felt queasy sometimes watching this one, but that is certainly a credit to the director, Yoshihiro Nishimura.
VISUAL MADNESS
There are a lot of imaginatively sickening scenes on display. Here are a few of them that you will sit through should you decide to watch it. A man’s arm is cut off, and his wound transforms into a giant mouth that bites people. A woman’s leg is hacked off, and her wound transforms into a machine gun that she uses to shoot her attackers. A character’s head explodes, and her brain turns into a giant, tentacle-like creature. Someone is impaled through the stomach with a metal rod, and the wound transforms into a cannon that he uses to fire at his attackers.
HOW I WATCHED TOKYO GORE POLICE
I stumbled upon this bizarre and disturbing flick years ago. It was called Tokyo Gore Police. It was a lurid, blood-soaked mess of a movie that left me feeling equal parts nauseated and intrigued. Seriously, there are only 2 films that have made me either want a cigarette or a bridge to leap off after watching and Tokyo Gore Police is #2 on that list. #1 is Requiem For A Dream.
It was 2012. I was sitting in the dark, smoky basement of a fellow film lover’s house when I first saw Tokyo Gore Police. The film was playing on a small TV in the corner, and I couldn’t help but be drawn in. It was as if the TV had turned into a hypno-wheel. The violence was so over-the-top, it was almost comical. But there was also something very disturbing about it. The film seemed to be saying something about the dark side of Japanese culture.
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This cheesy movie was scarfed down by me, alone that day in one sitting, and by the end I was feeling sick to my stomach. But I couldn’t look away. This film was like seeing Faces of Death on VHS for the first time ever. Or sitting in a school library with my friends and sneaking to visit Rotten.com back in its heyday. I was an 8th grader then. One thing is for sure, that day I was infected by something.
Tokyo Gore Police was a film that I couldn’t forget. It was a film that had gotten under my skin. It left me scratching at its sickening on screen movements like the characters in that movie The Ruins. I went back to my friends house a few weeks later, hoping to see the film again. But she had moved. her neighbor told me she had moved to a new town.
AFTERTHOUGHTS
There’s a certain sick fascination to be found in “Tokyo Gore Police,” though I’m not sure I’d recommend it to anyone. It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion – you know it’s going to be gruesome, but you can’t look away. In the end, I was left with a sense of unease that lingered long after the credits had rolled. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of world would produce such a depraved and violent piece of entertainment. But then again, maybe that’s the whole point of “Tokyo Gore Police” – to force us to confront the ugliest parts of ourselves and our society.
DIRECTED BY
“Tokyo Gore Police” was directed by Japanese filmmaker Yoshihiro Nishimura. Nishimura is known for his work in the horror genre and has gained a reputation as a master of practical effects and gore.
In addition to directing “Tokyo Gore Police,” Nishimura has also worked on other notable horror movies such as “Mutant Girls Squad,” “Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl,” and “Helldriver.” I have seen none of those other films. And I am in no rush to stare into the abyss any further.
STARS
Eihi Shiina as Ruka: Shiina plays the main protagonist, Ruka, a skilled warrior who battles mutants and seeks revenge for her father’s murder. Itsuji Itao as Key Man: Itao plays the movie’s antagonist, Key Man, a powerful Engineer responsible for Ruka’s father’s death. Yukihide Benny as Barabara-Man: Benny plays a mutant known as Barabara-Man, who has the ability to create blades from his wounds. Jiji Bû as Tokyo Police Corporation President: Bû plays the head of the Tokyo Police Corporation, the privatized police force that employs Ruka.
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