Friday, January 2, 2009

Tokyo Eyes (1998)

by Chris

Borrowing elements from the early films of Jean Luc-Godard (Breathless, Bande à part), and across the French New-Wave in general, Jean-Pierre Limosin's Tokyo Eyes is a real curiosity. It's unusually engaging as it primarily breaks away from the traditional ideology of Japanese crime cinema. Tokyo Eyes spends far more time playing as a character study than your standard "criminals on the run" film. It's thanks to this approach that the film ultimately succeeds.

Shinji Takeda plays K as a young man with a mission. As the film opens, we observe K putting on his glasses and taking a stroll through downtown Tokyo. He suddenly pulls a gun and begins shooting people - only, the gun has been modified to intentionally miss its target. It doesn't hurt the victim at all, instead giving the person the fright of their life. It’s made clear that K only targets those who lack generosity and compassion, those he deems in need of being taught a lesson about life. As a consequence of his actions, K is wanted by detectives and pursued by the local media, who dub him "Four Eyes". The detective leading the hunt (Tetta Sugimoto) seems unable to make sense of Four Eyes' motives, while his teenage sister Hinano (Hinano Yoshikawa) takes a romantic interest in the vigilante. K is a fish out of water, not only in society but also on a personal level. He eventually falls in love with Hinano and quickly decides to retire his Four Eyes persona. No longer the loner with a gun, K takes it upon himself to free his newfound girlfriend from her adult dominated world.

The Godard influences are everywhere in this film, from the quirky characters and situations, to the absence of a traditional plot. While Tokyo Eyes borrows quite liberally from French cinema, it’s a combination of Jean-Pierre Limosin's direction and style that make it at least seem original. Limosin's direction is assured and despite an abundance of handheld camera shots it’s never too flash as to call attention to itself. The drama is very low-key and the cinematography reflects the tone. Tokyo’s streets are not shown as florescent hives of activity as you would expect, instead using a more muted colour scheme and sombre atmosphere. It may be located in Japan, with a native cast and dialogue, but Tokyo Eyes has the distinct look and feel of a European production. Limosin obviously has a good knowledge of Tokyo, and this level of respect for its inhabitants is rarely found in filmmakers working on foreign soil.

Those who prefer their films populated with a mature adult cast will likely hate Tokyo Eyes with a passion. It's a film where the adult characters are pushed aside to focus on the hip, young, pop-culture generation Also, Limosin inserts subtle messages regarding the communication between adults and adolescents. An important scene has K and Hinano in a convenience store, where K is picking out magazines. The shop owner yells at him for disturbing his display, to which K promptly pulls his gun. This prompts Hinano to tell her father the true identity of Four Eyes, however he blatantly ignores her - having neither the time nor patience for his teenage daughter’s stories. As a result, Hinano comes to relate to K as a person rather than what his reputation has portrayed him as. He is a lonely and confused individual with him she has far more in common than her father's grown up world.

Shinji Takeda's performance as K is impressive – particularly during awkward moments of silence between him and Hinano in the early stages of their relationship. Such scenes feel poignant and touching, rather than irritatingly cloying. Yoshikawa acts in a slightly forced and hesitant manner, which may be a result of the script or her screen inexperience (being more renown for a modelling career). Late in the film, the much adored Takeshi Kitano appears briefly in a cameo as a low ranking Yakuza member. Kitano gives a typically bombastic performance during his 7-minute appearance, and fans of his Yakuza films will certainly relish his cameo. His character is terrifying and hilarious at the same time - made all the more menacing thanks to his scarred face and facial tic (caused by his near-fatal 1994 motorcycle accident). Even in such a tiny role Kitano’s impact is immediately felt and really a shame he wasn’t granted more scenes.

Tokyo Eyes is a curious effort worth tracking down (the DVD has been out of print for a while). Jean-Pierre Limosin has directed one of the more engaging Japanese indies to be left undiscovered in recent memory. While it never quite rises above its influences to become truly unique, it manages to hold a viewers attention through superb direction and the introspective performance by Shinji Takeda. I have no doubt not only the Kitano completists, but also those who appreciate thoughtful European cinema will be won over.