Fantasia XXX Review: In TOKYO BURST: In CRIME CITY, A World-Building Cop Procedural That Challenges Aesthetics
Tokyo Burst: Crime City enjoyed its International Premiere for the 30th edition of Fantasia International Film Festival.
Director Eiji Uchida was onto something when he directed Tokyo Burst: Crime City (or Tokyo Burst: The Roundup depending on your interpretation of the title). The longstanding gangbuster cop franchise led by Korean superstar Don Lee continues to amass a wealth of support from fans, and clearly Uchida saw the opportunity to contribute something to the cinematic universe.
The franchise is no stranger to crossing boundaries anyway with a character roster that spans Japan and Vietnam between the current canon, and with Lee himself plotting as many as eight films as previously reported in some Korean outlets, that leaves plenty of room to grow this cop saga in any viable direction. Thus, we get Tokyo Burst: Crime City, setting Uchida’s chapter with lateral events in a Philippines prison to help set the tone accordingly.
There’s a number of moving pieces between the Philippines and a string of pawn shop robberies in Shinjuku’s red-light district, which is only the tip of the iceberg as we’re introduced to Aiba (Koshi Mizukami), a rookie detective with a heart of gold, and a temperament that measures as big as his head of hair as peacekeepers among the street’s goons. The latest test of his resolve is being partnered with a Korean detective named Cho (Jung Yunho) who needs assistance to look for a wanted man.
Their investigation soon involves the goings-on of a male host club and the local Yakuza with whom Aiba used to reside before he went legit, as Aiba’s mutual relationship with the gangs becomes a litmus test for Cho’s willingness to compromise. What they soon learn in their developments pertains to a slew of cash grabs steered by two cold-blooded killers, eventually given chase by our two protagonists in a story that will test the limits of the law against the most corrupt auspices of government, and the henchmen working on their behalf.
The result with Tokyo Burst: Crime City is a nifty addition to a successful franchise that plays like an acquired taste at first, particularly if you’ve been so immersed in the Korean strand of the franchise that anything tangential feels intrusive. Uchida’s script does adheres to a lot of what works in the formula that’s applied in the Roundup films to keep to a palatable crime flick that appeals to audiences once it can get past some of its own hurdles.
One primary element to a film like this is having an outstanding lead in Mizukami whose character bolsters with the kind of reformed thug-turned-lawman who can hold his own, thanks in large part to his connectivity with his former crime cohorts. This aspect comes in hand as a tension builder between Aiba, and Korean import Cho whose binary approach to investigating preambles the visible tension between both lawmen who can’t quite get around their own discontent for one another. It also serves as a teachable aspect thanks to consultation by fellow detective Miyuki (Hiccorohee).
Chemistry between both characters takes a while between scenes, and while that can easily be attributed to the oil-and-water relationship they have, it never really recovers from its own rigidity. The only times it does is either when they’re both in hot pursuit of the killers, or in the one scene where the two finally get to cut loose for a moment of Kararoke with a classic track that anyone fond of Asian films since the turn of the century can possibly get behind. It also helps that a major twist in the film’s second half lends some much-needed motivation for Cho whose next move at that specific point time pulls something right out of a Ridley Scott or a Mark L. Lester flick.
Another saving grace is the inclusion of formidable villains, namely the duo played by Uhm Ki-joon and Sota Fukushi whose respective characters, Kim and Renji, are seemingly untouchable for reasons unbeknownst to our protagonists. Theirs are characters whose violent actions are backed by a cabal of corrupt boomers in high auspices of goverment whose actions are the proverbial writing on the wall, and are yet still impervious to accountability which rightly inspire the kind of angst when waiting to see how these crime procedurals play out.
Crafted by stunt and action stewards Keiki Tsujii (“Onimusha,” The Great Yokai War: Guardians) and Eiji Morisaki (Pure Japanese, “Night Hero Naoto”), the action warrants enough merit to entertain fans who seek the stimulation of a good fight scene. Co-stars Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Sho Aoyagi, Pierre Taki, Daikichi Sugawara, Shingo Tsurumi, and Reika Kirishima provide ample character support for our mains throughout development, along with that of a subversively written club host and manager played by Tatsuya Ueda. Talk about squabbles like a MFer.
There are a few visible nods that tie this film to the rest of the Roundup franchise in a pretty good way, including the appearance of Park Ji-hwan in a few brief cameos. That’s about as far as Tokyo Burst: Crime City goes in spin-off territory while tentatively carrying the torch for a franchise whose success generously left a door open for some world-building to occur. Sadly there aren’t any post-credit attributions to the notion, but if this possibly avails Detective Aiba for a future Roundup chapter with the Beast Cop himself, then who am I to protest?
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