Based on a true story,debut feature of Yoichi Sai-Mosquito on the Tenth Floor (1983) tells the story of a simple but honest police officer. By the book,a field officer conducts systematic operations based in a specific location and he works to ensure peace and tranquility of the public but the thing is that being a cop is a dead end job for Hero(Yûya Uchida) if he doesn't get promoted. Though he tries over and over again, he just fails the test and gets stuck around at a police box,stuck at sergeant grade for decade after decade. What's more, he gets constantly badgered by his ex-wife Toshie (Kazuko Yoshiyuki) and his daughter Rie(Kyôko Koizumi)for more money. Though he gets worried about the way his daughter spends her time out of school, he can't make his wife listen to reason because that's how the youngsters have fun in the changing world while he is sheepishly working to retirement. The only solution for the troubled police officer is to apply for loans. While he gets loans of various amounts from different companies, his only hope is to win at the boat races but hope is not on the horizon for him and the unrelenting psychological pressure he gets himself into changes him from an honest police officer into a rapist, ruffian man.
Yoichi Sai's story is a simple story to which any public servant can relate in most places of the world. No state of any extent can be ruled without a bureaucracy and low-level bureaucrats are never paid well. No matter how little they make, their salary is guaranteed by the state and that makes them a perfect target for banks, today's modern loan sharks. Even today, these two-bit shylocks never make a through search about you when they are supposed to give you money at high interests. They do not care how many loans you successfully got before. As long as there is a guaranteed salary before them, the money is always there. Therefore even today, there are police officers,teachers,soldiers-namely public servants- who commit suicide out of their financial debts. In that sense, Yoichi Sai's story takes life at its centre but yet again there are some questionable points. In order to accentuate the fact that your hero is a lonely fellow, you do not have to make a rapist out of a honest cup. There should be better ways to make the viewer sympathize with the man in ordeal. Besides, the movie could have been a better-paced flick. I understand that the leading actor is lonely loser whose only enjoyment of life is his computer that he can ill-afford but you do not have to focus on his morose,sullen and embittered nature that long. At times, I just wanted to fast-forward the movie because of those moments.If you prefer fast-paced movies,which have more thought-provoking dialogs I am not sure that this should be the movie you are looking for.
Yoichi Sai's story is a simple story to which any public servant can relate in most places of the world. No state of any extent can be ruled without a bureaucracy and low-level bureaucrats are never paid well. No matter how little they make, their salary is guaranteed by the state and that makes them a perfect target for banks, today's modern loan sharks. Even today, these two-bit shylocks never make a through search about you when they are supposed to give you money at high interests. They do not care how many loans you successfully got before. As long as there is a guaranteed salary before them, the money is always there. Therefore even today, there are police officers,teachers,soldiers-namely public servants- who commit suicide out of their financial debts. In that sense, Yoichi Sai's story takes life at its centre but yet again there are some questionable points. In order to accentuate the fact that your hero is a lonely fellow, you do not have to make a rapist out of a honest cup. There should be better ways to make the viewer sympathize with the man in ordeal. Besides, the movie could have been a better-paced flick. I understand that the leading actor is lonely loser whose only enjoyment of life is his computer that he can ill-afford but you do not have to focus on his morose,sullen and embittered nature that long. At times, I just wanted to fast-forward the movie because of those moments.If you prefer fast-paced movies,which have more thought-provoking dialogs I am not sure that this should be the movie you are looking for.
