Innocence (2004/I)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Mamoru Oshii

Writers:

Masamune Shirow (comic "Koukaku-Kidoutai")
Mamoru Oshii (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 March 2004 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Animation | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller | Fantasy

Tagline:

Sore wa inotchi innosensu ('Innocence is Life')

Plot:

In the year 2032, Batô, a cyborg detective for the anti-terrorist unit Public Security Section 9, investigates the case of a female robot--one created solely for sexual pleasure--who slaughtered her owner.

Plot Keywords:

Cyborg | Sequel | Based On Comic | Cult Cartoon | Japan

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Akio Ôtsuka	...	Batô (voice)
Atsuko Tanaka	...	Major Motoko Kusanagi (voice)
Kôichi Yamadera	...	Togusa (voice)
Tamio Ôki	...	Section 9 Department Chief Aramaki (voice)
Yutaka Nakano	...	Ishikawa (voice)
Naoto Takenaka	...	Kim (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gou Aoba	...	(voice) (as Go Aoba)
Eisuke Asakura	...	(voice)
Robert Axelrod	...	Koga / Lin (voice: English version)
Richard Cansino	...	Man / Security 1 / Wakabayashi / Yakuza 1 (voice: English version)
Joey D'Auria	...	Kim (voice: English version)
Erik Davies	...	Azuma (voice: English version)
Peter Emshwiller	...	Guard / Terrorist (voice)
Richard Epcar	...	Batou (voice: English version)
Crispin Freeman	...	Togusa (voice: English version)
Yuzuru Fujimoto	...	(voice)
Emiko Fuku	...	(voice)
Masao Harada	...	(voice)
Minoru Hirano	...	(voice)
Hiroaki Hirata	...	Koga (voice)
Katsunosuke Hori	...	(voice)
Sukekiyo Kameyama	...	(voice)
Eriko Kigawa	...	(voice)
Hiroyuki Kinosha	...	(voice) (as Hiroyuki Kinoshita)
Shuji Kishida	...	(voice)
William Knight	...	Aramaki (voice: English version) (as William Frederick Knight)
Steve Kramer	...	Detective / Security 4 / Security 5 (voice: English version)
Sherry Lynn	...	Gynoid / Rescued Girl (voice: English version)
Michael McCarty	...	Ishikawa (voice: English version)
Michael McConnohie	...	Forensics Man / Forensics Staff / Section 9 Member / Security 3 (voice: English version)
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn	...	Motoko Kusanagi (voice: English version)
Kenichi Mochizuki	...	(voice)
Sumi Mutoh	...	On'na no ko (voice)
Ryûji Nakagi	...	(voice)
Yasushi Niko	...	(voice)
Bob Papenbrook	...	Crab Man / Cyborg Dr. / Underwater Cyborg / Yakuza 2 (voice: English version)
Yoshiko Sakakibara	...	Haraway (voice)
Stephanie Sheh	...	Dispatcher / Girl (voice: English version)
Ellyn Stern	...	Haraway (voice: English version)
Terrence Stone	...	Forensics Chief / Pilot / Security 2 / Shop Owner / Yakuza 3 (voice: English version)
Yu Sugimoto	...	(voice)
Fumihiko Tachiki	...	(voice)
Masaki Terasoma	...	Azuma (voice)
Akino Watanabe	...	(voice)
Mr. X	...	Yakuza 4 (voice: English version)
Makoto Yasumura	...	(voice)

Also Known As:

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (USA)
Innocence - Inosensu (Japan) (poster title)
Innocence: Ghost in the Shell (International: English title)
Koukaku kidoutai 2 (Japan) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images and brief language.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | Cantonese | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES | Dolby Digital EX

Certification:

UK:15 | Denmark:15 | Norway:15 | Ireland:15A | Netherlands:16 | Germany:16 | Spain:18 | Hong Kong:IIB | Italy:T | France:U | Japan:U | Finland:K-11 | Australia:M | Portugal:M/12 | Netherlands:12 (re-rating) | New Zealand:M | South Korea:12 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba) | Canada:PG (British Columbia/Ontario) | Singapore:NC-16 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40831)

Company:

Bandai Visual Company

Trivia:

Much like how the original Ghost in the Shell movie used scenes and stories from several issues of the original manga (specifically issues 1, 3, 9 and 11), Ghost in the Shell 2 was inspired by issue 6, "Rondo".

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): During the forensics examination, one of the computer screens misspells "research" as "RESAERCH".

Quotes:

Bateau: No matter how far a jackass travels, it won't come back a horse.

Movie Connections:

References "Max Headroom" (1987)

Soundtrack:

River of Crystals

Visually Revolutionary, Even if the Plot is Murky

On the surface this is the story of an investigation of sex bots that kill, in reality this is an examination of what it means to be alive and to experience the world. Its a head trip.

I'm finding it hard to express what I feel about this film. Visually this film pushes animation and visual story telling to new places. I know that some of the look of this film can be found in video games but never has the current state of art on many levels been brought together to rattle, nay destroy, the cage of the status quo. Much of this film had my jaw hanging open, often with tears welling up at the beauty of the imagery. This film rocks and then some. The computer generated worlds of Immortel and Sky Captain are blown away by the magic worked here.

The plot is too murky. Frankly, I was lost half way into the movie as to what the plot was, however I was seriously getting off on the visuals and most of all the ideas that were being batted about. How do we know whats real and what isn't? This film makes it very clear that we can never know, nor can we know what it is to be alive. Certainly not all of it works but enough does, and all I can say is wow.

I have no idea how to adequately rate this film. I'm sure some people will find it form over substance and others will think little of the visuals. Me they rocked my world and I gave it a 9 out of 10, but I'll add that your mileage may vary.