Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999)

A traumatized member of an elite para-military police force falls for the sister of a female terrorist courier who died in front of him on duty.

Director:

Hiroyuki Okiura

Writers:

Mamoru Oshii (creator), Mamoru Oshii

Stars:

Michael Dobson, Yoshikazu Fujiki, Sumi Mutoh

4 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Dobson	...	Kazuki Fuse (voice)
Yoshikazu Fujiki	...	Kazuki Fuse (voice) (as Yoshikatsu Fujiki)
Sumi Mutoh	...	Kei Amemiya (voice)
Moneca Stori	...	Kei Amemiya (voice)
Hiroyuki Kinosha	...	Atsuhi Henmi (voice) (as Hiroyuki Kinoshita)
Colin Murdock	...	Atsushi Henmi / Academy Officer / Riot Police (voice)
Yukio Hiroda	...	Bunmei Muroto (voice)
Dale Wilson	...	Bunmei Muroto / Riot Police Commander (voice)
Michael Kopsa	...	Hajime Handa (voice)
Yukihiro Yoshida	...	Hajime Handa (voice)
Ron Halder	...	Shiro Tatsumi / Nanami's Contact (voice)
Eri Sendai	...	Nanami Agawa (voice)
Kenji Nakagawa	...	Isao Aniya (voice)
Maggie Blue O'Hara	...	Nanami Agawa (voice)
Tamio Ohki	...	CAPO Officer (voice)

Storyline

Ten years after the end of World War II; anti-terror policeman Fuse gets suspended from service after the suicide by self-detonation of a young terrorist girl during an operation, as he failed to shoot her in time. When he tries to gather some information about her, he meets her sister and befriends with her. Both get dragged into the rivalries between the administration of the police and the counter terrorism commando unit 'Jin Roh' (human wolves).

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Plot Keywords:

directorial debut | punctuation in title | animal in title | police | policeman | 

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Genres:

Animation | Drama | Fantasy | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Production I.G. (english) [Japan] Production I.G. (japanese) [Japan]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

17 November 1999 (France)

Also Known As:

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,322, 6 July 2001, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$94,591, 9 September 2001

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bandai Visual Company,Production I.G.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many of the weapons, vehicles, and equipment used are from the World War II period, mainly of German design. Some weapons include a modified version of the MG42 machine gun, the MP44 sub-machine gun, the FG42 rifle, a Panzerfaust rocket, and several British Sten guns. World War II German period vehicles, such as the Kubelwagen and Volkswagen, are also present.

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Quotes

Kei Amemiya: What big eyes you have... what big teeth you have!

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Alternate Versions

An English credit roll is used for the dubbed version as well as an English title crawl for the opening quote.

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Connections

References Ghost in the Shell (1995)

User Reviews

Grim and depressing, but very good. 10/10

"Jin-Roh" or "The Wolf Brigade" is an amazing anime film. I had seen the 3-disc special edition DVD at a video store, and having never seen this movie before, I took a chance and bought it. I had heard nothing but good things about "Jin-Roh" and I was very pleased when I saw it.

The film is set in what it calls "an alternate Japan" and a special police force has been formed to defend the capital. It seems that the government is under constant threat from an underground terrorist organization that uses "Red Riding Hoods" (teenage girls) to deliver powerful explosives to the authorities. One of these "hoods" is cornered by Fuse in the sewers and in a grim act of suicide, blows herself up. Fuse who was right there, is instantly traumatized by the event, and is forced to undergo re-training at his academy. Seeking to gather information on her, he runs into the dead girl's older sister, who he befriends and eventually begins a romance with her. Soon forces in the government, as well as Fuse's own police unit, threaten to tear them apart and it becomes evident that the girl herself may or may not be all that she seems.

This is one of the most devastating films I've ever seen. They certainly picked the right actor to voice the gravely Fuse, who I don't think ever fully recovers from what happens. The soundtrack to this movie is one of the best I have ever heard. There are constant allusions to "Little Red Riding Hood" and excerpts from the story are read throughout the film, as it details with a lot of government conspiracy theory stuff.

The films ending, which I will not describe, is the saddest part of the film. Yet, movies, especially animated ones like "Jin-Roh", are rare. A film that focuses more on the emotions of the characters, much rather action and graphic bloodshed, like most anime films tend to do, is what "Jin-Roh" is. Though I won't let that discourage gore fans, as they will certainly get their fair share of blood and violent action when they watch "Jin-Roh", but be prepared to wait a while for any action.

As I stated earlier, this is one of the most depressing films I've ever seen. To say that Fuse's romance is doomed to end tragically is not saying much, as I expected that would happen. There is a lot of intrigue and conspiracy-like things going on in this movie and that sometimes tends to get in the way of the characters, but nonetheless I still awarded the film a 10 out of 10, and "Jin-Roh" is still a moving experience and it is one of the best anime films I have ever seen.