Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)

A terrorist explosion releases a deadly virus on the masses, and it's up the bounty-hunting Bebop crew to catch the cold-blooded culprit.

Directors:

Shinichirô Watanabe, Tensai Okamura

Writers:

Marc Handler, Keiko Nobumoto (screenplay)

Stars:

Beau Billingslea, Melissa Fahn, Nicholas Guest

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kôichi Yamadera	...	Spike Spiegel (voice)
Unshô Ishizuka	...	Jet Black (voice)
Megumi Hayashibara	...	Faye Valentine (voice)
Aoi Tada	...	Edward Wong (voice)
Yûsaku Yara	...	Hoffman (voice)
Kazuhiko Inoue	...	Shadkins (voice)
Jûrôta Kosugi	...	Harris (voice)
Kinryû Arimoto	...	Captain (voice)
Hidekatsu Shibata	...	Colonel (voice)
Yûji Ueda	...	Lee (voice)
Nobuo Tobita	...	Murata (voice)
Rikiya Koyama	...	Steve (voice)
Ai Kobayashi	...	Elektra Ovirowa (voice)
Jin Hirao	...	Antonio (voice)
Toshihiko Nakajima	...	Carlos (voice)

Storyline

The year is 2071. Following a terrorist bombing, a deadly virus is released on the populace of Mars and the government has issued a 300 million woo-long reward, the largest bounty in history, for the capture of whoever is behind it. The bounty hunter crew of the spaceship Bebop; Spike, Faye, Jet and Ed, take the case with hopes of cashing in the bounty. However, the mystery surrounding the man responsible, Vincent, goes deeper than they ever imagined, and they aren't the only ones hunting him. The original creators of the virus have dispatched Electra to deal with Vincent and take out anyone who may stumble on the truth behind him. As the hunt for the man with no past and no future continues to escalate, they begin to question what about the world is reality and what is a dream as the line between sanity and insanity becomes more apparent.

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Plot Keywords:

explosion | bullet | s word | purple hair | handgun | 

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Taglines:

They're here to save the planet. But not for free.

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Genres:

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

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Japan USA

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

16 May 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cowboy Bebop the Movie: Knockin' on Heaven's Door

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$234,429, 6 April 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,000,045, 17 July 2003

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,007,903, 17 July 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bandai Visual Company, Bones, Destination Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's Japanese theatrical release date was September 1st 2001, the day before the TV series' first US broadcast.

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Goofs

Spike's bullet wound when he fights Vincent on the tower.

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Quotes

[Faye draws a picture of Vincent]
Faye: There you go!
[everyone looks at the drawing]
Jet: That's really unique Faye! Is that a mugshot or your version of Picasso?
Spike: [chuckles] Hey I'll make you a deal. If anyone can catch him with that drawing, I'll pay you the bounty myself Faye!
Faye: Fine, I'll just go catch him myself. You two can stay here and make your funny little jokes.
[sarcastic laugh]
Jet: So ends another episode of "Wasting Time with Faye".

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Crazy Credits

After the closing credits we are taken back to the Bebop living room. Spike naps on the couch. Spike: He was just all alone. He couldn't enjoy a game with anyone else. Like living in a dream... That's the kind of man he was... He spots a butterfly in the air and grabs it. He opens his hand. Nothing is there. TEXT: ARE YOU LIVING IN THE REAL WORLD?

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Connections

Referenced in Shanghai Knights (2003)

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Soundtracks

Butterfly
Words by Chris Mosdell
Vocals by M
Music Composed by Yôko Kanno

User Reviews

More than worthy of being associated with the series

This movie is just as good, if not better, than most of the episodes in the series. If Bebop fans learn to accept the story for what it is--an extended version of a typical(albeit superior) episode, this movie will live up to the exceptional quality of the series. And if someone with no knowledge of the series watches this movie, they will have very little to catch up on. The great thing about the film is its accessibility to all audiences with its stand alone storyline(although Bebop fans can still get new things out of it).

With the introduction of the character of Vincent Volaju, the Cowboy Bebop brain trust has provided a great nemesis for the protagonist Spike to interact with. These two characters' fight scenes are exceptional, and the bond that they share works great with the overall tone of the series. The subtle philosophical points of the film may not be mind blowing, but they are definitely above average. Great dialogue is rare in animation, let alone anime, and this is one of the strong points of both the series and the movie. It is obvious that the creators have tried to fit almost all elements of the series into this work, and they have succeeded, despite that great burden. Each of the five major characters from the series(Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed, and Ein) get the right amount of time in the spotlight, while allowing the new characters(Vincent, Electra, and Rashid) time to develop properly. Also, as any fan of the series can vouch for, the music is not only original, but almost like a character unto itself.

Ultimately, this film boils down to the centerpiece of the series, Spike Spiegel, and his final meeting with his kindred spirit, the tortured Vincent Volaju. The result of this film helps propel the series into its heart wrenching conclusion and underlying philosophical tone.

More than worthy of being associated with the Cowboy Bebop series.