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:

Shin'ichirô Watanabe, Tensai Okamura

Writers:

Keiko Nobumoto (screenplay), Hajime Yatate (based on the story by)

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:

terrorist | bounty hunter | neo noir | female soldier | army | 

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Taglines:

Are you living in the real world?

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Genres:

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

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Most noticable in the opening credits, the city landscape on Mars was heavily inspired by New York City. The plot of the film begins with a terrorist attack in said city. Ten days after the film's release in Japan, nearly 3,000 people were killed in the September 11th attacks, primarily at the World Trade Center in New York City.

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Goofs

During the opening credits, "Editor" is mispronounced as "Editer".

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Quotes

Faye: You're gonna take the entire world down with you... but why? That's insane.
Vincent: You think so? Is there an indelible line dividing sanity from insanity... Or do they change, one into the other at the slightest change of events? We'll find out soon enough. If the world itself is insane.

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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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Alternate Versions

When the movie played in Japanese theaters, some minor visual elements were missing like the McDonalds-parody advertisement above the subway entrance Ed and Ein are entering for example. Also, the ending credits scrolled over a black screen. The missing elements and the animation during the ending credits were added for the Japanese home video release and for international release.

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Connections

References The French Connection (1971)

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Soundtracks

Diggin'
Words by Tim Jensen
Vocals by Steve Conte
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.

Details

Official Sites:

BONES [Japan] Funimation Films [United States]

Country:

Japan USA

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

16 May 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heavens Door

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$234,429, 6 April 2003

Gross USA:

$1,000,045

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,007,903

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