Credited cast: | |||
Yûko Takeuchi | ... | Higuchi Haruko | |
Nao Ohmori | ... | Higuchi Nobuyuki (as Nao Ômori) | |
Teruyuki Kagawa | ... | Sasaki Ichitaro | |
Shihori Kanjiya | ... | Rinka | |
![]() |
Masato Sakai | ... | Aoyagi Masaharu |
Gaku Hamada | ... | Kill-O | |
![]() |
Akira Emoto | ... | Hodogaya Yasushi |
![]() |
Ken'ichi Takitô | ||
![]() |
Hidetaka Yoshioka | ... | Morita Shingo |
![]() |
Saki Aibu | ... | Inoue Koume |
Ryushin Tei | ... | Detective Washizu | |
![]() |
Gekidan Hitori | ... | Ono Kazuo |
![]() |
Yukari Shiomi | ||
![]() |
Sonim | ... | Tsuruta Ami |
![]() |
Yûsuke Iizuka |
When easy-going Aoyagi meets an old friend for a fishing trip, he ends up drugged, framed for the Prime Minister's assassination, and on the run from corrupt cops. It's only the beginning of what quickly becomes the worst, weirdest day of his life. But he'll get by with a little help from his friends, who include a famous pop diva, a rockabilly deliveryman, a crippled old gangster, and the world's most cheerful serial killer. Among the many puzzles of this twisty, clever film is how Nakamura manages to sneak a genuinely moving tribute to friendship into the madcap procession of perilous events. No matter what befalls Aoyagi, his friends and parents believe in him because of his steadfast, almost irrational pleasantness. Written by Los Angeles Film Festival
Aoyagi (Masato Sakai) is mistaken for a murderer and on the run from the cops. At first glance one would think it to be a simple suspense film, but that's not the case. Each character has a deeper motive. Carefree, open-hearted, soft-spoken, each character seems to have some sort of reliance and trust in Aoyagi.A married couple with child get into an elevator, standing alongside a suspicious hooded man. The elevator descends, and a long take follows them as they walk through the department store. Suddenly, the child disappears. In this moment the film has us nervously thinking, "Something bad must have happened."
With this powerful moment I'd recommend the film. Every scene in the film feels like a pure cinematic experience: when the company owner says to Aoyagi, "i know You aren't the criminal;" when we cut to the scenery outside the car in motion; when the child of the wanted criminal dies. Even normal scenes were certainly shot with meaning. The cooperation of Sendai City during the filming has a positive effect on the movie's quality. Extras who appear in the film for just a few seconds stand with consideration for their own significance, in turn blessed by a splendid film.
As soundly escapist entertainment, it's a shame the film hasn't been screened overseas since its debut in 2010.
This kind of amusing film is an example for what Japanese cinema is all about.