Terrific. THE 39 STEPS meets Japanese action thriller in this political assassination/innocent man on the run mash up. Cleverly worked out, if shy on explanations, writer Kôtarô Isaka, a Japanese sensation about to go global with BULLET TRAIN (Brad Pitt; Sandra Bullock) finds just the right plot twists even when he leaves us twisting in the wind. Here, innocent patsy Masato Sakai, goofily handsome & wildly appealing as a deliveryman, sees his fishing trip with an old college pal turn into a ploy to set him up as the presumed bomb wielding murderer of Japan’s Prime Minister. Falling back on a circle of friends for help (college mates, a fellow deliveryman, his former fireworks employer, the Pop star he famously rescued a couple of years back, a sympathetic older cop, even a wanted serial killer acting as impromptu Fairy Godmother), the action-packed story is a stretch, but too much kinetic fun to pick apart while you watch. Remade (apparently to lesser effect) in Korea in 2018, a Hollywood redo would have knocked 20 minutes off the running time which makes this original release Yoshihiro Nakamura’s peremptory Director’s Cut. Even at this length, not exactly neat & tidy; lots of time jumping as well as multiple mini-flashbacks at the end meant to settle questions that only leave you scratching your head (especially on the role of an imposter and on who is ultimately behind all the corrupt police & officials), but don’t let implausibility keep you off the case.
DOUBLE-BILL: Go out to the movies for a change. If BULLET TRAIN is half as good, it ought to be worth the ticket.
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: The title, GOLDEN SLUMBERS, a reference to The Beatles/Abbey Road.
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