Kagai-jugyô: Bôkô
1989 / 63m - Japan
Crime
2.5*/5.0*
Go to Hanada and You Will See Kids Dressed Like Pirates Ready to Attack poster

Watches

January 31, 2022

2.5*/5.0*

Rules. Some directors are inclined to follow them, others merely see them as a challenge. There's no better niche than the Japanese pinku to illustrate this. While I'm sure Zeze's first neatly checks all the boxes, it never feels like a true pinku. Instead, it's more like an early Miike crime flick with some nudity to meet the quota.

A group of young delinquents gets into trouble when they get acquainted with a Yakuza boss' girlfriend, who they offer a place to hide. The Yakuza gang kidnaps one of theirs and wants to make a bargain, but when they overplay their hand they just get themselves into a bigger mess.

Zeze neatly groups the pinku scenes in the middle, which leaves him pretty much the rest of the runtime to focus on the characters and the crime elements. The cinematography is surprisingly decent, the Yakuza elements feel gritty, and the plot isn't half bad. A film that foreshadows Zeze's post-pinku qualities.