Kakuto

A fun first directorial attempt by Iseya. This is clearly a film by a younger director, bristling with youthful energy. The plot is pretty simple, the finish is a little crude, and it's obvious he pulled in some favors to get the cast he wanted, but the result is pretty damn entertaining. Not quite as good as I remembered, but still cool enough to revisit.

A group of friends loves to hang out and get into trouble occasionally. They don't get mixed up in serious stuff until their token leader befriends a local Yakuza, who wants to cut him into a drug deal. Before he can sell anything he loses the gear, which puts a big target on his back. He'll need the help of his friends to get out of this situation unscathed.

Kakuto isn't too serious, keeping the tone light. The film sports an impressive cast, the cinematography is playful and the score still feels pretty modern, even though the film is two decades old. It's a fun crime romp that shows Iseya's talent as a director, sadly he never really pursued that career path with as much dedication as his acting career.