TOKYO TRIBE

Shion Sono is a busy man.

Not only that, but he’s busy making mostly great films for as long as is worth mentioning. Surreal horror SUICIDE CLUB brought his name to the attention of many readers here. From there, we had the epic melodramas NORIKO’S DINNER TABLE and STRANGE CIRCUS, a career-defining trilogy (LOVE EXPOSURE; COLD FISH; GUILTY OF ROMANCE), celebrated crime drama HIMIZU and the more light-hearted – but no less worthy – WHY DON’T YOU PLAY IN HELL?.

Between the hits there has been the odd clunker (EXTE: HAIR EXTENSIONS) and a few titles that apparently went completely under the radar: HAZARD, BE SURE TO SHARE etc.

So it was with great interest that I approached TOKYO TRIBE. On paper, it sounded preposterous: a mildly futuristic take on territorial gang warfare, in which participants employ hip-hop rapping during expositional passages. But, this is Sono, I told myself – the guy who gave us STRANGE CIRCUS, COLD FISH, SUICIDE CLUB.

But this is Sono, an inner voice of concern echoed, the guy who also gave us EXTE: HAIR EXTENSIONS …

In what is essentially an extremely loud and kinetic updating of WEST SIDE STORY or "Romeo and Juliet" (more specifically, bringing to mind the MTV veneer of Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 ROMEO AND JULIET), the film opens to reveal that Tokyo in the near future has been divided into districts, each ran by opposing gangs – a la THE WARRIORS.

Handily, each gang has its own garish attire to help distinguish them, as well as their own introductory rap serving to spell out their individual characteristics.

From this raucous set-up, we learn that Mera (Ryohei Suzuki) – leader of the Wu-Ronz clan – has designs on taking over rival mob, the Musashino Saru. In a bid to do this, he enlists the help of the frankly mental Buppa (Riki Takeuchi), leader of another gang … and renowned for his acts of cannibalism!

In the madness that ensues, Mera and Buppa manage to accidentally kill affable Musashino Saru underling Tera (Ryuta Sato). This not only enflames the gang’s leader, Kai (Young Dais), but also every other gang in Tokyo: it transpires that Tera had the unique position of being EVERYONE’S friend.

Oops.

And that, essentially, is it in terms of plot. From there on in, every other street tribe takes sides with Kai’s mob and declares full-on gang war against Mera, Buppa and their cartoonish followers.

Cue lots of fighting that looks suspiciously like breakdancing; random characters such as a fat guy in an Elvis suit; lame humour; worse raps; nudity; CGI gore; and much more.

TOKYO TRIBE is by no stretch a disaster. On the contrary, it often looks amazing. Cinematography is impressive throughout – perhaps nowhere more so than during an early extended tracking shot which is worthy of Scorsese. Vivid use of prime colours adds a vibrant tone to proceedings, while characters are quirky enough to become both distinctive and memorable. The storyline is kept simple, enabling it to engage. The frequent bouts of female nudity – presumably playing to the clichés of hip-hop culture’s notorious reputation of objectifying women (the word "bitch" is used a LOT here) – add an arresting visual element which ably highlights the film’s position on the line between arthouse and exploitation.

Set-piece scenes are many, and they’re undeniably efficient in their execution. Well-lit and edited, that kind of thing. However, this is where the negatives begin to surface. The choreography seems curiously lacking during the combat sequences. Modern martial artery has seldom looked so small-scale and apprehensive, what with people fighting largely one-on-one and tending to be wiped out by single strikes from their opponents.

Then we have the rapping. A curious stylistic choice that doesn’t really add any obvious subtext (though does take its cue from Inoue Santa’s manga series of the same name that this affair is based on), and doesn’t illuminate proceedings dramatically. It just happens to be there. An obvious downside here is that the songs aren’t particularly good – they soon become similar and repetitive – and the fact that most of the rap dialogue covers expositional detail tends to make these portions of the film drag. Certainly, the pace is up and down throughout, preventing any sense of events gathering momentum.

Eureka’s DVD serves the film well. It offers an attractive 16x9 transfer which is vibrant enough to convey the production’s deliberately gaudy colour schemes. The original 2.40:1 ratio is adhered to. Detail is fine, while depth comes across as convincingly cinematic.

Japanese audio comes courtesy of rousing 2.0 and 5.1 mix options. The beats, the dialogue, the bone-crunching sound design: all are stirred evenly into the mixes. Optional English subtitles are well-written and easy to read throughout.

The most substantial bonus feature is undoubtedly a 65-minute Making Of documentary. Shot on the soundstage sets during the 20-day shoot, this allows for the odd on-screen comment from cast and crew members but mainly rests on the action as it’s unfurling. It’s a decent behind-the-scenes account, offering insight into how Sono works, and handily comes with English subtitles.

The film’s original trailer is a predictable burst of colourful, manic energy. It clocks in at a breathless 104 seconds in length.

Finally, we get 4 deleted scenes which run for just under 3-and-a-half minutes in total. They don’t reveal anything of further importance.

TOKYO TRIBE is certainly interesting and entertaining in its own ways. It’s also flawed to an extent that I can’t imagine rushing to revisit it any time soon. The songs don’t register, the action – for all its excess – feels strangely held back in its delivery, and the pace is all over the place.

In terms of quality in relation to the rest of Sono’s impressive canon, I’d place TOKYO TRIBE somewhere closer to EXTE: HAIR EXTENSIONS than, say, COLD FISH.

Also available on blu-ray.

Review by Stuart Willis