Director Tatsushi Omori's 2022 film is a serviceable crime drama about the bloody aftermath of a bold robbery.
The plot concerns 5 people gathered to steal the yakuza's laundered money, a plan which they pull off well enough, but as usual for this type of film, the consequences are more severe than they imagine. As the robbery already happens in the beginning of the film, we follow these people immediately after the job going about their daily lives. The story's effectiveness hinges on these characters as they're the backbone of all the proceedings, but not all of them are interesting enough for the film to work as well as intended.
Hidetoshi Nishijima's character is the most well rounded for me personally, and his portrayal of a former yakuza trying to escape from his past and reconnect with his family is solid. Others, such as two wayward teens and a banker-type talky dude don't really satisfy with their narrative arcs, for their own reasons. Either they're not quite well fleshed out, or they're too hysterical to at least appear relatable.
The film looks good, is solidly performed and isn't quite a cheap Tarantino wannabe that it would have you believe with a few of its scenes. It isn't a home run either, for it definitely could have used a tighter edit and a more distinctive story, with added intrigue about its characters. But, if you're not too picky, it's not too bad for a one time watch.
The plot concerns 5 people gathered to steal the yakuza's laundered money, a plan which they pull off well enough, but as usual for this type of film, the consequences are more severe than they imagine. As the robbery already happens in the beginning of the film, we follow these people immediately after the job going about their daily lives. The story's effectiveness hinges on these characters as they're the backbone of all the proceedings, but not all of them are interesting enough for the film to work as well as intended.
Hidetoshi Nishijima's character is the most well rounded for me personally, and his portrayal of a former yakuza trying to escape from his past and reconnect with his family is solid. Others, such as two wayward teens and a banker-type talky dude don't really satisfy with their narrative arcs, for their own reasons. Either they're not quite well fleshed out, or they're too hysterical to at least appear relatable.
The film looks good, is solidly performed and isn't quite a cheap Tarantino wannabe that it would have you believe with a few of its scenes. It isn't a home run either, for it definitely could have used a tighter edit and a more distinctive story, with added intrigue about its characters. But, if you're not too picky, it's not too bad for a one time watch.