- Film
The Exit 8
Release date Thu 9 Apr
Year
1989
Language
Japanese spoken, English subtitles
Director
Okawa Toshimichi
Duration
60 min
An action film in its purest form: a whole series of shootouts, chases and explosions set in harbour docks, night-time streets, nightclubs and warehouses. It's never boring!
The bandana-wearing alpha heroes in this pre-John Woo era film evoke echoes of Stallone and Schwarzenegger in their heyday. Pop singer Sera Masanori plays traumatised cop Joe, who teams up with his old enemy (the fugitive Bruce) to take on the mafia boss who murders Joe's colleague in the opening scene (a small role played by the future king of V-Cinema, Takeuchi Riki).
More interesting than the average plot is the deliberate blurring of national identities: Joe works at the police station in “Little Tokyo” and drives an American police car in an environment with mainly non-Asian extras. This places Crime Hunter in a long tradition of universal action films, the best-known example being the work of Suzuki Seijun from the 1960s. As a “film you can't fast-forward”, Crime Hunter is consistently effective. Its short running time means it never gets boring and does exactly what it promises.
Focus: V-cinema
The Japanese direct-to-video phenomenon V-Cinema emerged in the late 1980s and left a lasting mark on contemporary film culture. V-Cinema was created in response to the rise of video rental: filmmakers began making films that would not be released in cinemas. This approach allowed directors to work quickly, on a small budget and with a great deal of creative freedom.
With this Focus programme, IFFR is turning its attention to V-Cinema films, a combination of early works by established names and films that have rarely been shown outside Japan. In the Forum, you can see a selection of films from the Rotterdam programme.
Agenda
There are no new dates planned (yet) for Crime Hunter: Bullets of Rage.
IFFR in Groningen
The International Film Festival Rotterdam is coming to Groningen!
From Wednesday February 4 to Sunday February 8th.
IFFR in Groningen is the perfect opportunity to explore unknown, international gems or to discover the special titles of the upcoming film year.
