Originally a TV series that was originally broadcast by Fuji Television group in 1997, the “Bayside Shakedown” franchise continued its success with 6 movies, with the first two in particular, being huge box office hits. In this review, we will deal with the first one.
The script, which definitely demands some prior knowledge of the series, begins a few months after its finale, with the protagonist, Detective Sergeant Shunsaku Aoshima returning to the investigative division of the Wangan Precinct of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, after being demoted back to patrol duty for insubordination. In order to do so, however, he has to do a number of ‘errants’, like accompanying the Assistant Commissioner to his golf games. As the movie begins, a body is found floating in a river near the edge of the precinct’s jurisdiction, with the Wangan station officers not being particularly eager to take it up, along with the case, but ending up with it in the end, nevertheless.
At the same time, someone seems to have been stealing the receipts of the job expense of all the officers in the precinct, while a bit later, the aforementioned Assistant Commissioner is kidnapped. The top brass of the police, under Superindentent Shinji Muroi, Aoshima’s friend, move in Wangan, essentially relegating the locals to menial jobs regarding the case, who also have to work on their preexisting cases. As internal politics become an issue too, the whole situation soon plunges into chaos.
“Bayside Shakedown” offers a truly unusual amalgam, since Katsuyuki Motohiro has come up with a film that revolves around a series of crimes, but is at least as much a comedy, and at least as much a movie that focuses on police procedures, inner politics and the lives of policemen within the precinct. Regarding this last aspect, the issues with bureaucracy are actually a central theme, including the fact that the officers cannot carry guns unless on special occasions.
The element, however, does not stop there, as the inner politics are highlighted in all their despicability, including inner feuds, lazy and unwilling officers, higher ups who are mostly interested in their public image, the interference of politicians and the conflict between various police precincts and the headquarters. Lastly, the difference between the veterans and the younger guys, and most of all the anti-feminist to the point of misogynistic behavior of the majority of the officers, add another notch to an overall quite bad image for the police, at least in its top levels.
That all these take place within a series of crimes makes the whole thing quite chaotic, even more so since this approach results in a series of comments regarding dissatisfied youths who essentially live on the web, overprotective parents, the media frenzy, and various subcultures, among others. That all these are presented through a prism that frequently moves into absurd comedy filled with gags makes “Bayside Shakedown” even more chaotic, in a style, though, that has always been quite popular in Japan, particularly since the episodic mixture additionally allows for many protagonists to appear throughout the movie.
Regarding the casting and acting, it is easy to say that it is one of the best aspects of the movie, with the aforementioned chaos making the main protagonists appear heroic in their efforts to navigate it all and solve the cases in their hands. The main source of this approach is Yuji Oda as Aoshima, who manages to be equally good in both the comedic and the serious scenes. Toshiro Yanagiba as Superintendent Muroi highlights his inner turmoil eloquently, while Eri Fukatsu as Sergeant Onda steals the show, frequently appearing more manly than the men around her. Miki Mizuno as rookie detective Yukino is also quite good as the main recipient of the chauvinism in the Force, who does manage to overcome it with flying colors though. Granted, all the actors occasionally are excessive in their performances, in a style though, that fits the general aesthetics of the film.
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Osamu Fujishi’s cinematography captures the precinct and the chaos that dominates it accurately, while some of the exterior shots, as the ones in the river, are quite memorable. However, the most impressive technical aspect, apart from the excellent direction by Katsuyuki Motohiro is definitely Hiroshi Matsuo’s editing, with his cuts adding a perpetual sense of motion in a narrative that frequently resembles a stage play, ending up with a rather fitting, frantic pace that allows all characters and episodes to shine.
“Bayside Shakedown” is both entertaining and filled with interesting commentary, and a truly unique film that all those who manage to follow its intense rhythm will enjoy to the fullest.
