Based on a story by Leonard Schrader, who also wrote “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters” and “The Man Who Stole the Sun”, “P.P. Rider” shares many similarities with “Sailor Suit and Machine Gun” particularly in the way it combines school students with yakuza. It is also worth mentioning that Somai’s initial cut was four hours long, but he had to cut it in half in order to be presented as a double feature with “Urusei Yatsura: Only You”.
P. P Rider is screening on Metrograph
The film starts with a rather impressive long sequence which introduces us to the main characters and the event that the story centers on, with the chaos that ensues from the beginning essentially setting the tone for the whole movie. Nobunaga Deguchi seems to be the most obese kid in his classroom in highschool, but he also happens to be its bully, as his first interactions around the swimming pool highlight. However, a bit later, he is kidnapped by a group of yakuza, who actually take him in from their car window and run outside the school. It turns out, though, that they have kidnapped the wrong kid, although their situation does not allow them to back out.
Three other kids from school, for reasons initially bordering on the illogical, decide to find where he is and bring him back. Bruce, a tomboyish girl who essentially functions as the leader, JoJo and Jisho, who is the most reserved, begin a trip that takes them from Yokohama to Atami to Nagoya, while stumbling upon yakuza, including Gonbei, a washed up one, the police, while Arare, a school teacher also plays a role in the events. They also stumble upon a lot of violence.
Essentially a road trip movie, “P.P. Rider” unfolds much like a chaotic farce, with individuals and events whose actions and overall presence dictate the chaos that dominates the narrative, with Somai, though, also including violence and even elements of exploitation in the mixture. At the same time, he evokes a permeating sense of nostalgia, as the three students (four including Nobunaga) realize that the problems they had in school are nothing in the face of what is happening in the real world. That the adventures they face and the consequences they suffer derive from their interactions with both the yakuza and the police could be perceived as a comment, although this aspect is essentially lost in the episodic narrative and the gags that fill the story.
And while the narrative could have been better, probably owing to the fact that the movie was severely cut, in cinematic terms, “P.P. Rider” is nothing less than impressive. The first scene may be the most outstanding, but the way Somai frames his actors is exceptional throughout, with their perpetual motion and the way it fits (or even not sometimes) the events that take place being a true wonder to watch. The long shots in particular will definitely stay in mind, while the scenes where the camera is quite close, including ones in a police car and cramped apartments, highlight the suffocation youths feel, in the most eloquent fashion. It is also this perpetual motion, along with the frequent yelling in the film, that create a very appealing sense of tension that carries the whole thing from beginning to end.
Also of note is the casting and acting here. Singer/actress Michiko Kawai plays the daredevil tomboy to perfection as Bruce, Shinobu Sakagami as Jisho highlights his timid nature convincingly while Yoshikazu Suzuki as Nobunaga plays the bully that becomes the victim to perfection. The ones who steal the show though are definitely Masatoshi Nagase as JoJo, whose confidence is rather well presented, and Tatsuya Fuji as Gonbei, whose washed up, angry and violent, but occasionally calm and even kind behavior will remind many of the characters Takeshi Kitano plays in his movies.
“P.P. Rider” is another excellent movie by Shinji Somai, particularly for its production values and overall cinematic approach, and a film that definitely highlights the prowess of one of the most important contemporary Japanese filmmakers.
