Vaulted on the international stage by his low-budget horror blockbuster “One Cut of the Dead” (2017) director Shinichiro Ueda gives a shot at a feature film adaption of the Korean TV series “Squad 38”. Ueda tries to surf his wave of success and is backed by a prominent cast to tell a story about revenge within the prude setting of Japanese bureaucracy. After its international premiere at Shanghai Japanese Film Festival “Angry Squad” continues its rally around the world with the European premiere at Udine Fat East Film Festival.
Angry Squad is screening in Far East FIlm Festival

Tax officer Kumazawa Jiro is deceived by a swindler when buying a used car. When he manages to confront the swindler, the latter offers to help him steal over a billion yen (for charitable purposes) from a shady businessman who systematically evades taxes, in exchange for Jiro not pressing charges against him. Jiro agrees to the proposal due to personal motives for seeking revenge on the billionaire, and the swindler assembles a team. Meanwhile, the initially clumsy and submissive Jiro starts to immerse himself more and more in his new role as a swindler.
Revenge and justice are the two main topics the movie discusses. The story is suspenseful and interesting and follows a strict leitmotif absent from any narrative detours. The pacing is on point and benefits from unexpected plot twists. Humorous elements contradict the barren cosmos of taxation and shed a different light on the mousy civil servants. The diverse cast places special emphasis on engaging with the audience. Although the plot follows the principles of every other heist movie leading to a somewhat predictable chronology of events and plays along stereotypical characters paired with some open plot points, “Angry Squad” offers something that many modern Japanese movies lack – and that is entertainment. Shinichiro Ueda delivers solid popcorn cinema aimed at a large audience but manages to keep a certain level of quality, which can be appreciated by a sophisticated audience, too.
Kind of like a Japanese version of “Oceans Eleven” or the most recent Netflix production “Tokyo Swindlers“, “Angry Squad” counts on the performance of its ensemble. Led by Seiyo Uchino as the typical office worker, who is too naive and friendly, and therefore the perfect victim, the cast makes a good match. Some characters may seem to fulfill only their function as a narrative tool and evoke a one-dimensional impression but that does not have to be a negative per se. As mentioned above, “Angry Squad” benefits from the concept of simplicity and creates a good mix of entertainment and aspiration.
For the most part, the actors do exactly what they are asked for. The performances are neither shallow nor overacted. The polished faces of Masaki Okada, Rina Kawai, and Aoi Morikawa do not lead to a loss of authenticity and, different from many other dramas, do not diminish the credibility of the narration by an alleged superimposed acting. The casting department did a very good job by choosing these actors giving them a chance to fully demonstrate their talent within the confined boundaries of the script. Compiled together with Yuko Iwashita, known for popular crime dramas, Ueda develops a snappy adaption of the Korean forerunner. Looking back at Ueda’s previous works, “Angry Squad” misses the director’s quirky style that made films like “Special Actors” (2019) stand out and once more underline his efforts to appeal to a mainstream audience.
The visual concept is provided by the young cinematographer Shuhei Yamamoto who puts a glossy look on the screen. Yuta Ehashi’s fast-paced editing supports the engaging story-telling and Ueda does not shy away from relying on a rather inexperienced crew to realise his ideas. The music is composed by Nobuhiro Suzuki, who also worked with Ueda before and has already been nominated for a Japanese Academy Award. Overall, the audio and visual notions flow together very harmoniously and arrange a crowd-pleasing presentation for the audience.
Although Ueda’s name is rather connected to an unconventional cinematic approach, “Angry Squad” breaks out in a new direction. In parts, the film’s “Eat-the-Rich” attitude contains some of his rebellious spirit and is mixed with mainstream elements. The story of the law-biding husband who switches sides is a lighthearted but entertaining swindler drama with an excellent character introduction and a convincing lead actor. Shinichiro Ueda sheds a different light on the Japanese corporate culture with a wink.