Crows Zero: Expertly made fist fight extravaganza!

 

Crows Zero and it's sequel often come to mind when thinking of my favourite movies. They've got all of the ingredients for me to have a great time. Fist fights, drama, cool dudes, pretty gals, J-rock and friendship turned into gangs. Sure, I may come across as being simple for liking such things but it's nice to just slip away into such escapism every now and then with how the world can be. 

The movie is based on the very popular manga Crows by Hiroshi Takahashi which began in 1990 and has sold over 46 million copies worldwide. Despite being based on the manga, it creates a lot of new characters and treats some of the established manga characters such as Rindaman with the upmost respect. The setting is the same and yet the story that unfolds within the movie takes place chronologically before the events that transpire within the manga. This means that the movie and it's sequel both act as prequels and give us something fresh to digest instead of rehashing the same old story we've read on screen. I think that this was a very smart move for the moviemakers as it gave them a certain amount of freedom that they would otherwise severely lack. It also gave them the opportunity to flesh out the vibrant world found within the Crows universe. 

Speaking of the moviemakers, the movie and it's sequel were both directed by prolific director Takeshi Miike. No stranger to adapting manga into movies, Miike had previously helmed the epic and yet somewhat controversial Ichi The Killer. Ichi The Killer had been banned in Germany, Malaysia amd Norway due to it's violent content. I didn't really think it was bad enough to deserve being banned but maybe I'm desensitised to violence. Leading into Crows Zero, Miike was known for his bizarre and quirky humour and movies such as Audition, The Dead or Alive series, Gozu, Sabu and many others. Hearing of him being the director of Crows Zero, I thought that it seemed a bit too normal for Miike's standards. That's not to insult the genius that is Takeshi Miike as I'm a huge fan of his work and introduced my brother to his work. He remembers the Yakuza dog scene at the beginning of Gozu to this very day. It's just that this movie stood out from the rest of his work at the time and made for a curious viewing. 

Crows Zero is set in Suzuran High, an all boys high school in which not much actual education takes place. Instead, there exists an ecosystem wherein, the students are split into different turfs according to grade levels, classes and most importantly reputation. The unification of all of the levels and the school as a whole is a daunting task and only the brave dare undertake it. Essentially, the school is overrun with delinquents and the state of the classes and the premises as a whole reflects as much. Whilst it may seem unrealistic for such a desolate school to exist, the movie does a great job at making it believable by feeling it with colourful and memorable characters.

Into the system walks our cool, charismatic protagonist, Genji Takiya. On his very first day, the newly arrived student gets mistaken for reigning school gangster, Tamao Serizawa and is forced to take down some Yakuza. Serizawa was actually visiting his (and later discovered Genji's) friend Tatsukawa Tokio and arrives in time to witness Genji taking down the Yakuza. Following the event, Genji goes to see his father who just so happens to be a Yakuza boss. He proclaims his ambition to take over Suzuran, something that his father attempted and failed. This is his effort to prove himself worthy of being his father's successor. In order to accomplish this, he meets with low ranking Yakuza member, Ken Katagiri who helps the protagonist plot his path to success. Ken informs Genji that in order to take over Suzuran, he will need to build his own faction. Genji builds the Genji Perfect Seiha aka GPS via sheer brute force, gaining of respect and establishing friendships. Naturally, his rapid rise to power is noted by Serizawa as a potential threat and thus setting up the inevitable climatic showdown between the two and their respective factions. 

Now as previously mentioned this was directed by the legendary Takeshi Miike and surprisingly he made a movie that wasn't fully into his bizarre, quirkiness. He expertly directs the talented, future stars in a well made production. That being said, he still managed to tell a Yakuza story of different variety by having it be focused on the son's (Some at least such as Genji) of the Yakuza who enroll in an environment where fighting and ascending the ranks takes priority over actual education. It all amounts to a really fun viewing and an excellent way to spend time. Of course, the movie isn't entirely devoid of Miike's signature quirkiness and style. Even the most conventional things in the movie such as the girl getting kidnapped and the need to impress a father gets twisted in small yet noticeable ways. His quirkiness also seeps through in the bowling scene. In that particular scene, a guy takes a gigantic ball and throws it towards a group that are set up and knocked down like bowling pins, it's goofy in a charming, fun way. 

As a lover of fist fights, this movie and it's sequel are treats. There are no wires, no special effects and no superpowers to take away from the action. You could potentially make an argument for super strength though, seeing as Rindaman is nigh undefeatable and there are times where it would appear that a guy has been on the brink of losing to simply wipe out his foes. Nevertheless, the fight choreography is competent and executed well enough to keep you engaged as the fighters face off. The camera work itself is handled to a satisfying level, allowing you to see exactly what is happening unlike some of the shaky cam work in certain action movies. Genji and Serizawa's climatic showdown is awesome and caps the movie off with a bang. Unlike some reviews that I've come across, I had no problems with the showdown being cut to and from the surgery that Tokio was undergoing as I feel that it added to the tension and give the fight more emotional weight. Tokio was the friend of both Genji and Serizawa and potentially was facing death as such, the pair are fighting for more than themselves. 

As for the cast and characters, everyone involved did a fabulous job in portraying their roles. I can't think of a singular bad performance in this movie or it's sequel. As for the stand outs, Shun Oguri looked and acted like a star. His portrayal of Genji Takiya is full of charisma, swagger and he sells the bad-assery expertly. He's the coolest. I might seem a little biased here, but this movie propelled Shun Oguri to being my favourite actor to watch. His portrayal was captivating and I believe he fully achieved his goal of avoiding being type casted as a pretty boy following Hana Yori Dango. I could make a whole blog post on the man himself and may yet do so one day. However, I'd like to point out Takayuki Yamada's performance as Tamao Serizawa. He sells his bad-assery, has real emotion in his performance and is an excellent adversary for Shun Oguri's Genji Takiya. Yamada often goes under the radar which is unfortunate as he's a very talented actor and pops up in a lot of entertaining movies and dramas. Much like Takayuki Yamada, Goro Kishitani is another underappreciated talent that often gets overlooked. His performance as Hideo Takiya sells the Yakuza boss and father effortlessly. He is a frequent collaborator with Takeshi Miike and it's easy to see why, he's a gifted hand in his craft. 

Overall, if you're looking for a competently made movie that's full of action with superb action and fist fighting is your thing then Crows Zero is the movie for you! I'd also recommend it if you're a Takeshi Miike fan.