Pure Japanese is a surprisingly fun, low budget action movie with some beautiful cinematography.

 

Sometimes you take a chance on a movie because it has an eye catching title. These little chances can prove to be hit and miss because you don't really know what you're getting into unless you've read the synopsis. The subject of today's blog post had an intriguing title and an interesting premise, so naturally I took a chance and saw the movie. The movie I am referring to is the 2022 action movie, Pure Japanese which was created by, starring and produced by Dean Fujioka. He did not direct the movie as Daishi Matsunaga did and the screenplay was written by Tatsuo Kobayashi. 

Pure Japanese tells the tale of former action star Daisuke Tateishi. Following an accident that occurred on-set in the US, Tateishi has apparently become traumatised to the point that he now spends his days working as a stuntman and is in charge of the sound effects for the theme park, Nikko Oedomura. A rather eccentric person, Tateishi mainly keeps to himself and isn't helped by what could be described as a lack of social skills. After showing up for a going away party for his colleague, Miura, he meets a teenage girl named Ayumi. He learns that Ayumi and her grandfather, Ryuzo, are being harrassed and targeted by the local Yakuza, a Chinese broker and a local politician, Kurosaki. As you may have already guessed, this all leads to violent confrontations and a final showdown. 

Daishi Matsunaga's direction is competent and he has a solid grasp of how to frame a compelling narrative. The narrative itself is quite intriguing and yet familiar in a sense. Tateishi is very much like old action movie protagonists with the trope of having a past event having made him shy away from the action. As soon as we meet Ayumi and learn of her and her grandfather's plight we can already guess what is going to take place with Tateishi overcoming his trauma in order to be the hero. That being said, I enjoyed the concept of the action movie star becoming an actual hero. Going from screen fighting to real violence is a very fun notion and it's definitely handled well. 

 

For a low budget movie, there's some exquisite cinematography. A wide variety of shot types litter the movie including a lot of moving shots. During a certain chase sequence, there's some rather dynamic shaky cam usage that definitely helps to up the intensity of the scene. My personal favourite shots are the top down and wide angle shots that do a fantastic job of showcasing the sheer magnificent beauty of the Japanese greenery and the shrine. By focusing on the landscape and traditional architecture, one could say that it is highlighting the glory of the Pure Japanese country. I also love the mid-range shot that focuses on Tateishi's back as he stands in the rain before turning around to face the camera. There's a neat and simple thing that enhances the scene as his eyes have changed colour to a shade of red. This is neat because it's a visual cue and representation of his primal rage beginning to overflow. 

What I love about the movie is the fact that one of the major antagonists is the corrupt politician, Kurosaki. Kurosaki talks a big game and his speeches would seemingly sound like he actually cares for the people of Japan, but in actuality he really doesn't. He only cares about filling his pockets with as much money as possible. Why do I love the fact that a dirty politician is an antagonist despite the fact that many movies have the same thing? Kurosaki is a globalist and globalism is shown in a negative light as it should be. It's not very often that a movie takes a firm anti-globalism stance and for that I commend Pure Japanese. Ryuzo is an older gentleman and a traditionalist who is firmly opposed to selling his land to Kurosaki and his goons. He firmly believes in sticking to tradition and even quotes Yukio Mishima. The quote about Japan becoming hollow stands out as if Japan fully embraced globalism then it truly would become a hollow, soul-less place.

The action is pretty solid. I appreciated the fact that the movie emphasised the difference between the stage fighting and the real thing. We see the rehearsals, the timing cues and the sound effects being added in as actors pretend to be cut down on the stage and the set of the theme park. In contrast, the real violence is pure unadulterated brutality with lot's of blood being shed. There's so much blood that one could see it being a homage to the works of the brilliant Takeshi Miike or Quentin Tarantino. The final fight scene is awesome as it starts off as a sword fight before turning into a glorious bout of unarmed combat. Every hit can clearly be seen as the camerawork is on point and the expressions of the actors are highlighted with some close up shots. 

One very minor issue with the movie is the really obvious use of CGI blood, especially with the blood splatters at the end of the movie. Unfortunately, due to the low budget this was pretty much a necessity. It's a shame, but I'll take CGI blood over no blood as having no blood would be silly. 

Dean Fujioka was clearly very passionate about the project and it shows in his committed performance. He portrays the stoic loner, Daisuke Tateishi with a poised precision and is captivating throughout the movie. He also excels in the action sequences and came across as a veteran action star. 

Aju Makita delivered a wonderful performance as the troubled teen, Ayumi. She nailed every emotional beat and had some wonderful chemistry with Fujioka. 

Yukio Sakaguchi was an excellent choice for the role of Yakuza boss Jinnai. He had an intimidating and threatening presence and handled his scenes really well. The fight scenes allowed him to truly shine and he excelled as the biggest physical threat to the protagonist. 

Overall, Pure Japanese is an enjoyable experience that masks it's low budget with some terrific cinematography, sharp editing and competent direction. I'd recommend the movie to action movie fans, fans of Yuki Sakaguchi and those who just want to have a good time relaxing with a solid movie.