BAD LANDS is an enthralling and uniquely captivating crime thriller.

 

Masato Harada has become one of my favourite directors over the past few years. The man seems to be on a roll with back to back bangers including Baragaki and Hell Dogs. His next work, following on from Hell Dogs, was an adaptation of a 2015 novel written by author, Hiroyuki Kurokawa. The novel is titled Keiso, but the movie adaptation was changed to be titled BAD LANDS. Harada-san was of course, no stranger to adapting novels, the aforementioned Baragaki being an example. 

BAD LANDS follows the story of Neri. Neri works as a third base coach in a professionally run scam call bracket based in Osaka. Her mentor figure whom she works for is the middle aged Takagi who is a father figure, but also not the greatest person. Following an operation that she had to abort due to it being a police sting operation, her gazillionaire abusive ex-boyfriend whom beat her so badly that she became deaf in one ear, Goya, is able to track her to Osaka thanks to gaining access to photos taken of her by the police. 

Meanwhile, Neri also gets Takagi to employ her step-brother, Jo Yashiro. Jo and Neri are almost complete opposites. Neri is cold, calculated and smooth whilst Jo is hot-headed and a self-professed psychopath. Needless to say, before long things get complicated and a situation ensues in which an important figure winds up dead and leads to the siblings attempting to run with a large amount of money. They wind up being chased by cops and the Yakuza alike, whilst seeking aid from an old, yet still gold ex-Yakuza and all-around badass, Mandala. 

BAD LANDS isn't the fastest paced thriller in the world. The opening is extremely tense and engaging with the scam having to be aborted due to Neri spotting trouble in the form of the police. After that, the movie takes some time setting up the characters, setting and laying the groundwork for the gripping finale. For instance, Neri's backstory isn't explored until the latter stages. This pacing may not be to everyone's tastes, but I greatly enjoyed it. The script is tight as is expected from Masato Harada-san and it's hard to find plot holes and nit picks. 

Some heavy themes are touched upon. Most notably child abuse, neglect and even abuse in the form of domestic violence. Well, I don't know if you could classify what occurs with Goya as domestic violence, but it sure is abusive. The characters are messed up, particularly Neri and we find out the depths of the reasons for why she is the way she is. She is a woman that rarely shows affection, not even to her step-brother whom loves her. The only person she actually shows compassion and kindness to is Mandala, the old former Yakuza. For the most part, this is handled extremely well and powerfully. There were some changes made from Kurokawa's novel, such as Neri being changed into a woman which might upset some people, but it works for the movie in my humble opinion. 

What can I say about the virtuoso Masato Harada when it comes to his cinematography? Much like his previous movies, BAD LANDS is masterfully crafted. The camerawork is exquisitely dynamic and the man is a pro when it comes to knowing when to move the camera and when to keep it still. There's a plethora of shot types, camera angles and filming techniques used throughout the movie. My favourite shot is hard to describe. It's a combination of techniques, partially a panning shot and partially a tracking shot that switches from following one character to another and also pans around the office space they are currently working in, it's a majestic shot. 

Sakura Ando delivered a fantastic performance as the protagonist, Neri. She portrayed the cold, calculated and efficient nature of Neri remarkably well. Her emoting is done with her whole body with a lot of great usage of body language and physicality. Her character is the perfect example of a strong female character done right. She's a fierce some, tough woman, but she also doesn't physically overpower much larger men, instead she uses her brain and even calls for aid in dealing with situations when necessary. 

Ryosuke Yamada was also great as Neri's step-brother, Jo Yashiro. He was like a puppy, playing cute when around Neri, but ferocious and incredibly violent to those he saw as a threat to either of them, especially to Neri. I really enjoyed the protective aspect of his character and he was a joy to watch. He was also believable in the botched hit scene. 

Ryudo Uzaki was given a super fun role as Mandala. The former Yakuza whom is aging and could drop dead at any moment is a such a cool character. Uzaki seemed to be having fun in the role and he was believable in his moments of lucidity as well as his drunken, dementia like state. He comes in clutch towards the climax and I loved his motivation being that he just wanted to help someone before he died, not wanting any of the money at all. 

There was also a really neat cameo for Junichi Okada. It's almost a blink and you'll miss it role, but it is actually important in the grand scheme of the movie's plot. He got to act a little and is cool for the little screen time that he got, as he almost always is. 

Overall, BAD LANDS was a very entertaining, enthralling and engaging crime thriller. It is a no-brainer, I would absolutely recommend checking the movie out at least once, especially if you're a fan of Masato Harada's directorial work, Ando Sakura, Ryosuke Yamada or even of crime thrillers in general.