"Drop" Japanese Theatrical Poster
Director: Hiroshi Shinagawa
Writer: Hiroshi Shinagawa
Producer: Taiichi Inoue
Cast: Hiroki Narimiya, Hiro Mizushima, Yuika Motokariya, Yusuke Kamiji, Noriko Nakagoshi, Kazuki Namioka, Junichi Komoto, Yuji Ayabe
Running Time: 122 Min.
By HKFanatic
“Drop” is a live-action filmed based on the autobiographical novel by Japanese comedian Hiroshi Shinagawa. Shinagawa also stepped behind the camera for this, his directorial debut. I’m not sure how true-to-life this story is since the characters continually receive exaggerated levels of bodily harm but there’s no doubt that “Drop” is a confident and assured debut, one that proves Shinagawa is adept at balancing comedy with violence. This is a filmmaker to watch.
“Drop” bears at least a superficial resemblance to the Takashi Miike “Crows: Episode Zero” movies. Both films feature Japanese teenagers with outrageous haircuts engaging in increasingly large-scale gang wars. And they both seem to exist in a cinematic universe where kids can beat the living shit out of each other but no one is ever in danger of getting killed or going too far and taking a life. If you like “Crows,” you’ll like “Drop” but I’m not trying to give the impression that “Drop” is a Miike rip-off. These two films should be able to happily co-exist for fans of gonzo Japanese cinema.
The story of “Drop” follows a familiar structure in which a young man enters a new social world and learns several life lessons before moving on to adulthood. As such, don’t expect much character development for our supporting players, who are all rather static. Cool but static. The movie is about a middle schooler named Hiroshi who decides to leave his plushy private school existence and go to a public school where he can be one of the “delinquents” he admires so much. In Japan, these are the kids who skip class, swear, smoke, and regularly get into brawls with other roving bands of teenagers. Hiroshi’s only problem is that he’s not that good in a fight and he’s a bit of a coward. Fortunately, he’s the kind of guy who can take a lot of physical punishment and keep on going, which endears him to delinquent leader Tatsuya and his gang.
The characters in this movie are supposed to be around the ages of 15 and 16, yet all the actors look college age (or older). This isn’t much of a problem as long as you can suspend your sense of disbelief. I’m sure that director Shinagawa wanted to hire the best actors for the part regardless of age. And considering how much violence is in this flick, you need actors who are going to be physically intimidating and up to the challenge. Overall, the cast is great; actor Hiro Mizushima (live action “Beck” movie) is a scene stealer as Tatsuya, who never, ever backs down from a fight – hell, he doesn’t even need a reason to throw down.
The action in “Drop” is plentiful and over the top, with great fight choreography. My favorite scene comes fairly early on as Hiroshi and his friends are sitting at a booth in a Denny’s-style restaurant; Shinagawa gives us one long camera take of the gang talking at a table, while through the window we observe two punks approaching the restaurant. Without Shinagawa cutting to another angle, the punks smash through the glass with baseball bats and start laying the hurt down on our heroes. It’s one hell of a gutsy cinematic moment.
At 120 minutes, “Drop” is pretty damn long for a movie about teenage delinquents but, if you ask me, two hours of Japanese punks delivering guttural yells and beating each other senseless=bliss. Admittedly, the last half hour slows down for some weepy melodrama in lieu of any more action. It’s necessary character growth but some fans may be disappointed that the third act lacks the dynamic fisticuffs of the first half. The ending itself was poignant and well done, leaving me satisfied that I’d just watched one of the best Japanese movies I’d seen in awhile. “Drop” is available on DVD and blu-ray from Funimation, or available to buy in digital form on Amazon. If you love Japanese films that feel like a manga come to life then “Drop” is most definitely worth a purchase.
HKFanatic’s Rating: 8.5/10
