Dangan Runner

Full of verve and energy yet little happens. Well, one thing doesn't happen, two things do and a chase ensues. One guy chases another and another chases him around the backstreets of Tokyo. A salaryman, a rock star drug addict and a yakuza member spend virtually the entire film chasing. There is some backstory provided and the whole makes a little more sense by the end. One difficulty for non Japanese is that this is clearly intended as a comedy but doesn't quite make. There is a scene, for instance where the three pass a pretty girl bending down in the street and they are distracted. In a Benny Hill sense with the appropriate cartoon music and only a hint of sexy visuals, there is probably a joke, whereas here the content is too prurient for us sensitive souls to find it amusing. The whole is worth a watch and in particular for those quickly disappearing little streets, here I understand mainly those behind Nakano Broadway.

This movie has a very simple yet clever premise - an unemployed man trying to steal from a convenience store, and the store clerk catches him in the act... the thief runs away with the store-clerk right after him. All the while, the store clerk is in trouble with a low-rank Yakuza chinpira (gangster). Along the chase for the thief, they catch the eye of the Yakuza who's been looking for the convenience store clerk. The story then moves into high gear in the form of a Tom & Jerry (cat & mouse), but is added with the dog chasing after the cat. The entire 2nd act of D.A.N.G.A.N. Runner (can be translate to English as "PINBALL RUNNERS") is about the chase, and the chase goes on & on to the point that by the end of the 2nd act, the bum forgets why he is running away, and the Yakuza don't remember which of the 2 guys he is chasing, nor does he remember why they're running away from him.

Similar to SABU's later film POSTMAN BLUES, the bulk of the film is simply all chase and action, with plenty of physical comedy and dark humor injected to keep the audience engaged. What falls short is the ending, to which the chase stops when the three men run out of steam, and into one of the most chaotic Mexican stand-offs you'll see on film that looks almost as if Sabu was paying homage to Tony Scott's TRUE ROMANCE (written by Quentin Tarantino).

Japanese indie film with humor and philosophy where the three main characters run literally almost through the entire film, chasing each other due to strange circumstances and comical coincidence. As they are running, we see what is going on in their minds and how they got where they are at the moment. The act of running is a metaphor for these down-on-their luck people's lives. In some way, what they're really chasing for is not what they were originally chasing, but for meaning in their lives and an escape from their personal problems and broken dreams. Running makes them all feel truly alive. The big life-altering running adventure comes to an end when they accidentally get in the middle of something big, violent, and so absurd that it's funny in a clever way. One of my favorite films of all time by genius director Sabu.

An entertaining and substantive film, Non-Stop has drawn deserving comparisons with "Run Lola Run". The film quickly develops into a chase sequence, during which the viewers learn about the three main characters through flashbacks and daydream sequences. The chase serves not as as a fast-paced climax, but as a journey that makes up the majority of the film. During the "run" we see the characters grow and momentarily forget about their dreary lives, about the "macho" roles they've bought into, and eventually forgetting about why they started running in the first place. Much like fighting provided a "clarity" for the characters in "Fight Club," running provides this film's characters with a means to step away from the false values that we all allow society to create for us. Their running serves as way to truly taste life from an unclouded perspective, and all three find some level of clarity and joy in the process.

My appreciation and enjoyment only wavered slightly in the ending of the film, where instead of learning from their experience, the characters seem to revert to acting out those false macho roles I thought they had escaped from through their journey.

Still, the only true problem with this film is that it wasn't distributed outside Japan sooner.

This film is listed as a comedy, but it's not the "laugh out loud" type. In fact, there is some pretty serious subject matter involving a bank robbery, heroin addiction and the Japanese mafia. It's comparable to "Run Lola Run" in that yes, there is a lot of running! But it also shares "Lola's" non-linear story line. Some people may find this confusing. It's also similar in some respects to "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" as you learn (eventually) that all the characters introduced are connected in some way.

It helps to have some knowledge of the Asian culture (even if you learned it through Jackie Chan movies). The Asian's emphasis on honor and saving face is a key driving force for these characters. The relationship between the yakuza/mafia guys and their boss/master is laughable to an American sensibility. The motivations these guys have to run all over town in a marathon chase would never work in this country.

If you can be patient and wait it out, the plot will fall into place. If you don't like movies you have to figure out, or if you get lost during flashbacks, you probably won't enjoy this one. Don't expect a knee-slapper, but there are a few good chuckles (some probably unintended) and interesting plot twists.

P.S. If shaky hand-held camera work a la "Blair Witch" makes you queasy, beware!