Adorenarin doraibu

Okay so I was a teensy bit disappointed by this movie, I had already become so accustomed to Shinobu Yaguchi's funny style of directing and crazy films such as The Secret Garden, Swing Girls and Water Boys- those movies are all five star movies according to me- but this one falls a bit short...

The premise in itself is kind of exciting and funny, but it seems that Shinobu wanted to tone down a lot of the elements from his usual movies to have a more "realistic" tone and pace. This is admirable in itself but for a movie that is called "Adrenaline Drive" one kind of expects to be put on the edge of the seat at all times, with laughs along the way... unfortunately there aren't many laughs nor much that happens- instead the happenings are sort of stretched in the two hours of the movie's running time... but the premise keeps you going and the actors act a certain way that is naive but in a way fun (not as fun as the other movies I mentioned though).

This is also the first movie of his that I know off (I haven't seen his later movies) that has an antagonist in the roles of a Yakuza and his underlings which is an absolute change of pace which is good- I like it he handles it good!

I guess my main problem is the pacing and the length of the movie, it feels really slow at places and the jokes are few and far in-between, but maybe that was what he wanted as well- to make something a bit more "realistic" (realistic in his terms because the premise is still crazy) and that is good but coming from seeing his other movies one kinda feels a bit disappointed by it not gonna lie. I'd say it's still worth a watch but be ready to spend a bit of time watching it cause it's a bit slow. Actually my fav part of the movie was the last part where he ramps up the comedy and the action of everything happening, perhaps a bit too late? Either way I think he should've shaved off at least 30 mins from this movie, then the pacing and perhaps the comedy would've been improved.

One thing that I like about this movie is that once you've seen a few of Shinobu's movie's you start to recognise the actors and that they reappear on almost all of his movies- this is so sweet, it feels like a troupe of actors that he loves working with- and I appreciate it so much, it feels like home in a way.

In all other aspects this movie looks great!

Check this out if you want, but if you're searching for the usual Yaguchi style of fun then you might be a bit amiss- some people might like the slower and more realistic place but I'm more split in the middle regarding that, I'm still happy I saw it and perhaps I'm going to watch it again sometime if I have a Shinobu Yaguchi marathon!

This movie caught my attention as a japanese version of "Office Space." It was less goofy and more intelligent than that though. It had decent acting and very probable situations. Nothing was really over the top (ie no big explosions, bloody deaths, etc). Also had a lot of really good things to make you think about life, death, money and power. It was serious without being depressing and after the final credits rolled, I was left with a good feeling inside.

"Adrenaline Drive", a misnomer, is about money and a shy guy and a not-so-shy girl who have it and a handful thugs and one real badass Yakuza dude who want it. A busy, fun, and creative little flick, "AD" works well in the beginning and slowly wears out as it plods sweetly but doggedly towards its conclusion. Worth a look for those into Japanese films. (B-)

Everyone can find laughs and enjoyment in this movie, an unpredictable twist on a familiar theme. The lead actors are completely charming and natural, making their somewhat pitiful characters attractive and endearing. One truly hilarious episode deals with an explosion, showing a chain-of-events that is logical, comical and a bit frightening.

Even the secondary characters shine in their roles, and the movie allows them time to bring their characters to life. The strict head nurse from the hospital explores her dark side while the nastiest gangster is humbled by medical procedures and a limited capacity.

Sure there are some cliches, like the mousey nurse transforming into a stylish vixen, and the inept thugs who don't have a clue, or the strategically placed pickup truck that leaves at precisely the right moment. But it's all done with enough good nature and energy that makes it more than worthwhile.

Rented this from Netflix. The look of this film is slightly low budget, but it complements the bizarre situations in the movie well. Think "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" only in Japanese and less overt violence. The acting is good and the story is very very good and funny. Cinematic ally, it's not much to look at. The movie concentrates on telling the story as clearly as possible and it does a good job doing it. Although the movie itself is pretty tame, there is some strong language in the subtitles that younger children probably shouldn't be exposed to. Another movie that you may like if you like this one is "Wasabi" with Jean Reno and Ryoko Hirosue. It's worth a rent!