Tokyo Vice

Tokyo Vice was so much better than I expected. It looked good to me and I'm a Michael Mann fan and heard he was attached and it still exceeded my expectations. It's based off a true story and shows a realistic view of Japans criminal world. This show is exciting and will keep you on the edge of your seat from the very first episode throughout the series! The entire cast is great and led by especially great performances by Ansel Elgort and Ken Watanabe. I absolutely recommend this show!

Irony -- other shows work so hard to create a vibe of tension and potential threat. Here, if you can relate to this wonderfully relatable character, every second of every moment is filled with tension because the Japanese culture is one of the most unique on the planet. And one of the most especially unforgiving towards outsiders. (I have seen thousands of films, submitted almost 2000 reviews here, and yet the most terrifying movie I have ever seen is Japan's 1964 "Woman in the Dunes," which is not even a horror movie!) Excellent and addictive series. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

Finally something new to get behind! I have to say I really love this series. I lived in Japan while on active duty with the Marine Corps and I fell in love with Japan, the culture, the beautiful people, the history and everything else about it. If there is any other country I could live in again, it would be Japan. The culture was so impactful on me as a young Marine, it just has never left me... Anyway This show is extremely well made and gives you a little dose of everything Japan. Great acting, great writing, solid directing it really has it all. Don't screw this up HBO and not give us another season. If you are into crime type dramas, give this a go. And Give it 3 episodes before you make any decisions. You're hooked after that. Tokyo is one of the most unbelievable cities in the world that's for sure so go visit! The city, and the people, will change your life forever! Again give the show a try. You will really enjoy it.

It took a while for this show to be made but the result is pretty cool! Michael Mann knows how to do interesting thriller and delivers again. Great atmosphere, great camera work and a great cast! Good stuff and shows that HBO is still the gold standard...not Netflix!;)

Tokyo Vice is a dark, gritty drama that builds intrigue from the very beginning. The criminals have deep traditions like the Sopranos. The police and the crimes committed are violent and shocking, similar to The Wire, and the cinematography is dark, like Boardwalk Empire. It's everything you want in a classic HBO Mobster/Gangster story with a very talented ensemble.

As always, if you made it this far, thanks for reading, and if you watch this series, let me know what you think.

Stay Channel Surfing!

Damian at TalkTeaV.