Eyecatch Junction

'Eyecatch Junction' is the first movie released by legendary director Takashi Miike. It was straight to video production and it remains obscure today. The film is not too bad, but it is not very memorable. The overall atmosphere is a slapstick action-comedy, but there are a couple of rough scenes that really feel like they belong to some other movie. The film is fast paced and entertaining enough to engage the viewer from the start till the end. Humorous action romp without anything deeper underneath.

It is hard to catch a copy of 'Eyecatch Junction', especially with subtitles, but occasionally it pops up over the breadth of the internet. If you are Takashi Miike fan then you might be interested watching this, but when ou haven't seen it, then, to be honest, you haven't missed much.

Eyecatch Junction is the first official movie made by famous director Miike Takashi. Just like many of his later works, this obscure V-cinema flick from the early nineties vividly combines genres that seem to be incompatible for Western audiences. This film features slapstick comedy, martial arts action sequences, serious crime investigation parts, mild pornography and even dance choreographies to conclude. If you are a Western twenty-first century feminist, you will despise this movie but if you like quirky Japanese gangster flicks from the nineties that are a product of their time, you certainly can't go wrong here.

The story revolves around an ambitious traffic cop and her tough weightlifting colleague who become involved in their police station's fitness club organized by a pretentious but dedicated trainer. The three women soon become friends and feel that their talent is misused as being eye candy as they want to take on some serious investigations. The movie starts on a lighthearted tone as they investigate a case of expensive stolen underwear from a women's college. However, things take a more sinister turn when one of the college girls gets brutally murdered. The three cops soon realize that some college girls are involved in a prostitution ring and get killed when they want to get out or talk to the police. With the help of the mayor's daughter who creates experimental weapons, the quartet confronts the Yakuza boss behind the crimes.

This movie convinces on many levels. The four female protagonists are quite different, energetic and unique and make for unusual protagonists. The story comes around with quite a few turns and balances brutal scenes with humorous elements in a refreshing way. The film has a perfect length of ninety-two minutes and gets more and more entertaining as it progresses.

On the negative side, some of the slapstick humour is silly, repetitive and predictable. The fight scenes look fake and should have been shot with a more realistic vibe. The movie was obviously made on a very low budget and it shows as the quality rather recalls Hong Kong action cinema from the early eighties than Japanese gangster movies from the early nineties.

Still, Eyecatch Junction is entertaining and foreshadows Miike Takashi's unique blend of genres that would define his career. If you are looking for a quirky potpourri of Japanese culture from the early nineties, take your time to find a copy, grab something to drink and to eat and switch your brain off for ninety-two highly entertaining minutes. However, this certainly isn't a film for the whole family as you should be aware that this film includes nudity and violence.

One can never be sure what they'll find when going into a Takashi Miike picture. The man has shot so many films in a variety of genres, some comedies, some horrors, a musical- he can do anything. 'Eyecatch Junction'- the first released film by Miike, though the second he shot- is a giddily light comedy that contains whispers of the dark, strange eroticism found in much of the director's later work. An underwear thief is on the loose, who targets college girls with a preference for silk. Three policewomen form a vigilante group to catch the fiend, but before long the situation becomes more complicated and violent than any of them expected.

The wild story and screenplay are credited to Hiro Masaki and Akio Takemoto, and their work is frequently funny, oftentimes over-blown and always bizarre. Their dialogue is so melodramatic and saccharine sweet at times it'll rot your teeth, though there are clever lines throughout that'll surely make you laugh. The story contains some very macabre moments too, and frankly the juxtaposition between the dark and light elements of the narrative doesn't quite work. A plastic-covered scene of eroticism- while beautifully photographed and directed- is jarring amidst a sea of weird comedy (male cops nose-bleeding while leering is a recurring motif) and the goofy antics of the vigilante trio.

The tone of the film is muddled, which admittedly is a purposeful element to many Miike films. He 'genre-hops,' adding a slice of comedy here, a bit of drama there; usually to great effect. 'Audition' is not just a horror, it's more than that, the story has emotional depth and genuine dramatic power. 'Dead Or Alive 2: Birds' is not just a thriller, it's a meditation on the importance of family, of friendship. 'Gozu' is... oh so many things. In 'Eyecatch Junction' though, the genre-schizophrenia comes across as more confused (and confusing) than intentional.

The cinematography from Shigeru Komatsubara is assured and undeniably stylish, not to mention a lot more artful than most straight to video films of the period. In the latter half in particular are some shots that linger in the mind long after the credits have rolled; the aforementioned plastic-covered scene especially. The soundtrack from Tomio Terada is catchy, highly atmospheric and evocative, though- like the cinematography- has a tendency towards the garish.

The cast all perform admirably, with Hiroko Nakajima as the central character Makoto and Risa Tachibana as a lab technician with an interest in the group impressing the most. Nakajima brings to her role a dignified air and a resolve that is both appealing and effective, while Tachibana is something of the comic relief, and has a ditsy aura reminiscent of a young Teri Garr. Both ladies turn in strong performances that are rather memorable and certainly entertaining.

That can be said of the film overall: it is certainly entertaining. While by no means is it Takashi Miike's best work, it isn't his worst either. 'Eyecatch Junction' is a fun, mindless comedy that has great performances from a dedicated cast, a breezy soundtrack and stylish visuals. There are also some moments that foreshadow the dark, intriguing films Miike was to go on to make, and whether or not these work in the overall context of 'Eyecatch Junction'; it's interesting to see how his style evolved and how those elements became one of the hallmarks of his directorial modus operandi. In short, there's surely enough in 'Eyecatch Junction' to catch your eye and keep it fixed.