Exciting and raw describes this classic Japanese road racing movie that precedes the likes of "Initial D" and "Wangan Midnight" by over 10 years.
Rokuo Kazuki (Gitan Ootsuru) is challenging to break the fastest time record to go around 7 tollways around Tokyo and Yokohama that stretches 13.9 km (Namely Daisankeihin, Yokohama Shindo, YokoYoko, Tomei, Chuokosoku, Wangansen, and Shutoko). Setting the record of breaking 5 minutes 13 seconds not only requires skill, but also luck. Failing to break the record, Rokuo gives up. Rokuo's girlfriend Yoshiko (Yumiko Okayasu) challenges the record. There's another confident street racer Takashi (Hiroshi Matoba) also vying for the record.
The three main characters of this film all became successful in their own ways in their profession. Gitan Ootsuru, and Hiroshi Matoba became successful actors, and Yumiko Okazaki also became a successful actor, but also became a successful real life race driver and has her own racing team "Heart in Heart Racing Team".
None of the cars in the movie were breaking the speed law, and the illusion speed were created by fast forwarding the film. From this first installment of the series, real life Japanese police were on to the creators of this film, threatening to shut down its operations for promoting illegal high speed driving on public roads. This is the reason for Keiichi Tsuchiya to be giving lectures against high speed driving in public road on all subsequent episodes of this series.
'70s, and '80s were the time of proliferation of idols in Japan preceding the likes of Brittany Spears by more than 20 years. Yumiko Okayasu, and Junko Tokumaru both came out of idol roots, expanding their careers into acting.
The movie is best of its kind. Although low budget, it really captures the feeling of driving with the characters throughout the streets of Tokyo. After all these years, nobody has yet topped the action, and excitement that this series brought to the big screen.
