Odoru daisosasen

'Bayside Shakedown' is a movie that manages to be exciting, disturbing and funny all at the same time. The movie that starts out as crime drama and even seems to nod slightly in the direction of CSI also has plenty of humour-filled moments.

Though the film has three cases at the same time, the story doesn't get derailed, mainly because each of the plots only enhance the over-all feel of the film. The comedy prevents the serious parts from becoming tedious and the well-written surprise makes the film a fulfilling experience. Also a colourful cast undoubtedly helps.

The only criticism I can direct at the film is that the opening is rather slow, but things start to pick up at a nice pace.

Recommendable for people who like generally good films.

BAYSIDE SHAKEDOWN (1998), which was a record-breaking hit when it first opened and spawned an equally successful sequel late in 2003, is a fantastic dramedy-thriller about a bureaucracy-heavy city police precinct involved in the hunt for a serial killer. The opening scene sets the delightful comic tone: a body floats dead centre in a small river that divides two districts, with cops from both sides wading frantically in the water to see who can get to it first and thus take on the case. On shore, two wisened detectives from the Wangan Police Station quietly mutter their hopes that if the body floats to the other side, they won't have to be bothered investigating the case. Naturally, they get the case, and young cop Yuji Oda spends the next several days hunting down the killer AND an unexpected group of kidnappers, dealing with interference that shows up in the form of secretive high-tech Feds led by an arch-rival, and witnessing the station commanders all but bury themselves in red tape and petty squabling in order to avoid doing real work, all while desperately trying to catch a few moments of desperately desired sleep. This is based on a TV show, but prior knowledge of it is unnecessary and you instantly feel a kinship with these memorable characters. Nice double-twist ending, too! I give it a 10.

Odoru Daisosasen (Bayside Shakedown) is a detective movie on the surface. It centers around the case of the kidnapping of a police commissioner of the Bayside precinct. However, digging deeping, it is really a movie about friendship, dark humor, social satire, with comic relief.

This movie can stand on its own without the TV series, as I have not seen the TV series yet before watching the movie. Don't let that be a let-down.

The movie perfectly combines humor with seriousness. One just can't stop laughing at the ludicrosy inside the local precinct and the seriousness of the HQ. At the same time, the plot is fluid and coherent - with a nice surprise at the end to relieve the tenseness.

Go see this movie if you feel watching a coherent detective story with some laughable moments.

I liked the characters and the style, so I believe the setup really had potential. But unfortunately they didn't make much out of it. Another reviewer called it "directionless". I agree. It just meanders along without any suspense, the story is totally unexciting. There is some subtle humor but that's all.

I'll still check out the second part though, maybe I'll like it better. (Probably not.)

I am not a fan of police movies but this one won me over. I found it to have the perfect blend of humor and drama. The multiple plots of kidnapping, murder, and a thief within the police's very own station were all handled smoothly by an excellent group of actors. In a way it reminds me of the movie M*A*S*H in that there is humor, humor, humor, and then "Bang," edge-of-your-seat drama and tension. (This review is in regard to the dvd version with English subtitles.) I've watched this movie a dozen times now and each time I notice something extra, things that are funny or odd taking place in the background. The movie was easy to follow despite me having never seen the TV series. You will enjoy this film.