009-1: The End of the Beginning

2 June 2015. There is a splash of good cinematography and camera work in this sci fi martial arts action movie. And except for a tacked-on scene at the end of the credits which seems to be incongruously disruptive of the end, most of this movie has great action, a decent but convoluted plot, and incorporates the emotional depth of the Japanese notion of sacrifice, suffering, and loss. There are definitely elements from Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003), Terminator (1984), Le Femme Nikita (1990), and Elektra (2005) with the movie's action scenes. Additionally there is the energizing physicality of the music that enhances the action like Bourne Identity (2002).

"009-1" is a horrifically violent but very stylish film. Blood and gore is rampant and can very off-putting. So, if you don't like all the violence, then it's certainly NOT a film for you. I am just warning you about this up front, as the film is a 9.5 on a scale of 1 to 10 for violence! Because of this, and a bit of nudity and sexuality, it's probably NOT a good film to watch with your kids, your mother or Father O'Reilly!

The film is based on an older manga series from Japan. Back from 1967- 1970 the series ran in serial form and it made a brief re-appearance in 1974. Then, much more recently, an anime version was made. How close they are to this live-action film, I have no idea.

The film begins with a prologue telling the audience that the film is set in some dystopic future--where evil and greed are rampant and the poor are treated pretty much like animals. The opening scene in the night club pretty much sets the stage for the violence you'll see, as a complete scum of a guy kills for no reason. And, after brutally murdering someone, he turns his lustful eyes to a gorgeous woman--a woman who just happens to be 009-1. However, it turns out that 009-1 is a secret agent--a cybernetic one! She has little in the way of past memories and is full of amazing gadgets, as she was created to serve her 'side' in some seemingly meaningless battle between rival countries. In addition to being able to regenerate, dodge bullets, seduce men and kill with ease, this robotic lady also has boobs which are, well, booby- trapped! You'll just have to see the film to understand what I mean. But of course, she kills this scum-bag--as well as most everyone in his entourage. Such goings on are pretty much the ENTIRE film--with 009-1 going from one boss battle after another and killing. However, during the course of 009-1's violent missions, she starts to remember more and more bits of who she might have been before she was made into some sort of killing machine reminding me of the excellent sci-fi book by Joe Haldeman, "All My Sins Remembered"). Additionally, she begins to show some independence--such as choosing in some cases NOT to kill as she seems to be developing some compassion. I really liked this aspect of the film--a blurring between the line of what it is to be a machine and what it is to be emotionally human (sort of like a rated-R version of "Wall-E"!).

Unfortunately, as the film progresses, I got a very strong feeling that there were two big problems with the film. First, while the ideas in "009-1" are really neat, there simply are too many pieces of plot all shoved into the film. This movie is definitely a case where more is less--the more plot points they cram into the movie, the more you get overwhelmed. It feels as if they put too much of the old series into one film instead of letting it unfold like a serial. A mini-series or follow-up films would have probably worked better. It just overwhelms you with all the plot twists and exposition. Overwhelming is also what I felt about the violence. I will admit that I am not a huge fan of violence unless it is handled well (such as in the wonderful Gina Carano films). Here, you get one killing after another after another and after a while I just found it a bit boring. Had the film progressed slower and focused much more on a central plot, the more it would have entertained. As it is, it is a very unique film but one I cannot wholeheartedly recommend unless you want mindless violence--much like if you are playing a video game. An interesting idea but one that leaves you feeling a bit overwhelmed.

I'd love to hear from you anime and manga fans about this one. Is the original story THIS complicated and violent? Did it leave you feeling exhausted and a bit overwhelmed? And, are the anime, manga and film similar or did the filmmakers take some serious diversions from the old story?

...There is no real emotional connection to the characters, or their development, resulting in very two dimensional individuals, the story itself, which fails to substantially bear fruit, being conceived in a similar vein.

Having never viewed the Manga or Anime this feature is based upon, perhaps I was at a disadvantage, as I did not expect the opening of the film to encompass sex and nudity. The film exhibits an avid concentration on the legs and chests belonging to the female characters, and despite the lead never revealing her underlying flesh, which reflects the principles the feature is able to support, much of the sexual content contradicts this particular aspect through the severe limitation exhibited upon morals in general - even incest being a theme incorporated into the script.

Almost all of the female characters dress in leather outfits that are absolutely stunning, revealing the physicality of the gorgeous women wearing them. There's one particular scene involving two women with magnificent external features, one of whom is pinned to a table, the other on top, her tongue dancing across the body of the woman who's tied down, saliva left in its wake. This, much like a scene where women are dressed in alluring maid outfits, which is a step up from other moments involving women whose attire is even more revealing, is obviously aimed towards a male audience, who will, in all likelihood, potentially enjoy the aforementioned scene, as it is easily one of the film's most memorable moments. Unfortunately, it seems the creators put too much thought into the tantalizing visuals and innuendo, and not enough elsewhere, which is where the attention was most required. Safe to say, feminists need not apply to watch this movie, with over 80% of the women in the feature been relegated to unnecessary sexist stereotypes.

On the subject of the film's other prominent feature, the sheer mass of violence steadily increases over the course of the film, until red becomes the main color spilling across the screen. The fight scenes, although occasionally wonderfully executed, despite the obvious low budget, sometimes become tiresomely long-winded, even with the action oriented soundtrack which efficaciously works accompanying many of the scenes. Most of these battles take place in condemned locations that lack much physical appeal, whereas limited time is spent in the feature's more luxurious settings.

Due to the focus on sexually related ideas, and buckets of blood and gore, the story exhibits minimal impact upon the viewer. In the future, the world is divided into two blocks: east and west. Mylene, otherwise known as 009-1 (Mayuko Iwasa), is a brilliant spy for the Western Block, outfitted with an arsenal of weaponry (including machine-guns in her breasts, that, although imaginative, have recently been shown elsewhere). In battle, she is outmatched, frequently been called upon to undergo dangerous operations. When eliminating a human trafficking operation, she happens upon Chris (Minehiro Kinomoto), whose very existence begins to change her life, causing her to feel a connective tug dragging her continuously towards him. Her employer, led by 020 (Naoto Takenaka) however, will not allow her to experience a normal life so easily. Upon been thrust into an operation to save a valued scientist, Dr. Klein (Aya Sugimoto), who has a direct connection to her past, Mylene finds herself in the center of a fight unlike any she has ever encountered. Who can she trust? What can she do? And can she figure it all out in time?

A collection of cliché ideas, that are not nearly as predictable as they are flattening to the overall story, alongside an anti-climatic conclusion, that raises more questions than it deems to answer, while teasing the possibility of a sequel, inhibit much of the tension and suspense the film attempts to construct. If you, dear viewer, want to see an assortment of unfathomably beautiful women in sexy, sexy outfits, then please, look no further. If you want a film that contains a decent storyline, maybe you ought to look elsewhere...

No, I didn't watch this nonsense from start to finish. Lets see--supposedly action takes place in future but Japanese censorship laws from today in full swing which means you never see any skin or, God forbid, naked female. Yes, for this you have to go underground, VPN, to specialty sites where you will dig out diamonds. Admittedly, men are still stupid in future and fall for good looking chicks--cannot blame them. When about 100 adults got killed I realized my waste of time and wrote this review.

Sometimes the idea is better then the execution. While slickly presented, the overdone plotting within a very small time frame makes it feel like a disconnected mess. That's the issue regarding the shot-on-video adaptation of 1970s spy manga "009-1: The End of the Beginning".

A beautiful, but deadly cyborg spy 009-1 tries to rescue the doctor who made her a cyborg, but on this mission she begins to discover things of her past.

It doesn't waste any time on filler, but it just feels shallow trying to squeeze a lot in. Therefore the development and emotional context loses out. Contrived story-telling involving twists and turns alongside jaded flashbacks don't have the impact as they should. Maybe this is due to the low-end budget, but certain things felt lazy and half- baked. Just like the computer effects.

Now where it didn't lose focus, was the action. This remains non- stop and bloody, as it showers the screen with fireworks. They really do punch away, other times it's over-the-top and there's some bite. But the use of special effects in those scenes do become tiring, as well long-winded. Still there are some surprises, despite the run-of-the-mill set-up. You could say it does get hot and bothered, just look at those sexy outfits and the sensual teasing. Strangely enough, it's part of the story.

The cast don't have too much to work with material-wise, but psychically it's a different story. Performances are stereotypical all round, but the stunning Mayuko Iwasa fits right at home as 009- 1. She brings the right temperament to her character, as her humane compassion starts to break away that ice-cold killing machine instinct.