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R2 DVD Reviews
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Written by maehara
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Wednesday, 05 December 2007 16:00 |
 If there's one thing that I've learnt over the years, it's that if you're going to watch a movie where Mamoru Oshii has been involved, be prepared to think about it - you're not going to get an all-action story that will let you switch off. This release of Jin-Roh just goes to prove the point, as Special Unit officer Kazuki Fuse's life is changed by one chance meeting...
1950’s Japan, but not the one you read about in the history books – in Jin-Roh’s world, the Germans won World War II, and Japan has only recently emerged from occupation by their former allies. The trauma cause by that time still lingers – the current government is trying to rebuild, but various groups, among them violent terrorist group the Sect, are unhappy with the way the country is going and are beginning to fight back. To counter these groups, a paramilitary organisation, officially known as the Special Unit of the Capital Police Organisation, has been set up to counter the terrorists. Operating outside any official control, their methods are violent and brutal – but hopefully, successful.
 
 
As the film opens, there’s a riot taking place in Tokyo. Members of the Sect have infiltrated the mob and soon begin using high-explosive Molotov cocktails and other explosives to help shift the balance of power away from the police – amongst the Sect members is a young girl, Nanami Agawa, a bomb courier, carrying explosives to Sect members at the front of the rioters. She’s caught underground when the Special Unit catch up with her and her accomplices – and when she’s finally staring down the barrel of the gun belonging to Lieutenant Kazuki Fuse, she decides that it’s better to go on one’s own terms and detonates the bomb she’s carrying, killing herself instantly. For Kazuki, that one death – and his own moment of hesitation that gave her the time to detonate the bomb – sets a chain of events in motion that will affect him deeply.
When guilt prompts Kazuki to visit the dead girl’s grave, he meets her older sister, Kei, and the two strike up an unlikely relationship that leads to Kazuki re-assessing his life and what he should do with it. Meanwhile, events in the political world also play their part in deciding what will happen next...
 
 
A word of warning: have your wits about you when you watch Jin-Roh, as there’s a lot going on and a number of twists and turns that, if you’re not paying proper attention, will leave you wonder just what the hell is going on. That’s not a criticism of the film – you just need to be aware of it if you’re to get the most out of what you see on-screen, and frankly I wouldn’t expect anything less from any story created by Mamoru Oshii.
On one level, it’s almost a war movie – the Special Unit certainly carry out their operations in the style of a military unit, and the scenes featuring them in action are brutal and bloody – it’s a tone that’s set by the opening riot and continues throughout the movie. But that aspect of the story is merely the backdrop to the much more human tale of Kazuki and Kei, which starts off as an awkward meeting and soon becomes a love story. Here we have two people who have become central to events that are developing out of their control, and the main thrust of the story is how they together deal with that and with the consequences it brings for them. While the political manoeuvrings that go on around them can sometimes be too complex for their own good – a common Oshii failing, in my opinion – the core story of Kazuki and Kei far outweighs the film’s failings, and makes for compelling viewing. It never becomes over-emotional, either – there are some moments of high emotion, but always in situations where it’s the sort of response you would expect from someone. For most of the movie, the characters are generally subdued, and just trying to deal with what’s going on in their heads and around them.
Jin-Roh has the feel of a movie that’s main aim is to make you think, and it does that admirably. It also feels like a story that will reward repeat viewings – I haven’t had the opportunity to see it again set, but I have no doubt that I’ll be busy spotting things I’ve missed once I do. Pacing will perhaps be too slow for real action nuts, but if you’re in the frame of mind to give the story the attention it needs, you’ll be well rewarded.
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