Brian Thibodeau
SPACE TRAVELERS is a comic thriller about three men (TakeshiKaneshiro, Masanobu Ando and Hiroyuki Ikeuchi), orphans all,who decide to rob a bank just before closing time to finance theirescape to a tropical paradise. Plans, as they often do, go southand the trio ends up trapped in the locked-down bank with aneclectic and eccentric collection of staff and customers, each ofwhom corresponds to characters in an anime show adored by oneof the robbers (Ando, the psycho kid in BATTLE ROYALE). In shortorder, the hostages realize their captors are actually misguidedlosers and decide to help them out, adopting character namesfrom the anime and making the growing throngs of cops outsidethink the gang is much bigger than it really is and, in the process,discovering untapped potential and new senses of purpose intheir mundane lives. A fast-paced, often touching piece of work,with extremely well-drawn characters.
papahan
What a great film this is! The director of Bayside Shakedown returns with this fantastic movie which will bring out the kid in all of us.The film's action sequences are top notch, at times even better than Hollywood. The comedy level in the film is very, very high.Now, it seems for a moment that this is a regular action comedy but guess what - apart from the action and comedy, the film is also a pinching satire on Japanese media, police force and the entertainment industry.I would give this film a perfect 10 if not for the end.The film opens up giving us a feeling that this is one roller coaster ride we'll never forget. But then in the end, the film suddenly goes into a very sad mode. My God - it disappointed me!!!!!!Screw the ending. Check this film out. You'll love it!
SilverHawk
Perhaps one of the most stylishly made action films to come out in a long time. Tired of watching the same old Hong Kong action films that has recently become all the rage in the US? Watch this! This Japanese film pays homage to Hong Kong action films and does one better. It's entertaining. Something that is sadly missing lately. Don't worry that it's in Japanese. There are English subtitles. It also tips its hat to Hollywood films such as Al Pacino's Dog Day Afternoon.It begins much like Dog Day Afternoon, three bank robbers led by the Japanese heart throb Takeshi Kaneshiro. A colourful cast of characters make up the rest of the hostages. It pokes fun at everything from the Japanese police department to the J-pop scene. All this interspersed with an animated movie called Space Travellers. But the animated movie is used to aid the bank robbers who have bungled their operation. With help from the hostages, they all soon learn to believe in themselves and reach for their dreams no matter how high they are.It's a wonderful movie. A must see!
