BAYSIDE SHAKEDOWN 3: SET THE GUYS LOOSE (Odoru daisousasen the movie 3: Yatsura o kaihou seyo!) (2010)

Genre: Comedy/Action/Crime
Director: Katsuyuki Motohiro
Cast: Yuji Oda, Yuki Uchida, Toshiro Yanagiba, Eri Fukatsu, Yusuke Santamaria, Atsushi Itô, Kôtarô Koizumi, Sôichirô Kitamura, Takehiko Ono, Satoru Saitô, Kenta Satoi
RunTime: 2 hrs 24 mins
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films
Rating: PG
Official Website: www.odoru.com

Opening Day: 9 June 2011

Synopsis: BAYSIDE SHAKEDOWN 3 is the third movie based on the popular BAYSIDE SHAKEDOWN TV Series, known for its unique and humorous depiction of the Japanese police force while avoiding the conventions that define most police dramas.

After Detective Shunsaku Aoshima (Yuji Oda) is promoted to section chief he has the daunting task of dealing with eight cases at the same time, which includes a bomb threat, a bus hijacking, and even a series of homicides made worse by the fact that the murder weapons are pistols stolen from him and his juniors!

Movie Review:

This reviewer remembers a time when Japanese dramas were the rage, and it was almost socially unacceptable if you were not a follower of these TV series originating from the Land of the Rising Sun. Well, as far as entertainment goes, he is not a big follower of Japanese series (he also doesn’t understand the craze over Korean series these days). And that probably explains why this movie’s runtime of 148 minutes didn’t exactly sound very appealing to him.

Based on the cult Japanese police drama comedy series originally broadcast by the Fuji Television group in 1997, this feature film version is the second follow up after the first two movies in 1998 and 2003. If you are familiar with the characters of this popular series, you would have no problem with the plot here. The protagonist is a charismatic detective who has just been promoted to be a section chief. He is put in charge of a big scale relocation project of the Bayside police station. The drama begins when three loaded pistols get stolen and a threat is issued to release a list of inmates previously arrested by our hero.

One may notice that there is a five year gap between the first and second movie, and a seven year gap between the second and third one. The producers must have been very confident that the movies would make money at the box office – and they are right, because the first feature raked in $100 million while the second one made $172 million, making it the top grossing live action movie of all time in Japan in 2003. It is of no wonder that the gang is back for a third time (spin off series and TY movies have been made during the interim period).

Considering that leading man Yuji Oda first played the beloved Detective Shunsaku Aoshima some 14 years ago, one can see that he has effortlessly eased himself into the character’s enigmatic personality, exuding an appealing charm. Oda (and his signature green jacket) has aged nicely over the years, and his co stars Yuki Uchida, Toshiro Yanagiba, Eri Fukatsu, Yusuke Santamaria have also returned to reprise the characters they portrayed in the successful series.

Fans of the original TV series and first two movies will find themselves comfortably engaged in the storyline, as each character’s unique persona and behaviour will not be unfamiliar to them – it’s like meeting your old friends from the past. Speaking of which, the filmmakers have also cleverly brought back Kyoko Koizumi’s character from the 1998 movie (she had a bad habit of stuffing teddy bears into her victims’ stomachs). Here, the psychotic baddie is again planning to wreak havoc by luring computer nerds to the dark side. Koizumi’s performance here is gleefully chilling, despite her limited screen time.

No worries for those who are unacquainted with this series, because the two odd hour duration will set you in to know all the characters appropriately without any dull moment. You’ll find yourself identifying with some poignant themes explored in the movie, including office politics, political interference, bureaucratic red tape and lazy public officers. Director Katsuyuki Motohiro manages to poke fun at these subject matters through an entertaining and winning screenplay written by Ryoichi Kimizuka. You’d be keeping your eyes on the screen because of the top notch production values, ranging from first rate cinematography to impressive chase sequences. 

If all Japanese series were this fun and appealing, it is not too late for this reviewer to catch up on what he has been missing out.

Movie Rating:



(How can we not recommend this enjoyable production that has entertained tens and thousands of viewers in Japan?)

Review by John Li