Reviewed by Ricky Ghosh Dastidar
Stars the voices of Yû Aoi, Yusuke Iseya, Kankurô Kudô,
Sanchu Mori, Masahiro Motoki, Rokurô Naya, Nao Omori,
Kazunari Ninomiya, Yoshinori Okada, Min Tanaka
Written by Taiyo Matsumoto & Anthony Weintraub
UK certification UK 12 | UK RRP £15.99
DVD Region 2 | Runtime 100 minutes
Directed by Michael Arias
Tekkonkinkreet is based on the short manga film from 1993 by Japanese director Taiyo Matsumoto. Originally released as Black & White, here it is given the full feature film makeover by American director Michael Arias. Having lived in Japan for 12 years, and with a CV that includes work on the films Princess Mononoke and Animatrix, Arias successfully manages to deliver an engaging picture with the standard mind-blowing visual fare expected of any decent manga film.
Tekkonkinkreet follows the fate of two orphan brothers who go by the name of Black and White, and their conflicts in a fictional rundown district of Japan called Treasure Town. Although brimming with meticulously put-together action set-pieces, it is the complex relationship of the two brothers that forms the basis of the film. The symbiotic ways in which they live offer a poignant perspective of the hardships that they faced in earlier life and of the struggle to survive on a day-to-day basis on the mean streets of Treasure Town. Belonging to a gang known as “The Cats”, Black and White have become used to having full control of the seedy metropolis of Treasure Town, and their position is respected even by the rival gangs. However, this is until an influential gangster named The Rat decides to take control of the streets with an old adversary named Kimura.
The Rat and Kimura then team up with an even more sinister character called The Snake and together, they plot to wipe out The Cats and take-over Treasure Town. Inevitably, Black and White refuse to go down without a fight and the pace is set for a full-blown action film. Tekkonkinkreet is entertaining to watch mainly because of the dazzling visuals and the way in which it shifts in atmosphere as the story develops. Although the plot is no more than a simple tale of rival gangsters involved in a power struggle over a small district, it is the characters that really manage to shine. The script is by no means flawless, and there are one or two dull moments, but overall I would say it is pleasing to most audiences.
EXTRAS ***** The DVD is loaded with special features for those of you who wish to find out more. These include a filmmaker’s commentary and a conversation with director Michael Arias and Plaid; the British rock duo that provide the Tekkonkinkreet soundtrack. What really makes a difference here, though, is a 43 minute film-diary documenting Michael Arias and how he got the film made.