Be prepared to be Japan-tastically juiced up for a ‘B’ movie overload of Asian and Euro extremes , joyously gelled together in binding homage to a master of Action Cinema. A near futuristic Tokyo city sits atop the sewers and unkept industrial back lots. A playground for the setting of a gloriously garish interpretation of Director Kinji Fukasaku’s ‘Battle Royale’ , riding reins with ‘The Running Man’ in a twisted variation on ‘The Most Dangerous Game’. Eleven misfits of society awaken in an enclosed warehouse unaware of how they got there , to be greeted by an arcane personification announcing himself as Mr. k.

Black clad in long tailed coat and harmonized hat this throwback Joker is sidled by similarly sartorial goons , all armed with Twenty First Century Tommy guns. Under the apparent organisation of the mysterious Mr. Baron a video screen plays out the rules of this Game to the gathered eleven players. The audacious girl guide play seen upon the screen is instantly recognisable , and played out with humourous accolade to the master Fukasaku by its deferential Director Higuchinsky.

Bound by time triggered lethal poison injected bracelets the reluctant gathering are paired off into three teams , all handed maps with three possible routes to the home of Mr. Baron. They have eleven hours to survive the game and each other in order to win the prize money of Three Million Yen. If the sniff of Snake Plisskin and the tone of ‘Escape From New York’ waft across your cinematically enhanced senses then be prepared to be visually giggle blessed with the sight of ‘Bronx Warriors’ cliques as well. The ‘Eleven’ are all crazy individuals with their own pre credit intros that read like a laugh riot , guaranteed to cause a guffawed splurge for those sat back enjoying with a beverage. The role call plays out hysterically and includes the characters Big Mack , a fat kid who eats big and runs away without paying for his meal with the sneaker saddled rivalry of Forrest Gump. Fake is a counterfeit painter who is responsible for half the content of The Louvre Gallery but whose own self drawn portraits suck !. The absolute classic for all followers of Samurai cinema has to be Jingi , a would be modern day incarnation of a Ronin. His peculiar peccadillo is in extracting money from video rental stores just because they are short on Yakuza movies , an act that many a movie fan can relate too , threatening the tiller with his weapon which is but a wooden sword made to look like a metal one !. Insanely inspired stuff and topped off by the hysterical realisation later on that Jingi’s family name is Bunta , as taken in revered fashion from the mighty veteran of many a great Yakuza movie himself Bunta Sugawara.

The game unravels with the individual characteristics coming to the fore as each of the participants displays their unique ability , both in unified team spirit and egoistical self preservation. On their heels are the motley crew known as The Hunters , hired help looking like Batman henchmen rejects from the Prince video shoot , pushing them onwards and taking out the stragglers as they go. There is always something to behold and enjoy as the pace never slackens and neither does the tongue in cheek proceedings. Interjected by moments of violence , with the blood spurting out directly into camera , so in your face that you’ll want to reach out with a cloth to wipe the screen down. Neo Tokyo bleeds its vibrant colours across this futuristic culture and rains down such a thrill charged rainbow that deliriously delivers its pot of gold.

There is more to proceedings than just slam bam thank you geisha Mam as the revelation of all but one of the contestants bearing the mark of a tattooed butterfly brings about a reinvigorated turn of events. The main protagonists in Snake , as played by popular Japanese star Eddie and Natsuko Kato as the gorgeous Coco - a girl with more than a passing passion for the Chanel range , proves to be the perfect pairing. The interaction between these two characters delivers much of the stylish moments of Action that includes an awesome display of gun play astride a speeding motorcycle. The sight of Coco back flipped on the rear seat as Snake careens away from pursuing Hunters is such a spectacle , especially as she is unflinching when a bullet grazes her cheek.

The rules of this game are simple , there are no rules as the contestants soon find out to their cost. Their predicament is the audiences gain as the unravelling Play Station video game experience comes full circle , as the neat on screen updating contestant kill score refreshes with regular Game Over.

With a recent glut of sub ninety minute non stop Action outings from Japan ‘Tokyo Eleven’ adds great credence to this apparent fast flick cinema equivalent of a modern throw away society. At a compact seventy minute duration it certainly holds the attention and never gets bogged down by unnecessary dialogue. This is quick fix movie going but the flavour is savoured long after digesting , and a repeated viewing will go down just as well for afters. ‘Tokyo Eleven’ defies logic and belies subliminal interpretation with its implied true title of ‘Tokyo 10 + 1’. Indelible decadence for any self garnering follower of all things gauche , and gee whizz wickedly strewn with so many very Cool references to classic generational movie cliches and themes. GAME OVER !?.

High Five Rating 3.5

Review by Paul Cooke

Film Reviewed : Tokyo Eleven

Format : DVD

Presentation : Widescreen Aprox 1:75:1

Release : Ctenosaur DVD

Coding : NTSC

Sound : Stereo 2.0

Extras : Film Promotion / On Stage Audience Discussion / Talk Show / Trailer