ralphv1

The only thing really surprising to me was that it was filmed in the Nineties and not thirty or forty years earlier. It was quite reminiscent of the films I used to sneak into the neighborhood theater to see on Saturday afternoon. Lots of action, outlandish characters, unbelievable situations and even cheesy swirling scene changes. It doesn't seem to pretend to be anything but what it is, and what it is is not bad,for what it is.

The main problem with this plucky little film is its greatest strength. It's probably the best depiction in film about what life is like for researchers on the fringe of science. Anyone who has sat for hours in an old VW Bug at the edge of the woods on a cold winter's night waiting for a glimpse of a local monster or has spent a long fruitless night in the desert looking for Visitors from Beyond will surely appreciate this film.

This crime comedy from Japan is a bit of a mixed bag where slapstick comedy and absurdist parody collide in a crime milieu of rival gangs and bosses. The appearance of a mysterious assassin prompts panicked bosses to adopt a "more is more" approach, hiring a whole bevy of eccentric assassins to both protect them and hunt down the enigmatic "Joe of Spades." The result is a film that is frequently amusing, occasionally funny and consistently engaging.