Smashing buses and police cars! A high-calorie movie that says, "Production budget? Don't sweat the small stuff!" [The Day the Sun Turned Cold] Meigaza SPOOX #2

Hello everyone!
I'm Ito, an employee of Meigaza SPOOX.
In this segment, I would like to introduce some of my favorite movies,
and I hope to help you decide "what should I watch today?" even just a little bit, so thank you for joining me again today!

So, the title I'd like to introduce for this second installment is the 1992 Japanese film[The Day the Sun Turned Cold].
Doesn't the title itself just reek of energy?

▼Click here to watch.

In fact, it is a very greasy, rich piece of work.
And that's no surprise, as it was directed by Kinji Fukasaku.

The lead role of the middle-aged gangster is played by Shoken, also known as Kenichi Hagiwara.
The role of Shoken's girlfriend is played by Yumi Takigawa.
The fellow middle-aged gangsters are played by Sonny Chiba and Renji Ishibashi.
The young gangster who acts as the enemy of the middle-aged gang is played by Kazuya Kimura.
And the role of the crazy woman is played by Keiko Oginome.
...I will write about the crazy woman later.

...First of all, those of my generation or older are likely familiar with Kinji Fukasaku, Shoken, and the others, but younger people probably don't know them very well, right?

To explain it super, super simply,

・Director Kinji Fukasaku
A legend whose violence depictions are top-notch and who is respected by overseas directors like Tarantino.

・Kenichi Hagiwara (Shoken)
A major star representing the Showa era. He is so cool as a man that if Nobuhiko Takada had said "Come out, man among men!" in this era, I feel like Shoken would have actually walked into the ring.

・Sonny Chiba
A major action star. He was active overseas as "Sonny Chiba" and also appeared in Tarantino's "Kill Bill." His sons are the currently popular Mackenyu Arata and Gordon Maeda.

・Kazuya Kimura
The son of the legendary comedian Yasushi Yokoyama.
The show "Maido Osawagase Shimasu" with Miporin was broadcast on TV when I was a child. The racy scenes, which would be unthinkable today, also caused quite a stir for me.

・Keiko Oginome
The older sister of Yoko Oginome, who recently made a comeback with "Dancing Hero," which was used in the "Bubbly Dance."

This cast alone is incredibly high-calorie, but the other characters are also cast with such intensity.
I'll let you check that out in the film, but first, let me give you a rough introduction to the work.

This film is now about 30 years old.
As a junior high school student at the time, I learned about this film through a new movie introduction on Friday Road Show.
The title and the introductory footage had such an impact that the memory from that time remains even 30 years later.

The plot is about a group of middle-aged gangsters and a group of young gangsters who join forces to rob an armored cash transport vehicle.

...The previous film, Baby Driver, was also about a gang of robbers, and this one is too.

I am definitely not saying I want to become a member of a robbery gang! Please rest assured that it is just a coincidence that the contents of the works overlap!
(If I could become a member, I would want to be a member of the Phantom Troupe from HUNTER×HUNTER)

The armored car is successfully robbed, but from there, the older gang and the younger gang turn on each other.
Who will survive? Where will the money go? That is the main plot.

The story itself is simple, but the atmosphere of current Japanese cinema, which is like a model student due to propriety and compliance, is completely absent from Japanese films of 30 years ago!

This film in particular is full-throttle, thanks to director Kinji Fukasaku putting his all into it.

"What's the movie's budget? ...Huh? 300 million yen? Then we can't smash many police cars. I want to smash tour buses too!!"

As a result, the production cost ended up being about 1.1 billion yen, making it a film that caused a lot of trouble for various important people.

Now, you! (You might be thinking, "Then there's no need to smash police cars, right?" or "Couldn't you just not use tour buses?")

...Yeah... That might be true.

No, but that's not it! The energy of wanting to smash those police cars and tour buses connects to the actors' performances and the lines in the script! That's why it's necessary.

The young gangster played by Kazuya Kimura is a blonde-pompadoured thug who is always looking for rock 'n' roll,
and there is a scene where he throws dynamite during a life-or-death struggle with the older gang, and his line at that moment is,

"Ka-boom, baby! Seriously!"is what he says.

"Ka-boom, baby! Seriously!" it is.

...That's a chilling line, isn't it?

If you were suddenly told,"Alright everyone! Please throw the dynamite! Yes, yes, please throw it!! And say something while you throw it!!"
I think it would be quite difficult to come up with that line.

In my opinion,Vegeta might be able to pull it offbut it's still quite difficult. I think this line is also

a gift born from the spirit of police car-smashing energy.

It is a film always filled with that kind of dialogue and a certain kind of bold, large-scale action that is hard to find in Japanese cinema today.
Amidst all that chaos, the coolness of Showken, Kenichi Hagiwara, provides a solid core.

Showken was not just cool, but a truly unique actor,
and his acting was also unique,with a balance of pacing that is intense, going from acting like a slow still image to suddenly moving at high speed to fire a gunthat is incredible.
You can see his insect-like stop-and-go movements many times.

I don't know anyone else who can act like that besides Showken. It's very unique, and that's what makes it so cool.

The lines are also great.

When Hiromi Takigawa, who plays Showken's girlfriend, comes home injured after a fight with a young gang, she makes and serves him pilaf.

When she asks Showken how it tastes,

"The pepper is just right."

Could you say that???

When asked, "How is it? Is it good?", I'm a boring guy who can only say, "Yeah, it's good" if it tastes good. Showken is different! He points out the details, saying, "The pepper is just right."

And what's more, even though he was just being chased by shotguns and machine guns a moment ago, he eats the pilaf and says, "The pepper is just right."

I first saw this film when I was in junior high school, then in my 20s, 30s, and now, for a total of four times. Every time, it's a scene where I think deeply and nod, saying,
So this is what a cool man is like.

The last of the energetic points I've raised is the "crazy woman" played by Keiko Oginome. The word "puttsun" (crazy/snapped) isn't used much these days, so many people might not understand it, but in one scene in the movie, this woman stands at a large intersection in Tokyo with two balloons in one hand and a bright red boombox in the other, shouting, "Look at me!"
With this, you can sort of understand the vibe of the word "puttsun," right! (Pressure)

She's the kind of woman who spreads her legs wide and lets loose with shotguns and machine guns. Are there any actresses today who could do something like this? In fact, she won the Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Supporting Actress for this role.
That's how much of an impactful role she played with her whole heart and soul.

That's how much of an impactful role she played with her whole heart and soul.

Also, the young gang is dedicated to rock 'n' roll and struggles to make a certain band go major. The band that appears here is the real band "JACKS'N'JOKER," and the bassist is Yoshihito Onda. There is a live performance scene of "JACKS'N'JOKER" in this film, and YUKI came as an extra for the shoot.

That's where Yoshihito Onda and YUKI met, and it's a famous story among Judy and Mary fans that this led to the later formation of "JUDY AND MARY."

Well, this has become quite long, but this film is truly a high-tension work overflowing with energy.

Actually, at the time, despite an investment of 1.1 billion yen in production costs, the box office performance wasn't very good.

Even so, its reputation grew later, and it became one of the most popular films among director Kinji Fukasaku's works. It's still occasionally revived in theaters even today.

When you're feeling a bit down, why not refresh yourself with a movie like this once in a while?

Kazuya Kimura says this to a police officer in his final line.

"Hey, you're around twenty years old, aren't you embarrassed to be dressed like that? You should rock more, rock."

Well, of course, the police officer is just doing his job!

But if we dare to focus on "rock more, rock," I think the spirit of rock is necessary to face the adversity we are in today.

The film ends with the theme song "Save the Last Dance for Me" sung by Shoken.
Those who don't know Shoken will likely be a little surprised by his singing voice at the very end.

"Wait? This guy sings like this?"The final cut is also quite good.

Please take a look at this entertaining work that flies by from start to finish.

"The Rocking Horsemen" is now streaming on SPOOX!

■ Click here for the previous Meigaza SPOOX

■ Be sure to check out other Japanese films streaming on SPOOX!

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