Tokyo Gore Police (2008) - A Review

 

Not what I was expecting going into it. One of the bloodiest movies I've ever seen!

Tokyo Gore Police is an action/horror splatter movie released in Japan in 2008. The film stars Eihi Shiina, Itsuji Itao, Shun Sugata, Yukihide Benny, Ikuko Sawada, and Tak Sakaguchi. Tokyo Gore Police was co-written (along with Kengo Kaji and Sayako Nakoshi), edited and directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura, with Tak Sakaguchi directing fight choreography.

Eihi Shiina as Ruka. Even though I love this actress, she scares the heck out of me after seeing her in Audition!

In Tokyo Gore Police, Eihi Shiina plays Ruka, a highly skilled member of the Engineer Hunters, a section of the Tokyo police force tasked with hunting and killing 'Engineers'. Engineers are humans stricken with a virus that causes them to turn into monsters when they receive injuries. Weapons grow from these injuries, causing the Engineers to go on uncontrollable rampages. Ruka is an expert at killing the Engineers, but is more concerned with finding the assassin who murdered her father right in front of her. She also cuts herself. Her quest for revenge puts her on the trail of the Key Man (played by Itsuji Itao), a rather sick and sadistic Engineer. Things go terribly in their confrontation, leading Ruka to find out she and the Key Man are after the same person. Ruka levels up and destroys everyone and everything in her path to find the person who killed her father...

The first Engineer encountered in Tokyo Gore Police. They get weirder and more grotesque as the movie goes on...

First of all, Tokyo Gore Police is one of the most violent, bloody, gory movies I've ever seen. It totally lives up to the name! I think Yoshihiro Nishimura, the writer and director, had the goal of making one of the grossest, bloodiest movies ever. He definitely succeeded! I must say, this movie reminds me of Robocop in a way. Not only is it disturbingly violent, but it has satirical elements as well. The police force in Japan has become privatized, and they run horribly violent commercials promoting their services in protecting the people. The police force, and the Engineer Hunters do whatever they have to do to capture criminals and Engineers. The movie also has fake commercials for others products, like specialized knives to slit your wrists with. This movie is pretty messed up. Ruka is just a cog in the police force at first, but ends up fighting against it (in hyper violent fashion).

To me, Tokyo Gore Police is like a live action anime/manga. Everything is a bit heightened: the violence, the acting, and the visuals. The villains are very over the top. It is a very dark, yet colorful movie. As you can imagine, red is a major color throughout. Ruka, the main character, is the only one who acts naturally and a bit understated. Then again, the way she gets up a building at the start of the movie gives you an idea of what kind of movie this is.

You do NOT want to know where that blood is spewing from!

 Back to the violence. Blood squirts, spurts, spills, splashes, and splatters throughout Tokyo Gore Police. Blood often splats on the screen during violent dismemberments. Limbs go flying, heads explode, bullets go through bodies, and copious amounts of blood accompany all of it. It's crazy how much blood and gore is in this. There is one scene where an appendage is separated from a person's body, and blood just sprays out non-stop for like five minutes while the person screams in horror/pain. Frankly, I had no idea that part of the body has that much blood flowing through it! There is also a rather horrifying 'cannon' displayed in this movie. There are so many disturbing visuals in this. So many grotesque looking characters as well. The practical special effects and makeup are pretty good, for the most part.

I could describe every gross thing in this movie, but you just have to see it for yourself. Do I recommend watching Tokyo Gore Police? Not really. It is not a bad movie, but it is extreme to the max. People that love horror/gory movies absolutely need to see this one, for sure. For the rest of the population, watch it if you dare. It is not for the faint-hearted, or for those that are sensitive to blood, guts, self-harming, or extreme violence. This movie is wild, extreme, crazy, and amazing. Watch the movie and bathe in the bloody madness.

Reviewed by David Williams