Review: The Wicked City (Yao shou du shi)
Director: Tai Kit Mak
This review is not about the excellent anime but the film adaptation thereof. Packed with action, demons and complete out of this world special effects that date from a time when not everything was CGI. The punchline is " Blade Runner on acid" and let me tell you, as the movie progresses this promice is aducatly kept !
This film has a scene were a reptoid (a demon) parades in a Prinses Lea golden outfit whilst thowing gears and killer melting clocks, an octopus-like demon 'riding' an airplane, a levetating girl that has lightsabers for fingers, Perrier- spider-whores, Vaseline soaked foil with a killer instinct and family bonding during electrocution ballet ! And these aren't even the weirdest scenes. There's one particular elevator sequence that I simply can't spoil. But let me tell you that it WILL be remembered for years after viewing. Keep in mind that it is a lose adaptation. - In fact, I believe the only scene that is similar to the manga is one at the very beginning of the film.
Things bubble down to this; the wold is not only dominated by humans, but also by demons, or rather 'reptoids'. While there is some vague insinuation in the film that reptoids descend from dinosaurs and humans from apes (I didn't promise you any sound logic did I ?) , the reptoids seems to live, or rather hide in some other spectrum of the world. Humans and reptoids have co-insided for centuries but some of them have been hiding in the human world and manipulating our economy. Their latest scheme is the distribution of a drug called 'happiness' which gives the user super-human power before turing them into a smoking pile of flesh. (un) Fortionalty there is a special anti-reptoid devision which keeps demon activity in check. Ken and Taki are two such officers sent out to find the reptoid leader. However, not all is what it seems. The reptoids seem to have a little war waging amongst themselves...
It's over the top but jaw dropping (in more than one way). If you liked The Story of Ricky Ho you will love this. While it's not nearly as ridiculous as the above mentioned film, the mobster-monster-muation finally is almost like a norm in Wicked City. I just love how they really give the feel of a manga by using the same camera angels and the constant special effects. The over-daramtic pose-acting makes you expect they are going to call for a Zord at any time. Sure, it's not Sin City but it's top-notch for 992. Or was it 1996 ? I have been getting some diverse data on this film. It also comes up with two different directors. But then again, my copy was ye good ole HVS with poor sound, english dubbing and black stroke Dutch subtitles (that means you lose about 1/3 of the frame). But somehow that didn't damage the experience. This is cult baby, with all tentacles and time-warps were they are(n't) needed.
Reviewed by: LordLeviathan, added October 12 2006
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