disappointment media
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About

TOKYO VICE -- An Entertaining Neo-Noir With a Japanese Flair

4/4/2022

0 Comments

 
Review by Sean Boelman
Picture
Photograph by James Lisle/HBO Max.
Based on journalist Jake Adelstein’s memoir of the same name, Tokyo Vice is a new procedural drama that is entertaining if messy in its execution. There have been plenty of films and series like this before, yet even though this doesn’t add anything new to the formula, it’s well-done enough to recommend.

The series follows an American expat journalist living in Tokyo who sets out on a mission to take on one of the city’s most powerful crime bosses. Part journalistic drama and part yakuza crime saga, there are a lot of moving pieces here that are interesting, even though they don’t all come together as well as they could (at least not in the first five episodes).

Admittedly, the show doesn’t do much to explore its potential themes about corruption. Instead, the series has the same “gray area between good and evil” material that makes up the crime drama genre regardless of setting. As a result, the series does feel somewhat dated despite a modern setting.

Oddly enough, Adelstein’s storyline is far and away the least interesting of the main plots in the show. The more interesting storyline is that of a hostess in the red-light district who has a precarious connection with the world of organized crime. It’s not a particularly original storyline by any means, but it is pretty cinematic.
Picture
Photograph by James Lisle/HBO Max.
The series does take a lot of time in its buildup, for better or worse. There are some interesting things bubbling beneath the surface in these first five episodes, but it is mostly setting up the tensions which will come to a head by the finale. It doesn’t have the breakneck pace of the potboilers that inspired it.

Perhaps the biggest sin of the show is that it wastes the talents of Ken Watanabe. The seasoned actor gets some good moments, but they are too few and far between to leave much of a lasting impact. The supporting cast shines, though, with strong turns by Rachel Keller, Ella Rumpf, and Rinko Kikuchi.

Stylistically, the series is nice and gritty, exactly what one would want from a neo-noir like this. The rest of the series does struggle to live up to the high precedent set by Michael Mann’s direction in the first episode, and while it never matches that level, it’s consistently competent and atmospheric. 

Tokyo Vice hits the ground running and starts to stutter a bit after the first few episodes. There are some solid casting choices and a good visual style here, which is enough to elevate its sometimes formulaic writing.

Tokyo Vice streams on HBO Max beginning April 7, with new episodes debuting subsequent Thursdays. Five out of eight episodes reviewed.

​Rating: 4/5
               
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Authors

    All
    Adam Donato
    Alan French
    Allison Brown
    Borja Izuzquiz
    Camden Ferrell
    Cole Groth
    Daniel Lima
    Dan Skip Allen
    Erin M. Brady
    Jonathan Berk
    Joseph Fayed
    Josh Batchelder
    Paris Jade
    Rafael Motamayor
    Sarah Williams
    Sean Boelman
    Tatiana Miranda

disappointment media

Dedicated to unique and diverse perspectives on cinema!
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About