This Japanese-French co-production expertly combines the clear-eyed immediacy of post-New Wave French filmmaking with the exuberance and surgically precise detail of contemporary Japanese vanguard cinema. From breathlessly urgent start to shocking finish, Tokyo Eyes is an usually authentic window into the dispossessed youth and street-level fury that seethe beneath the neon radiance of Tokyo after dark. As K and Hirano fight to remain a heartbeat ahead of an entire city united in fear, Tokyo Eyes offers a breakneck techno-pulsed tour of the subways, back alleys, and nightscapes of the world’s most seductive metropolis.

The plot, when you think about it, is pretty simple. There is a man in Tokyo, known as “Four Eyes”(Shinji Takeda), who has shot at a few people but never killed or even injured anyone. In comes Hinano (Hinano Yoshikawa), a squeaky voiced “blonde” Japanese girl (she’s not really blonde, but she’s got that stereotypical personality). She’s the sister of one of the detectives on the case of “Four Eyes” (Tetta Sugimoto). Predictably, she meets Four Eyes. However, at this point the film really changes from what one would expect, particularly in a movie with Beat Takeshi as a member of the cast. There is very little blood in this film. It’s not about Four Eyes as a killer, because he isn’t a killer. This movie departs from the normal and stands alone, even if it doesn’t quite shine, because it is more of a character study than anything else. What happens when this young guy who goes around with a gun, scaring people into being nice, meets up with a young, ditzy girl? There are some very unconvincing parts of the story, though, and the last fifteen minutes make no sense what-so-ever. Once Beat Takeshi enters the scene, any sense of cohesion flies out the door. And yet, it is in these final minutes that the film really takes on a visual style. If this summary has confused you, as it no doubt has, the movie will confuse you even more. But it will also make you want to watch it again, and try and understand it. If you can, let me know. After multiple viewings, I’m still clueless.

What is very intriguing, and actually fairly fitting, for this film is that it is helmed by a French director, Jean-Pierre Limosin. Having a French perspective for the film works quite well, because this film is very different from any genre you can try and place it in. The handheld cinematography of the film works quite well, though I will admit I am slightly biased to handheld footage. His direction and choice of music for the film really give it a sleek, new feel that serves the story well.

The acting, however, is pretty atrocious. Shinji Takeda seems to try to act, but the script really doesn’t give him any room to. Yoshikawa, however, gives one of the worst performances I’ve ever seen. How she was cast, I have no idea. She’s always happy, when she’s supposed to be upset, frightened, or horrified she still has a big smile on her face. She always screams, squeaks, and squeals. If anything will make you want to turn the movie off, it’s her. Beat Takeshi, as usual, does a great dead-pan role. The only problem here is that I can see no reason for his character to exist. He’s only in the last fifteen minutes of the movie, playing a Yakuza so low on the chain that he cannot even have a gun. But, he’s Beat Takeshi, and whenever he’s on screen he has your attention. Whether that’s good or bad in this film is debatable.

I’ve you’ve already got all your Akira Kurosawa, all the other Beat Takeshi movies, a shitload of Ringo Lam, John Woo, Tsui Hark, Takeshi Miike, and Kiyoshi Kurosawa, or are looking for something very different from your average Japanese or French film, pick this up. It’s very original, and the atmosphere is great, even though it lacks in most other departments. If you’re looking to buy this for Beat Takeshi, don’t. He’s only in it at the end, has a very dull character, and Tokyo Eyes is no where near as good as his other films.