About six months ago I went out to see a small independent movie called Jack Brooks Monster Slayer as I waited for the theater doors to open in the little cinema that was playing it, I stumbled upon a promotional card for a movie the theater was going to play later on that month called Tokyo Gore Police.  Looking at the card one could only assume that the movie itself would deal in hot Japanese girls kicking demon butt in the most grueling and violent way possible. Missing out on the chance to see it at the theater I had no idea on how long I would have to wait for it to come out on DVD. Well I finally got the chance to see it and it blew away all expectations.

Ruka is a disturbed young girl, who had up close witnessed the assassination of her father, a member of the Tokyo police force.  Ruka followed in his foot steeps by signing up as a member in the new Tokyo Police squad.  Her job description; to hunt, kill and eventually destroy a new rising threat, maniacal killers known only as “Engineers” who have mutated their bodies with living robotic parts.  When the police department encounter a new “Engineer”, one unlike anything they have ever seen, the mystery behind Ruka’s father’s killer starts to unravel.

The movie looks like something that was made on a shoe string budget of about $5,000. The sets all seem to be un-occupied warehouses to back alleys and because of this there is very little in the way of set design. The police HQ looks like an abandoned warehouse with nothing but a bench and a calendar on a pillar, making the idea of it being used as a police station is a little hard to believe.  Even the vehicles used seemed like cheap cars with a funny looking roof decorations that seem to resemble the top of an ancient temple.

Ignoring the set and the cars, one can see where the money really went. Never will you see anything like this in American films.  If there is currently any movie out there that has been known to “shoot the balls out of it” this one takes the cake.  Tokyo Gore Police takes those shot balls, grinds them up, fires them up,  forces you to eat them then blows yours balls off. Never has there ever been a movie where a man is shot to shit, blood squirting in all directions. His arm blown off by the amount of bullets being fired into it, just to have it regrow into a grotesque arm with a large chainsaw attached to it swinging it around ripping people up in ways that would disturb Eli Roth. There are even scenes and characters so bizarre that this reviewer couldn’t dream up anything like this in 100 years.

The martial arts in the film isn’t the greatest around, but it’s not totally out there like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon either. It’s more rooted and down to earth, but some weapons they use are so out there all you can say is “cool”.  What’s not cool about a four foot long box cutter sword that looks like it’s grown from some girls arm? or how about a giant ass gun that shoots peoples severed fists?

A movie like this is not without it’s comedy aspect. The story follows a pretty serious tone, but the side stuff it hilarious and brilliant, well that’s if you find the idea of selling blades to cut ones wrist to be fashionable funny. Throughout the movie ads flash by showing how desensitized Tokyo has become to violence. Ads like colorful and cool looks knives for cutting ones wrists, to blades that prove to be the sharpest around by someone trying to closing his mouth over a katana blade, there’s even a recruitment ad for the Tokyo Police a la Starship Troopers style by showing how they always get their man.  The commercial shows a man about to attack some kids only to have him blown leaving the kids use his head as a soccer (foot) ball.

I highly suggest this film as long as you don’t have a weak stomach for the grotesque not only about the blood and gore but also the taboo and very creepy.The movie is a little long and runs a little over two hours. Filled with visuals that although are beautiful tend to slow the progression of the movie.

Check out the trailer: WARNING! Extreme Violent Content