TOKYO TRIBE (2014, directed by Sion Sono)
Imagine a version of Tokyo where every dingy neighborhood is ruled by a separate gang, a la THE WARRIORS. Then imagine that each of those gangs not only has a distinct look and style of dress, but also a distinct rapping style. Then imagine that all those gangs are ruled in secret by a bloated, perverted Wayne Newton-looking motherfucker, who plays them off against each other to keep them under control.
Congratulations! You're now about a tenth of the way towards comprehending what you're in for with TOKYO TRIBE.
Sion Sono isn't exactly noted for his restrained filmmaking, but with his latest bit of insanity he really shoots the moon. Based on Santa Inoue's well-known manga, Tokyo Tribe (actually an adaptation of Tokyo Tribe2) opens with an extended tracking shot that makes you wonder just how often Sono's been watching his TOUCH OF EVIL Blu-Ray. From there, we pick up a kid in a grey hoodie who acts as our guide through the chaos for the rest of the flick. Give the Stage Manager from Our Town a low-key, "Summertime"-era Will Smith kind of flow, and you'll be in the ballpark. Said chaos includes, but is hardly limited to, one of the big bads explaining to a rookie female cop via knife-point on her exposed torso how the gangs have the city divided; another big bad relaxing in his room full of living human furniture; the aforementioned Wayne Newton-looking motherfucker whacking off using a jade dildo while fully clothed in a knock-out gold lame suit; and a young girl who may be the key to defeating them all kicking some ass and daring people to rape her with an amused gleam on her eye.
What's the plot, you ask? Seriously? Sigh, fine. Mera (the big bad educating the cop), Wayne Newton's son, wants to kill Kai (part of the hippy-dippy, Native Tongues-esque Musashino Saru gang, who hang out in a restaurant that is absolutely, definitely not a Denny's) due to jealousy over the size of Kai's dick, which he saw once at a sauna. Wayne Newton fuels that rage and channels it into a plot to wipe out the other gangs and seize control of all of Tokyo, on orders from a High Priest he talks to via hologram. Erika, the High Priest's daughter, is accidentally captured by Wayne Newton's gang and sent off to be a prostitute, but when Mera kicks his plot to get to Kai into gear she escapes in the confusion with the help of a kid whose relationship to her is never really explained (little brother? Random bystander? Who knows?) The High Priest sends two bad-ass goons to Tokyo to find Erika, and lends them to Wayne Newton to help him with his plot to exterminate the competition. Once the all-out assault of Wayne Newton's forces begins, the other gangs meet in Musashino territory at the not-a-Denny's-at-all-why-would-you-think-that and are convinced by Kai and Erika to join together. It all ends in a big battle (rap and otherwise) at Wayne Newton's hideout, where a lot of people get beat up and some get sucked into a giant rotating blade hidden in the wall of his dining room because why not.
(Did I mention that TOKYO TRIBE is insane? I feel I should stress that point.)
In addition to all that, the movie features more rapping than it does dialogue, as character expound at length on who they are and what they're about to do over a backbeat. Thankfully, whoever worked on the English subtitles was able to elevate the translations above the level of “My name is Kai and I'm here to say” white-boy rapping. Really, it's kind of impressive that they managed to give each gang a different style, and even if it seems like the soundtrack was recorded in the early-mid 90s and Sono just now got around to shooting it, there are still plenty of styles from that era of hip hop to choose from. Sono even made the clever choice of saving Tupac style for the climactic, 'peace and unity will win the day' group rap.
Is TOKYO DRIVE a great movie? Nope. It's a little overlong, a little repetitive, and a little rapey. But it's hella ambitious and hella crazy, and that combination goes a long way.
MARY KOM (2014, directed by Omung Kumar)
The best biopic material comes from a life story that involves plenty of obstacles to overcome and plenty of boundaries to surpass. The autobiography of Mary Kom, multiple-time world champion boxer and Olympic medallist, offers more than enough of both, and when you combine that with an astoundingly good performance from your lead actress, the result should be a great movie. If MARY KOM the film falls short, it's because not all of the conflicts are contained within the story.
first boxing gym while chasing the abusive boyfriend of one of her schoolmates, to world champion who feels disrespected by the government because of her ethnicity (Manipur, her home province, is closer to Myanmar than Mumbai), to retired boxer trying to adjust to life as a wife and mother, to un-retired boxer trying to juggle training for her comeback with her duties at home. It's an inspiring tale elevated by a truly great performance from Priyanka Chopra, who transforms herself for this film in much the same way Linda Hamilton transformed herself for TERMINATOR 2. The physical change is mirrored in her personality. Chopra carries herself like a badass with a chip on her shoulder the size of the Taj Mahal, and there are moments when you wonder if the dangerous glint in her eye is entirely an act. Dunno if she's interested in doing a Hollywood film, but if Marvel is serious about making a Jessica Drew movie... here she is, Feige. Get cracking.
I do want to give some props to the fight choreography as well. Kumar doesn't show any extended flurries, but he does pay a lot of attention to the footwork of the boxers, something you don't typically see in a boxing pic and which gives the fight scenes a certain coaches-level authenticity. Chopra reportedly went through four months of boxing training, and she certainly moves like a boxer in the ring. In fact, even if it weren't based on an actual person, MARY KOM would work purely as a boxing movie, and it follows in that tradition with pride. There's even a ROCKY IV wilderness training montage in the film that includes Kom doing pushups in a river and slamming heavy things against tree trunks.
Between the basic plot elements and Chopra's efforts, you'd think that there would be more than enough grist for the dramatic mill, but the film goes out of its way to cast Kom not primarily as a pioneer or a hero but as a woman first, in what feels like an effort (intentional or otherwise) to diminish her accomplishments and make them secondary to her home life. Let me put it to you this way: in a career filled with plenty of highs and lows in the ring, which, y'know, is kind of why she's famous, the very first shot of the movie features Mary in labor, leaning on her husband as they attempt to get her to a hospital after curfew. Talk about putting the little woman in her place. Other narrative decisions, such as having her big comeback fight happen at exactly the same moment one of her twin sons is on the operating table, and having her only make her miraculous comeback once little Nainai's heart monitor starts beeping again, firmly subordinate her boxing to her motherhood. Sure, she's great in the ring, but she would be nothing without her kids. Moments like those feel like big missteps and are at odds with a narrative about a woman who's spent her whole adult life proving that the normal societal rules regarding a woman's role don't apply to her.
The mixed messages don't ruin the movie though, they only turn what could have been a truly outstanding film into a merely very good one. Thanks to Chopra's powerhouse performance, Mary Kom is an inspiring film that works as a biopic, a boxing flick, and as a Bollywood melodrama. It's an impressive trifecta.
