MovieChat Forums > Tokyo Fist (1998) Discussion > If only I'd seen this movie when it firs...

If only I'd seen this movie when it first came out...

posted 15 years ago by vampyrebat666
9 replies | jump to latest

...I would have loved it. Back in 1995 I spent most of my waking hours in goth nightclubs, beatnik cafes, and arthouse cinemas. If I'd seen this movie back then I could have spent hours discussing it with my fellow artfags, praising the film for it's use of outrageous violence as a counterpoint to the horrors of urban alienation. Or something like that.

But now I'm middle-aged and I live the bourgeois life that I disdained in those days. I have a wife, kids, and a mortgage, and all I can say about this film is that it's kind of interesting to look at, but anyone who tells you what it's really all about is just making it up. Like the gross special effects, for instance. When we see obviously fake blood spraying out of someone's head like water from a firehouse are we supposed to be shocked, or just laugh? It's the same when we see characters in the film who have been savagely beaten, and their heads are covered with huge, cartoonish lumps. Is that supposed to be disturbing or hilarious? On top of all that I found the ending of the film completely unsatisfying.

I have to admit I loved the hyperkinetic sparring matches, and scenes of dozens of boxers training in their grubby little gym, with everyone seemingly moving in fast-forward while the punkish soundtrack blared. The movie definitely has visual appeal, but it just left me saying "I don't get it".

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] TicaaaalTicaaal 14 years ago

I wish I could have met you back then knowing how you are now. I'd say, "Quit trying to be cool."

But, really though, I know how growing up is. I like the movie though.

[–] suz-mal 13 years ago

You're an idiot. You don't have to hang out in goth clubs and be a beatnik 'artfag' to see symbolism in a film. You just have to have an open mind. Also, i don't believe you were ever the person you say you were, because if you could ever find subtext in a movie you still can now. You don't just change because your situation does. You can change the opposite way - for example I used to want to beat on so called 'artfags' when they talked about underlying messages and themes, until I went to film school and learned the ropes of filmmaking and the creative industries in general. People who say they know what it's about aren't making it up, though they could be mistaken, as a film can usually be interpreted a number of ways. It isn't pretension, it's intention - that of the filmmaker.

As for this movie, I can say the ending left me a little unsatisfied. Even allegorical films should avoid from coping out on a surface level. Still, a message or theme can certainly be pulled from it, most likely on human-nature and self-destruction.

[–] vampyrebat666 13 years ago

You're an idiot.

And yet you agreed with me about the ending, and failed to suggest an alternative interpretation of the film. Apparently you are the idiot.

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] vampyrebat666 12 years ago

Did they?

Yes, they did.

[–] AGreenman19 10 years ago

Damn dude, do you check this thread like every week?

Nice to see that commitment to keeping your thread alive for half a dozen years!

[–] vampyrebat666 10 years ago

Damn dude, do you check this thread like every week?

Nice to see that commitment to keeping your thread alive for half a dozen years!

Wow, has it really been that long? My how time flies. Let's all take a moment to reflect on the fleeting nature of existence, and the transience of reality.

Actually, every time someone comments on this thread I get an email about it. It goes something like this:

This is an automatic notification from the IMDb message boards!

The user 'AGreenman19' just replied to your post:

'Re: If only I'd seen this movie when it first came out...'

in the 'Tokyo Fist (1995)' board using a subject of:

'Re: If only I'd seen this movie when it first came out...'

You may read their reply here:

http://www.imdb.com/rg/e/bt/title/tt0114690/board/thread/125200681?d=227505368#227505368

And I say "Tokyo Fist? What the hell was that about?" So I read what I wrote all those years ago and think to myself "Oh yeah, that."

Then I come here and reply to whatever some knob has scribbled on this thread. Theoretically this could go on until IMDB deletes this thread or I die.

[–] brunoafh123 9 years ago

I remember first reading your post here in 2009 after watching the movie for the first time. It stuck with me for some reason, and I thought "man, what a downer, I hope I don't get cranky when I'm old" (jokingly). I just re-watched the movie this afternoon and it was funny to come back here and see that you've been responding for years.

Anyway, as for the movie, I don't really think there was any super deep meaning behind either the message or the over the top depiction of violence. I think the primary message it was trying to convey was how the characters try to escape their mundane and miserable existence through various extreme means (piercings, tattoos, boxing/fights, sex, self inflicted wounds, etc). It does seem juvenile with how ridiculous the content is, but at the same time the basic theme is something we can all relate to (we just probably resort to less ridiculous measures to achieve the same goal). I think it also is touching on depression a bit (all three main characters seem unstable), something Tsukamoto would explore more in-depth and with more finesse in his next film Bullet Ballet.

For the violence, to me it just comes off as a mark of Tsukamoto's style at the time. All his movies up to this point had crazy over the top 80s anime-esque violence (you mention "cartoonish" yourself, but I think it's quite intentional). I don't think it's really supposed to be disturbing, just stylistic. Just meant to be visually striking and leave a mark.