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Released by: Discotek Media
Released on: 2/28/2006
Director: Takashi Tsuboshima
Cast: Yuki Meguro, Kunie Tanaka, Shiro Ito, Hideko Ezaki, Akira Hitomi,
Year: 1974
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The Movie:
Based on the popular manga series, written and illustrated by 'Monkey Punch,' Takashi Tsuboshima's Lupin The 3rd - Strange Psychokinetic Strategy, a 1974 release from Toho Studios that remains the only live action adaptation of the popular comic, is a delirious work of pop art cinema that proves to be a fun diversion, even if it isn't all that memorable save for a couple of stand out scenes.
Lupin (Yuki Meguro) is a master theif who sees all of Japan as his oyster. He leads a very random life, wandering around from place to place doing whatever he feels like and spending money freely and without guilt. When out for a drive one day, he happens to pass a prison truck en route to the big house to deliver a pretty female inmate named Fujiko Mine but when the truck stops at a light, Lupin makes his move and tells her that he'll spring her and make her his. Later that night, Lupin does exactly that and soon the two of them are on the run. Fujiko splits when the cops start closing in, leaving Lupin to deal with it while she goes back to her life of crime.
Lupin, now wanted by the cops, heads out into the city on the run where he ends up meeting a distant relative of his named Daisuke Jigen who has been searching for him so that he can deliver thirty billion yen to him, which he has inherited in order to rebuild the former Lupin empire. You'd think Lupin would jump at this chance, but no, he's more interested in finding out where Fujiko took off too and getting her in the sack, but Daisuke keeps popping up trying to get him to take his offer. When Lupin finally does find Fujiko, she talks him into helping her out on a massive jewel heist but what Lupin doesn't realize is that he's being targetted by a crime family known as the Maccherone's who aim to stop the Lupin empire from reforming at any cost.
Lupin has been popular for a long time, being the subject of not only the manga series in which he first appeared but also a series of animated movies and a television series as well in his native Japan. For whatever reason, however, this remains the only live action film to date though from this reviewers limited exposure to the cartoon versions and some of the manga, it seems to do a good job of capturing the wackiness of the source material and it feels like quite a faithful adaptation - Lupin The 3rd - Strange Psychokinetic Strategy gives off the vibe that it really is the manga come to life despite the fact that the filmmaker's did change a few things here and there to suit their take on the story (which was written by Monkey Punch himself). However, worth noting is the fact that the film is completely disjointed up until the last twenty-minutes or so, where it is all tied together and some sense is made out of everything that has happened before it, even if it is a stretch.
What works really well about the film are a few stand out set pieces. When Lupin springs Fujiko out of jail and they jump up over walls, or when a group of go go girls called The Poppies square off against our hero make the whole thing worthwhile, even if a few of the expository bits are on the dull side and some of the humor is downright hokey. In the end, Lupin The 3rd - Strange Psychokinetic Strategy gets enough right that it should be worth a look for Japanese cult cinema fans and will make for an essentialy purchase for Lupin die-hards (and I know they're out there…).
Video/Audio/Extras:
The film is presented in a very nice 2.35.1 widescreen transfer that is enhanced for anamorphic sets. The colors come through nice and clean, the image is free from all major print damage and aside from a perfectly acceptable coat of film grain, the picture is very clean and detailed looking. The reds don't bleed at all, and the black levels stay pretty deep as well. The image quality on this release contains a strong level of fine detail throughout. Line shimmering does occur once in a while but it's never too overbearing and edge enhancement and mpeg compression issues are never too noticeable either
The film is presented in its original Japanese language in a reasonably clean sounding Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo soundtrack. Removable subtitles are available in English only that are clean, clear and easy to read. As far as the quality of the track goes, it's fine. There's a bit of tinniness to the mix in the high end but that's not uncommon for older Japanese genre films. Dialogue sounds fine, as does the film's excellent score
The disc contains, aside from animated menus and chapter selection, the film's original theatrical trailer with optional English subtitles in anamorphic widescreen and a decent still gallery of promotional images. Included inside the keepcase is a booklet containing some liner notes that explain the origin of the film and the manga that it was based on, as well as a guide that explains some of the terminology used in the movie. Chapter listings are supplied on the back of the cover art which rests in a translucent keepcase.
The Final Word:
While the film is hardly a classic, Lupin The 3rd - Strange Psychokinetic Strategy is a fun adventure movie with some nice action set pieces, a bit of sexy camp appeal, and a few moments of genuine humor. Discotek's DVD is light on extras but it looks and sounds quite good.