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Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.
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Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.
Released by: Troma
Released on: November 10th, 2015.
Director: Lloyd Kaufman, Michael Herz
Cast: Rick Gianasi, Susan Byun, Bill Weeden, Thomas Crnkovich, Noble Lee Lester
Year: 1990
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The Movie:
Directed by Troma head honchos Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, 1989's Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. tells the strange tale of a New York City detective named Harry Griswald (Rick Gianasi) whose live is changed forever when he attends a live Kabuki theater performance. While sitting in the audience he witnesses an attack by armed goons that leaves the Japanese Kabuki master dying on the stage. When Rick tries to help him, the man plants one on him and his 'essence' is transferred into Rick's body. We see this when his face suddenly appears covered in Kabuki makeup.
This happens much to the dismay of a beautiful Japanese woman named Lotus (Susan Byun), the granddaughter of the murdered man. Her brother was to inherit the powers but he too was murdered and now the untrained and unprepared Griswald must embrace his new destiny as Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.! See, since the event, Griswald now has the ability to turn into a Kabuki themed superhero with the ability to take down evildoers with his flying chopsticks and other bizarre abilities. When Griswald's lady friend cop Connie LaRosa (Pamela Alster) gets raped by a bunch of thugs for getting too close to a real estate tycoon named Reginald Stuart (Bill Weeden), he decides to pick up where she left off and bust the guy but he'll need to do so before the signs that Lotus is warning him about come to pass, lest 'the evil one' emerge and take over the world!
Just as goofy as it sounds, Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. is, as it sounds, a superhero movie done Troma style. Blowjob jokes, coke snorting business men, gratuitous nudity, some decent gore and one cornball sight gag after the next. But for the most part, it actually works. It's more accessible and less over the top than some of Kaufman's more anarchic works, not as nasty as more gratuitous efforts as Terror Firmer or Citizen Toxie. There are some pacing problems in the first half of the picture, it does a little while to really get going, but even during these slower moments there are enough yucks to be had that, if slow, it never gets dull. The last half of the film, once Harry has accepted his fate as Kabukiman, picks up the pace considerably and it does built to a pretty zany, effects heavy conclusion. The payoff is worth it.
Rick Gianasi, a Tim Kincaid regular who appeared in movies like Bad Girls Dormitory, Riot On 42nd Street and Mutant Hunt, is a big part of what makes this movie work. He's really well cast here, playing to the camera when the script calls for it but never going too far with the 'wink wink' style. He's got good comedic timing and has strong delivery skills here too. Susan Byun is fun as Lotus too. She's not exactly nice to Harry to start with, she feels she should have been given the opportunity in his place, but of course, she warms up to him. Bill Weeden is pretty great as the crooked businessman while supporting bits from Larry Robinson as an Al Sharpton-esque preacher named Snipes and Nuke'em High sequel king Brock Bronsky as one of the thugs are also fun.
It's also definitely worth noting that the version of the movie contained on this Blu-ray is the uncut one hundred and forty-five minute long version of the feature, presented, as it should be, full strength with the nudity and gore intact.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Troma's 1080p AVC encoded 1.85.1 anamorphic widescreen high definition transfer of Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. is definitely one of their better looking efforts as of late. This still looks like the low budget early nineties production that it is, but there's no shame in that. Colors are massively improved over the prior release and look much more natural and vibrant - you'll notice this right away but it's really evident in the kabuki theater massacre that takes place early in the film. There's a fair bit of grain and some minor print damage is noticeable but it's never distracting and for the most part the source material would seem to have been in pretty nice shape. There's a significant increase in clarity, quality and detail from previous DVD (and obviously VHS) versions of the film and the transfer here is pretty strong.
Unfortunately, the only audio option available for the movie is a standard definition English language 48 kHz 224 kbps Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track. No lossless option has been provided, and there are no alternate language dubs or subtitles options available. The quality and clarity of the mix is fine, but it's as it is with pretty much all of the Troma Blu-ray releases thus far, it's a pretty basic affair. There isn't a whole lot of channel separation to note but dialogue is easy enough to follow but there is a bit of hiss audible in the higher pitched bits of dialogue. This isn't a fancy mix by any stretch but it gets the job done. Lossless audio would have been nice though, given that this is a Blu-ray and all.
Extras start off with a commentary track from Lloyd Kaufman that, like most commentary tracks from Lloyd Kaufman, is a pretty fun mix of information and his trademark sense of humor. He covers the usual basics a good commentary should - where some of the ideas came from, the locations that were used, some of the stunts that are shown in the movie, the costumes and the casting. Towards the end of the movie, things go in a different direction as he talks up the trials and tribulations of having to work with live animals, some of them actually quite dangerous.
Also included on the disc is an interview with Kabukiman himself, actor Rick Gianasi, that runs just under seven minutes in length. Shot at Megacon in Florida at the Troma booth, Kaufman interviews the actor about what he's up to these days - 'I play golf and surf!' They talk about the special effects in the movie, transforming from Harry into Kabukiman and how the movie itself holds up in Gianasi's eyes twenty-five years after it was made.
Troma have also thrown on an episode of their latest web series Kabukiman's Cocktail Corner in which our hero hangs out with Brian Quinn of Impractical Jokers for twelve minutes. They talk about where Impractical Jokers came from, his relationship with Troma and why Kabukiman and Lloyd haven't been invited on to his show yet and then Quinn offers a pitch to Lloyd. It's an amusing bit.
Stupid Moments In Troma History is a three minute piece that ties Kabukiman into the JFK assassination, while Highlights From Tromadance 2015 is a five minute segment that documents the 16th annual film festival, held in Brooklyn. Outside of that we also get an intro from Kaufman (that segues into a VHS 'Behind The Chopsticks' faux-documentary on Kabukiman), Kabukiman's Karaoke (a two minute bit where an audience sings the theme song at a screening), the film's original theatrical trailer, menus and chapter selection.
The Final Word:
Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. is a pretty fun watch, not Troma's best but definitely entertaining enough and something a little different from the studio. The Blu-ray release offers fans a pretty strong upgrade in the transfer department and it contains a nice selection of supplements as well, highlighted by a fun commentary.
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