Toppuu! Minipato tai - Aikyacchi Jankushon / Eyecatch Junction (1991) - Quirky, entertaining and diversified directorial debut for Takashi Miike - 7/10 (12/04/20)

Eyecatch Junction is the first official movie made by famous director Miike Takashi. Just like many of his later works, this obscure V-cinema flick from the early nineties vividly combines genres that seem to be incompatible for Western audiences. This film features slapstick comedy, martial arts action sequences, serious crime investigation parts, mild pornography and even dance choreographies to conclude. If you are a Western twenty-first century feminist, you will despise this movie but if you like quirky Japanese gangster flicks from the nineties that are a product of their time, you certainly can't go wrong here.

The story revolves around an ambitious traffic cop and her tough weightlifting colleague who become involved in their police station's fitness club organized by a pretentious but dedicated trainer. The three women soon become friends and feel that their talent is misused as being eye candy as they want to take on some serious investigations. The movie starts on a lighthearted tone as they investigate a case of expensive stolen underwear from a women's college. However, things take a more sinister turn when one of the college girls gets brutally murdered. The three cops soon realize that some college girls are involved in a prostitution ring and get killed when they want to get out or talk to the police. With the help of the mayor's daughter who creates experimental weapons, the quartet confronts the Yakuza boss behind the crimes.

This movie convinces on many levels. The four female protagonists are quite different, energetic and unique and make for unusual protagonists. The story comes around with quite a few turns and balances brutal scenes with humorous elements in a refreshing way. The film has a perfect length of ninety-two minutes and gets more and more entertaining as it progresses.

On the negative side, some of the slapstick humour is silly, repetitive and predictable. The fight scenes look fake and should have been shot with a more realistic vibe. The movie was obviously made on a very low budget and it shows as the quality rather recalls Hong Kong action cinema from the early eighties than Japanese gangster movies from the early nineties.

Still, Eyecatch Junction is entertaining and foreshadows Miike Takashi's unique blend of genres that would define his career. If you are looking for a quirky potpourri of Japanese culture from the early nineties, take your time to find a copy, grab something to drink and to eat and switch your brain off for ninety-two highly entertaining minutes. However, this certainly isn't a film for the whole family as you should be aware that this film includes nudity and violence.