DanTheMan 2
The Man Who Stole the Sun treads the finest of lines in trying to balance its subject matter and tone, but Kazuhiko Hasegawa's controversial movie about nuclear terrorism is a darkly comedic and thrilling satire on a subject once considered unsatiriseable annihilating any form of genre borders in the process. Holding particular resonance for Japanese audiences, as while the country does use nuclear power, it has long held against amassing a nuclear arsenal due to the devastating effects that ended World War II. The movie doesn't stop dead for any form of long-winded nationalistic or philosophical speeches and instead insists on a conceivable reality with seemingly no motivation.
One of only two movies directed by Kazuhiko Hasegawa, which in turn feels like a crime in itself, Hasegawa rewards the viewer with some utterly sublime direction and excellent framing, with plenty of thrilling action set pieces to command his viewer's attention at all times (the car chase feels like it was ripped right out of a Ringo Lam movie). It balances the unorthodox nature and tone of the movie exceptionally well, juxtaposing the shifts with unnatural ease. Complimented by funky and often ill-fitting music by Takayuki Inoue to glorious success.
The performances are all excellent, with Kenji Sawada playing the everyman gone rogue with an endless amount of animosity slowly succumbing to the effects of radiation poisoning making him more and more unpredictable as the movie goes on. But it's the award-winning performance from the stoic and hardened Bunta Sugawara that really captivates me as he normally does in his roles, single-minded and exceptionally driven.
Overall, The Man Who Stole the Sun, even at two and a half hours long, never feels overly long or bloated. The film absolutely refuses to limit itself, and that's why it's so entertaining and impressive.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
07/23/23
Full Review
acsdoug D
I really like this one. He makes an atomic bomb and then blackmails the city into showing baseball games on TV? That was the best he could do? Hilarious.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
06/08/23
Full Review
walter m
By day, Makoto ' Bubblegum' Kido(Kenji Sawada) is a mild-mannered high school science teacher. By night, he steals a gun which he then uses to steal plutonium from a nuclear power plant. His plans get interrupted when a World War II veteran(Yunosuke Ito) hijacks the full school bus he was trying to sleep on. Thankfully, Makato and Inspector Yamashita(Bunta Sugawara) are able to subdue the hijacker, allowing Makato to return to his plans.
You must forgive "The Man who Stole the Sun" for being a little on the long side, for it has a lot of territory to cover. Among the issues that it explores that are important to Japan when this was made in 1979 and no less relevant today are standardized testing, baseball games being interrupted on television(apparently Japan has never had its Heidi Bowl), nuclear weapon proliferation, nuclear power in general, the lack of decent rock music, treatment of war veterans, and the general stagnation of society. This is nowhere near as dry as it sounds, as the movie handles such difficult topics in a frenetic and suspenseful fashion that is also deliberately over the top at times. All of which is in the service of also showing how heroes can also be villains and vice versa.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Um japonês solitário faz uma bomba nuclear em casa e ameaça detonar no centro de Tokio. Em troca, pede que sejam supridos os desejos mais comuns, como assistir uma partida de beisebol. Muito interessante os dilemas à (C)ticos que passam os personagens. O filme à (C) uma alegoria pra discutir o poder dos governos, o espetáculo da mÃdia, a apatia do cidadão e outras misà (C)rias da vida moderna. Triste, mas essencial pra entender esses terroristas sem causa.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/15/23
Full Review
Audience Member
I really love this film (if you can understand Japanese). It really shows Showa-era Japan for what it is and above all else, provides a substantial, well-arranged plot that surprises you even if you know what's going to happen.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/14/23
Full Review
Audience Member
This is a cool big-budget Japanese movie from the late 70's, in which a trendy young high-school science teacher Kido Masato (nicknamed Bubble Gum by his students) somehow makes a nuclear bomb in his Tokyo studio apartment by breaking into a nuclear reactor station and stealing plutonium, in order to hold Tokyo to ransom for his rather odd demands. The movie plays on the public's fear of nuclear weapons, but whether or not you're scared depends on how far you're willing to suspend your disbelief. After some early attempts at political commentary, it turns into a full-blown action movie, with endless jaw-dropping stunts which includes a fantastic high speed chase on the streets of Tokyo as our anti-hero is pursued by detective Yamashita throughout the movie.
However serious you might think this movie is at first will have you scratching your heads at the ridiculous things that happen in the final third of the movie. Detective Yamashita is quite literally The Terminator as he dodges explosions, survives falling from a great height by a helicopter and then won't die from 6 or 7 bullets to the body including 2 to the heart. Although overlong at 2 and a half hours, this movie is constantly mad, OTT, unpredictable and unintentionally amusing. I really enjoyed it and I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. Highly recommended.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
01/20/23
Full Review
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