Tokyo Zombie (2005, Japan)

Oh, how I wish I could remember who or what recommended Tokyo Zombie. It’s been far too long since I’ve embraced weirdo Japanese cinema (though a recent going-out-of-business sale at the local video store means that a handful of old favorites – Charisma, Tokyo Sonata, The Taste of Tea, Versus – will be revisited soon (and foisted on the husband)). Directed by Sakichi Sato, writer of such Takashi Miike treasures as Gozu and Ichi the Killer, Tokyo Zombie is the manga-derived story of two idiot factory workers who encounter a zombie apocalypse. The idiots, played by Tadanobu Asano in an afro wig and Sho (sometimes Show) Aikawa in a bald cap, are more into their bizarre jujitsu lessons than pretty much anything else, and as such don’t realize the undead uprising has occurred until Tokyo is a lost cause. Once it dawns on them, they’re fairly nonchalant about the whole thing – again, neither is suffering from a surfeit of brainpower – and the hijinks continue until circumstance separates our heroes, leading to a somewhat unfortunate – and strangely mean-spirited – second half. Unsurprisingly, the best analogue I can think of for Tokyo Zombie a Miike film – The Happiness of the Katakuris– though it can’t sustain its madcap zombie action quite as well as Katakuris does. Also, there’s far less singing. But for anyone into weird Japanese film, Tokyo Zombie is most certainly worth checking out.