Blockbuster Japan Movie
Japanese Movie The Laughing Policeman
Cast and Crew
* Movie: The Laughing Cop / The Laughing Policeman
* Romaji: Warau Keikan
* Japanese: 笑う警官
* Director: Haruki Kadokawa
* Writer: Jo Sasaki (novel)
* Producer: Haruki Kadokawa
* Cinematographer:
* Release Date: November 14, 2009
* Runtime:
* Studio: Kadokawa Pictures
* Distributor: Toei
* Language: Japanese
* Country: Japan
Cast
* Nao Omori
* Yasuko Matsuyuki
* Hiroyuki Miyasako
* Shugo Oshinari
* Yukijiro Hotaru
* Meiken Ito
* Eugenen Nomura
* Kohei Otomo
Plot
Nao Omori stars as a cop chasing after a female cop killer, but then gets caught in a dark web of departmental corruption.
A Toei Co. release and presentation of a Times In, the Laughing Policeman Film Partners, Haruki Entertainment, Haruki Kadokawa Corp., Toei Video, Yashimoto Creative Agency, Yomiuri Shimbun, DeNA Co., Sanbook, Hochi Shimbun, Quaras production. (International sales: Toei, Tokyo.) Produced by Takashi Kawasaki, Eugene Nomura. Executive producers, Haruki Kadodawa, Mitsuru Itoh.
Directed, written by Haruki Kadokawa, based on the novel by Jo Sasaki.
With: Nao Omori, Yasuko Matsuyuki, Hiroyuki Miyasako, Shugo Oshinari, Yukijiro Hotaru, Eugene Nomura, Meiken Ito, Kohei Otomo, Kenichi Yajima, Takeshi Kaga.
Endemic corruption moves renegade cops to bend the rules in the cause of justice in "The Laughing Policeman," a literal, old-fashioned but satisfying adaptation of a Japanese true-crime novel. Not to be confused with the 1973 Stuart Rosenberg film (or its Swedish source material), the pic uses a jazzy score and velvety-dark look to achieve its noirish aspirations. The popularity of the original novel and a stellar cast should generate respectable B.O. among older viewers on local release mid-November, but the yarn's chatty nature will confine offshore interest to genre and Asian-themed fests.
Jo Sasaki's 2007 novel is the first in the so-called "The Hokkaido Trilogy" and was inspired by corruption in the police force governing Japan's northern island. Set in the capital, Sapporo, the pic begins with the discovery of a strangled policewoman's body in an apartment used by the force's big brass. Senior officials keep the investigation under wraps and, in short order, the dead cop's ex-lover, Sgt. Suguru Tsukui (Hiroyuki Miyasako) -- due to give damning evidence in a corruption hearing in 18 hours' time -- is declared the perp. Police are ordered to shoot him on sight.
Disturbed by the hasty manner in which his squad was pushed off the case, Tsukui's former police partner, smooth saxophonist Sgt. Koichi Saeki (Nao Omori), summons his team to discuss an alternative plan to the sanctioned witch hunt.
With the clock ticking in the background, the story plays out like a solid pulp novel, with multiple plot twists but rarely anything startling. Director Haruki Kadokawa's screenplay gives the feeling of scenes having been diluted or even omitted, and as a result, the revelations have a forced, theatrical quality.
Performances are mostly solid. Both Omori and the sexy but subdued Yasuko Matsuyuki, as Saeki's distaff colleague and possible love interest, exude an intelligence that helps focus the multistranded tale and its ensemble cast. Chiefly cast as a hook for younger auds, Shugo Oshinari is weak as a rookie cop.
Making his first appearance in the directing chair since 1997 sci-fier "The Little Girl Who Conquered Time," prolific producer Kadokawa ("God's Puzzle," "Yamato") works in a style that recalls American urban crimers of the '80s. Seizo Sengen's luxurious lensing makes the most of the frequently beautiful sets, and the jazzy soundtrack uses syncopated rhythms and Julie London's rendition of "Bye Bye Blackbird" to dramatic effect.
Hong Kong may have its Laughing Gor, and now comes Japan's very own Laughing Policeman!
Based on the novel “Haruki Library” by novelist Jo Suzuki, the plot has all the ingredients of a gritty police suspense thriller that plays out just over 24 hours. Literally starting off with a bang, a policeman in Hokkaido leaves behind a suicide note "I didn't sing" before pulling the trigger with a gun to the mouth. Then comes the whirlwind of a media circus on the police force's alleged corruption and its secret slush funds, where cops pocketed money into personal accounts rather than for investigations use, calling attention to its unlawful accounting practices. The Article 100 Committee is soon set up, given powers to call up, in secret, any police officer for investigations and to probe into corruption within its ranks.
The plot further thickens with a seemingly unrelated murder case with a policewoman found dead in a strange apartment premise with ownership links back to the cops, and the precinct cops told to beat it when HQ representatives consisting the elite top brass, muscle their way to take over the investigations. It soon wraps with the Special Crime Task Force given the kill order for the accused detective Tsukui (Hiroyuki Miyasako), which we all should know, amongst the police force, would be something that would send shockwaves throughout the organization since they are going after one of their own.
Naturally all cops are tensed, with their organization reputation at stake and an investigations that seem more to be a cover up than thorough, and a group of policemen and woman decide to band together and work outside of the system to unravel all the mysteries involved in this complex web of intrigue. Led by Saeki (Nao Omori), they set up a shadow investigations unit at the Black Bird Jazz Bar, opened by an ex-cop, and call their rag-tag group The Laughing Policeman, giving themselves some 15 hours to solve the murder, and to deliver Tsukui to the Article 100 Committee when they find out that he might have been framed as his appointment with the Committee has been leaked, that he probably holds crippling information and whose testimony could bring down some folks at the top.
And so the stage is set for many dizzying twists and turns, where allegiance to the police organization, and amongst The Laughing Policeman get called into question from time to time. It just gets to you when integrity even amongst the unofficial grouping gets put under the spotlight, never being able to trust intentions. With careers at stake, you would know how hard it is to have to go against your employer, and the dilemma here is of course to either uphold justice which is what is morally right in the career of choice, or to take the more selfish, myopic view of saving one's own skin and be part of the corrupt system to help cover up its ugly tracks.
Director Haruki Kadokawa handled all the plot threads like a seasoned professional, opting not for quick edits and frantic pacing, but for a measured pace despite the race against time gimmick, leaving you room to analyze the clues and to connect the dots. I particularly liked how he had demonstrated the moral dilemma everyone faces, and how lines are drawn in the sand, with the grapevine being the imperfect tool to get to those wanting to assist in blowing the whistle, and to get some help from within official resources. Kadokawa designed plenty of moments that keep you guessing who's trustworthy, and who's not, with some buddy-cop brotherhood like a typical Hong Kong thriller thrown in for good measure as well.
With sophistication in how intricate the plot points all spiral like a hydra, this isn't your typical action thriller, so don't be looking out for the next big action sequence. It's more dialogue driven with a couple of surprises thrown up along the way, telling of just how deep the rabbit hole of corruption had been, and the difficulties in working outside the system against one's employer and organization. The cast delivered their roles without much fuss, and against a jazzy blues soundtrack, this film comes as quite the laidback surprise despite its rather abrupt finale.
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