(2001/JAPAN)
REVIEW BY-STEVE GENIER DIRECTED BY-ISHII SOGO CAST-TADANOBU ASANO and MASATOSHI NAGASE SOURCE-DISCOTEK MEDIA DVD (NTSC REGION 1 / 55 MINS / 2006)
Since first seeing this experimental from GOJOE director, Ishii Sogo back when the Japan DVD release from Pioneer back in 2002, it has been a regular classic viewing. So, when wind got around that Unearthed Films was releasing this on NTSC DVD well it was an instant grabber for me. Well, I’m assuming that either they dropped the release rights or simply lost them as it never came out as far as I know. No worries there as the fairly new company Discotek has come to the rescue and in a big way. They are simply not just releasing ELECTRIC DRAGON, but to an exact carbon copy of the Pioneer release plus the bonus soundtrack cd. So, with this here’s my original review of the film with the new additional review for the new Discotek DVD.
At first I didn't know what to make of this very odd short film from Ishii Sogo(Crazy Thunder Road, Gojoe), but as time went on and I mean a short time, I began to realize just how great this film really was. Shot in stunning black and white, Ishi gathers all the elements and fits them in a perfect puzzle. The marriage between score and visuals guide you through a surreal world of sorts full of electricity and that's no understatement either. Don't spend too much time trying to figure out the storyline, there isn't much of one to follow. Rightfully so, there's too much eye candy to follow along with the audio temptations galore. Very powerful score provided by MACH 1.67 and Onogawa Hiroyuk, one that have you watching this just to hear it. The character build ups are incredibly inventive as well, built through a series of visuals and very little dialogue. I GOTTA BUY A GUITAR!!
Our story begins with a bunch of little kids playing around a hydro field, while one of them becomes adventurous by climbing one of the towers. There's one single scene of imagery that is so simple but yet so powerful, a beed of sweet rolling down the boys face and looking down before the inevitable to happen. Reaching the top, he's struck with lighting and awakening the dragon inside him. Dragon Eye Morrison (Asano Tadanobu) is born!! As he grows older, he struggles with the rage inside him. There seems to be no positive outlet except anger. This is depicted in a series of scenes where you see EDM knocking out his would be bullies. Punishment, electric shock therapy. This continues until present day, where EDM figures the only way to tame his dragon is by feeding it electricity. Hence the ELECTRIC GUITAR! It soothes his soul and becomes one with the dragon. As most of EDM's character is built up, there's another element that is introduced, THUNDERBOLT BUDDHA. Ishii carefully weaves the two characters separately until pretty much till the end. Then as symbolized with EDM finding his pet dragon dead, the fight begins. Turn up the amp, this is where the fireworks really start to fly. The battle between the two electrically charged foes will have you out of your seat and running for cover.
After watching this a few times, observing Asano Tadanobu's portrayal of Dragon Eye Morrison, I can see where Takashi Miike got the idea on why he casted Tadanobu in ICHI THE KILLER. Both EDM and ICHI's KAKIHARA character show very similar characteristics, psychotic, unpredictable and ruthless. It's funny because at first glance of ED80000v, I didn't really notice that connection except that I kept wondering how familiar the lead actor really was. There were several things about this film along with that observation, the one main element being the pace of this short film. Although it only being 55 minutes in length, you feel like your being treated to a full-featured film. This will have you glued to the screen even during the end credits. Between the catchy tunage and electrifying scripture.
The pounding soundtrack from MACH 1.67 and Onogawa Hiroyuk has a direct effect on you, it's like a catchy tune that gets massive air time on the radio and has you wanting to go out and buy the whole album without knowing what the other songs are like. Sogo is like the Japanese version of Tarantino and how he manipulates the viewer with placing the right songs and addressing the scenes accordingly. Which reminds me, I still have to order my copy! Along with this highly addictive score that creates a natural high, the visuals only adds to that drug. There's no need for colour here, again Sogo uses the black and white most effectively. Sharp and fast imagery with seamless edits control the flow of this crazy trip and has your head buzzing for more whilst finishing. There is a definite side-effect after watching EDM 80000v, your brain starts to crave for more until it's satisfied with the next viewing. It's like that Lay's commercial, "Bet ya just can't eat one!", in this case "Bet ya just can't watch this just once!"
Well, no matter how many times I watch this film, there is a certain high that lingers even after several minutes have passed. With the powerful combination of the stunning black and white visuals driven with a very electric score, this is bound to happen. So, now for the first time on Region 1 DVD, Discotek has not only given us the full presentation of the film with all it’s extras, but have also for a limited edition time only added the complete film score. Now, I don’t know about you, but you simply can’t have a classic film without a classic score. Like the Japanese release from Pioneer, this new Discotek release is absolutely phenomenal in every right. The main feature is flawless in both picture and sound. Yes, I know this film is completely black and white, but still the anamorphic widescreen presentation (16x9 /1.85:1) is amazing.
The extras are exactly the same as the Pioneer release only adding English options, something that the Pioneer release didn’t have. So, this adds some much more to the interviews, press conferences and special screenings that apart of the special features. Even the inside cover is the same as the original Japanese release. There are also the original trailer, filming snapshots, original artwork from the film’s titling as well as cast and crew profiles. Discotek also employs Midnight Eye’s Tom Mes who provides the information in the liner notes. The kicker here though is the bonus cd of the film’s complete score, a must have as you will soon find after viewing this for the first time that most catch part of ELECTRIC DRAGON is it’s score. I spent a long time and a lot of money to finally get a hold of the soundtrack when it first came out. So, in my humble opinion, there’s no one with out the other.
STORY/FILM-4/5 BITCH SLAPS PICTURE-5/5 BITCH SLAPS AUDIO-5/5 BITCH SLAPS EXTRAS-5/5 BITCH SLAPS OVERALL DVD- 4.5/5 BITCH SLAPS Purchase this at X-Ploited Cinema
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