Video Backlog: “Redline”

Publisher: Manga Entertainment (UK)
Format: Region 2 DVD, PAL, Japanese Dialogue with optional English dub and English Subtitles. Region B Blu-ray, PAL, Japanese Dialogue with optional English dub and English Subtitles.
Length: 102 minutes
Production Date: 2009
Currently in Print (as of writing): Yes

I originally saw this film at Madman Entertainment’s Reel Cinema screenings in September 2010. It was the last film I saw at that mini festival and I was completely narked off at the behaviour of my fellow patrons. Apart from the general rowdiness (sit down, shut up and watch the film, or fuck off! I didn’t pay $18 to hear your “hilarious” banter) they pretty much laughed at everything on screen, even when nothing was happening. I can only assume that most of them were Amish and this was the first “moving picture” that they’d seen. Or they’re very easily amused. In that case why don’t they just sit in the mall and be amused by all the pretty colours and movement instead of annoying fellow cinema goers? As you might of guessed, I didn’t enjoy the film as much as probably would have. However I decided to give the film a second chance.

The plot is relatively simple; Sometime in the distant future, anti gravity vehicles have become the dominant form of transport. However there are those who still race cars which are earth bound and use petroleum engines. Racer, JP, is on the verge of winning a race called Yellowline, however his car is sabotaged, crashing hard, only metres before the finish line by his mechanic and childhood friend, Frisbee. Frisbee has been baking backroom deals with the mafia on fixing races and is now in pretty deep. In fact many years before JP took the fall for Frisbee when the law found out about a deal. Still JP’s friendship was strong with him. If JP had won Yellowline, he would have qualified for the prestigious Redline race. However as this race is being held illegally on Roboworld, and militaristic government has publicly announced they will do anything to stop the race going ahead. Not wanting to be killed by Roboworld forces, several racers pull out which means JP can enter the Redline race.

Despite Frisbee’s misgivings, JP decides to enter the race using the dirty money from his dealings with the mafia. Despite Roboword being run by highly advanced mechanised beings, the planet outside the military is a backwater. There JP has his car built by his mechanic, a four armed old man (whom I don’t think we are ever told his name), and designed by Frisbee. During the downtime, JP meets up with Sonoshee, the winner of Yellowline. He has been smitten with her since he met her when he was a young racer, however now she is completely focused on winning the race and has no time for romance. Meanwhile a ragtag band of rebels and a few of the racers decide to make the defences of Roboworld inoperable.

This is one obscenely over the top film . Created by Katsuhito Ishii (“Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl”, “A Taste of Tea”, “Funky Forrest”) and directed by Takeshi Koike (“Party 7”), the style of this movie is practically comparable not nothing in the anime market to today. It’s a very cartoony style, in the same vein as "Trava - Fist Planet Episode 1"(originally released on the DVD short film compilation series "Grasshoppa!!" back in 2001), which was also a Koike/ Ishii production. In fact the characters from those short appear in this film. It’s also been stated that “Redline” is a prequel to “Trava”. “Redline” is just so filled with colour and action, and packed is packed to the gills with off the wall characters and ideas. There is never a dull moment. In the climatic race, not only do we see the racer battle it out at breakneck speed whilst dealing with the Roboworld forces, a gigantic bio-weapon appears, which then fights an opposing monster/weapon. While this is going on, romance is blossoming between JP and Sonoshee. At times there is so much going on it feels as if it’s going to all fall apart. This is most evident in the climatic race which is probably a touch too long.

The UK release is fantastic. I bought this dual BD/DVD version as I wanted the Blu-ray version as I’ll probably be in the market for a BD player next year (now that code free players are a lot more common). Also it was cheaper than the Japanese version and the US version hasn’t come out yet. It comes with a booklet with interviews with Katsuhito Ishii and Takeshi Koike (seriously Manga, would have killed you to at least put the bios of both people in different coloured fonts so it didn’t run together with the interviews?), and fantastic piece called “Car Wars” by the one and only Jonathan Clements. In his piece he not only identifies “Cannonball Run” as an influence, but unlike others who have written about the film, he dismisses Hanna-Barbera’s “Wacky Races” as an influence and rather convincingly suggests “Machine Hayabusa” from 1976 as a much more likely culprit, citing Ishii’s age (he would have seen it as a kid) and the similarities between it and “Redline”. In particular the lead in that show refuses to weaponise his car like the other racers do, just like JP. Both characters want to race “purely”. Though I never liked his criticism of anime much, I really love Jonathan’s articles on anime. He really knows this stuff. Overall it’s a fantastic film that is completely different from the rest of the anime pack. It is overwhelming and maybe a bit unfocused, however it’s brimming with lots of fantastic concepts and characters. It’s style over substance and it certainly knows this. It succeeds at what it sets out to be. 8 out of 10.

Remaining Backlog: 26 months (it's much easier this way than listing the number of discs).