Kamikaze Taxi

Masato Harada’s Kamikaze Taxi (1995), once again shows that is not afraid of taking on controversial contemporary issue in Japan in the context of a compelling narrative (see Bounce Kogals-teen compensation dating and corruption). These issues include discrimination against nisei (second generation Japanese) workers and foreigners in general, as well as political corruption that has ties with the yakuza. The social commentary is tied to the story of a young chinpira (low level yakuza), Tatsuo, who is a pimp for a corrupt former kamikaze pilot nationalist politician, Doumon. Doumon resembles every Tokyo governor that has held office since I have been in Japan-nationalist and discriminatory. After Doumon beats Tatsuo girl and his girlfriend, who is part of the organization is beat to death in front of his eyes, he vows revenge on Dumon. He decides with five buddies to rob him of $2 million dollars stashed at his house. Only Tatsuo survives and the film takes a turn to become a road story as he hires a Peruvian Japanese nisei taxi driver (played by the always reliable Koji Yakusho-Shall We Dance? And Babel)) to be his driver to help him to do some final tasks.  Tatsuo wants to replace his mother’s gravestone with something more fitting for a woman who sacrificed her life to him and along the way they learn about each other’s predicaments and Tatsuo finds a natural ally in the driver who faces discrimination that is preached by the corrupt Duomon. There is a trip to an onsen and other high jinks before the final showdown. The movie is almost overlong at two hours and 49 minutes, but most of that is needed to tell this particular story full of insight and social commentary about contemporary Japanese society.