C
Directed byJean Pierre Limousin
I had my beloved girlfriend download "Tokyo Eyes" (which appears to be harder to purchase on the open market than a nuclear warhead) mainly because the score was produced by Xavier Jamaux, the same guy who did a wonderful job as half of the team which produced the soundtrack for Johnnie To's "The Sparrow." Unfortunately for me, Jamaux's work in "Tokyo Eyes" is pretty unnoticeable and the film itself, despite some bright spots and overall solid acting by the films leads, would be forever relegated to the dustbin of my memory if I didn't take the time to document my watching it here.
"Tokyo Eyes" tells the story of Four Eyes, a local criminal who goes on a shooting spree around Tokyo which is noticeable not for its violence but for the perpetrators horrible aim, seeing as how how misses everyone of his targets, causing them nothing more than a scare. Hinano, a local hairdresser, becomes fascinated with Four Eyes' crimes and at the same time meets a mysterious, attractive youth on the subway. Wondering who he is, aren't you?
The story follows a predictable course as the two young ones court each other in a rather PG sort of way, culminating with Hinano's discovery that something is remarkably similar between Four Eyes and her new boyfriend.
"Tokyo Eyes" suffers greatly from the lack of a script the overall lethargy of its narrative. There is nothing wrong with a slow paced film, as I've always been quick to remind anyone who will listen, but the slowness has to bring something to the table, be it a meditative quality, or a particular mood that the filmmaker is going for. "Tokyo Eyes" just seems to be slow moving because it has nowhere to go, a small little picture drifting aimlessly towards its foregone conclusion. Another important flaw that "Tokyo Eyes" as well as many other Asian films in general and contemporary Japanese films in particular suffer from is in their seeming disinterest in adding any type of structure to the film's narrative. I have felt that Hollywood films, seemingly forever, have suffered from being too explicit, not allowing the picture to tell the story but relying rather on the script to tell it instead. Many asian films, such as "Tokyo Eyes" (even though it was directed by a frenchman) suffer from the completely opposite problem, namely that they seemingly don't feel the need to ever give their story some backbone or direction. The result is often maddeningly vague films that aim at establishing a meditative or melancholy mood but often end up simply being instantly forgettable.
I had my beloved girlfriend download "Tokyo Eyes" (which appears to be harder to purchase on the open market than a nuclear warhead) mainly because the score was produced by Xavier Jamaux, the same guy who did a wonderful job as half of the team which produced the soundtrack for Johnnie To's "The Sparrow." Unfortunately for me, Jamaux's work in "Tokyo Eyes" is pretty unnoticeable and the film itself, despite some bright spots and overall solid acting by the films leads, would be forever relegated to the dustbin of my memory if I didn't take the time to document my watching it here.
"Tokyo Eyes" tells the story of Four Eyes, a local criminal who goes on a shooting spree around Tokyo which is noticeable not for its violence but for the perpetrators horrible aim, seeing as how how misses everyone of his targets, causing them nothing more than a scare. Hinano, a local hairdresser, becomes fascinated with Four Eyes' crimes and at the same time meets a mysterious, attractive youth on the subway. Wondering who he is, aren't you?
The story follows a predictable course as the two young ones court each other in a rather PG sort of way, culminating with Hinano's discovery that something is remarkably similar between Four Eyes and her new boyfriend.
"Tokyo Eyes" suffers greatly from the lack of a script the overall lethargy of its narrative. There is nothing wrong with a slow paced film, as I've always been quick to remind anyone who will listen, but the slowness has to bring something to the table, be it a meditative quality, or a particular mood that the filmmaker is going for. "Tokyo Eyes" just seems to be slow moving because it has nowhere to go, a small little picture drifting aimlessly towards its foregone conclusion. Another important flaw that "Tokyo Eyes" as well as many other Asian films in general and contemporary Japanese films in particular suffer from is in their seeming disinterest in adding any type of structure to the film's narrative. I have felt that Hollywood films, seemingly forever, have suffered from being too explicit, not allowing the picture to tell the story but relying rather on the script to tell it instead. Many asian films, such as "Tokyo Eyes" (even though it was directed by a frenchman) suffer from the completely opposite problem, namely that they seemingly don't feel the need to ever give their story some backbone or direction. The result is often maddeningly vague films that aim at establishing a meditative or melancholy mood but often end up simply being instantly forgettable.
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