Review – TOKYO GORE POLICE (2008)

“Why do they bleed so much?” was the question my brother asked when I subjected him to Tokyo Gore Police. Indeed, why do they bleed so much? Because this is prime Japanese splatter, courtesy of filmmaker Yoshihiro Nishimura. That’s why! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFKP9lB_F7s

In the future, the Japanese police force has been privatized and has become the Tokyo Police Corporation to deal with a new threat called “engineers.” This group of humans have been infected by a virus created by the “Key Man” (Itsuji Itao) which allows the infected to create weapons out of any wounds or injuries they incur. Ruka (Eihi Shina) is part of a group within the Tokyo Police Corporation called “Engineer Hunters,” people skilled at dispatching engineers. As Ruka slashes and slices her way through the hordes of “engineers,” she will not only learn the truth about the “Key Man” and the virus, but also about the death of her father…

Tokyo Gore Police certainly lives of to its name by being gory as all hell. Blood shoots about every whichway and limbs soar past the screen as if in a tornado. Not to mention the film delivers on the weirdness that Japanese films are known for – and delivers it in droves! The concept alone reeks of something a pothead would cook up in the prime of his high – and I’m certain more than a fair share of Lucifer’s Lettuce was smoked during the writing of this film. Nishimura, primarily an effects man, delivers some excellent-yet-cartoonish special effects most of which are practical. So big kudos there!

The only real gripe about the film, if it can even be considered one, is the runtime. At nearly two hours Tokyo Gore Police runs the risk of putting some viewers off. The actions scenes are fast-paced and exciting, but the scenes in between are a bit drawn out. They could have easily been trimmed to fit a 90-minute runtime without losing any story. The film also features mock commercials which could have easily been removed to no detriment.

All in all though, Tokyo Gore Police is sure to satisfy horror fans and gorehounds alike. The splatter is great, the weirdness is weird and the excitement hardly lets up. So check it out. Now!