Young and ambitious American journalist Jake Adelstein (Ansel Elgort) moved to Japan in the late 90s. His aim is to live and work in Tokyo, and especially in Yemiuri Shimbun, the main and most popular newspaper of the Asian metropolis. And if the casual tourist is lured by the colorful side of life in Tokyo, Jake is tempted by the city’s behind-the-scenes look. After taking the coveted position of full-time crime historian, he plunges into the dangerous world of the Japanese capital, not realizing that the mob is starting to stare at him.
Withdrawn from “Tokyo PD” (2022)
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One of the series’ producers and director of the pilot episode, who set the tone and style of the entire project, was cult Hollywood director Michael Mann, author of the films “Fight”, “The Insider”, “Ali” and “The Insider”. many other films without which modern American cinema would not be complete. .
Mann’s interest in the biography of the real Jake Adelstein, who finds himself at the center of the conflict between the Tokyo yakuza, is clear – throughout his career as a director, his sincere interest in two main subjects can be traced: the story of the police and the so-called oppressed, of strangers, of people who stand out from the crowd. Such was the protagonist of “The Insider” who uncovered America’s biggest tobacco conspiracy, and the thug in “Fight” is a criminal with his own unconventional moral principles. And of course, Hawkeye in The Last of the Mohicans is a true lone hero who fearlessly defies the surrounding evil.
Withdrawn from “Tokyo PD” (2022)
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TokyoPD combines the key X factors of the Mann stories above. Ansel Elgort’s young protagonist is an American journalist who escapes from the pains of his past life into the utter obscurity of a new world for him. Despite his excellent command of the Japanese language and good knowledge of Japanese culture, he is constantly ridiculed by his colleagues. Moreover, the lifestyle of ordinary Japanese does not cease to shock him: for example, murder in the Japanese press cannot be called “murder”, many topics are strictly taboo, and the flamboyant friendship familiar to the American character is welcomed here. not with a mutual smile, but with serious caution.
A second important aspect of the plot is the character of Ken Watanabe (The Beginning, Memoirs of a Geisha), who plays Hiroto, a local police officer, balancing between an all-consuming external corruption. After a brief encounter during a police raid, Jake and Hiroto form a strange duo that does the opposite: Hiroto is a man who has seen a lot, and Jake’s eyes still shine with a youthful gleam.
Their duet goes through a complex process of development: from prudence and grinding to almost family relationships, where Hiroto for Jake is both an important father figure and a mentor, and a mirror guide hidden from the eyes of ordinary residents. your metropolis. It seems that this is why the writers chose a slow and sometimes even languid pace of the story: together with Jake, like Dorothy from the Emerald City, we must feel for ourselves and admire the new world with its unique culture and external background.
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Although Mann only directed the first episode of 10 (Joseph Vladyka, who previously worked on Narcos and The Terror, is responsible for much of the rest of the series), the entire series is imbued with his signature art style. For example, in the second series, the protagonists go on a raid with Tokyo special forces, and this scene is almost an homage to the bank robbery moment in “The Fight”: with the same dynamics and combinations. Video series with intense, critical music.
The next episode features a scene with Adelstein looking at the mob suspended above him at dusk. The hero of Will Smith, like his opponents, met in Ali – a biography about the legendary boxer, who turned out to be not only an outstanding athlete, but also an important figure of mass culture. athlete.
Shot by Mann, one of the director’s favorite techniques, there are many close-ups in the pilot, always trying to look inside the faces of his characters, capturing not only their external but also their internal movements. This is both a blessing and a curse for the actors: in such cases it is impossible to hide from the camera and hide something from the viewer. But precisely for this reason, the quiet calmness and universal fatigue in the eyes of the hero Watanabe combine so successfully with the dynamic facial expressions of the character Elgort, who desperately wants to stand out from the crowd.
I would also like to say about Elgort: from the very first minutes, this project becomes an important point in his filmography. So far, he’s been following the path of the traditional Brad Pitt, a handsome actor eager to prove that he’s so much more than a pretty face. And in Tokyo PD Elgort succeeds. The excellent acting training and personal organics of the artist, who did not learn the easiest Japanese language, also have an impact.
Withdrawn from “Tokyo PD” (2022)
HBO Max.
At the end of the first half of the season, Tokyo PD is a dark sequel to the classic detective stories of the ’90s, with their confrontations within the Japanese mafia, corrupt and honest cops, and overt heroes who show up as dirty and dangerous. The world becomes an ideal starting point for growth. In this sense, Michael Mann’s series breathes new and colorful life into the genre canons of the past, like the neon-filled streets of Tokyo.
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.