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Detective Yakubi (Shun Oguri) is a corrupt cop with a significant drug and gambling habit, chasing a former Yakuza member who leaves butchered bodies in his wake. Meanwhile, FBI agent Gwen Birgssen (Lily James) comes to Tokyo to find the missing daughter of a U.S. congressman, another case that leads to even more killings in the streets.
Director Takashi Miike positions this story between Abel Ferrara's dark and gritty original Bad Lieutenant and the eccentricity of Werner Herzog's Port of Call: New Orleans. The film, torn between these two worlds, is also torn in terms of story. There seem to be two separate movies taking place in Tokyo, one involving James and the other involving the Yakuza. Neither of these plots seem to be working with the other, but instead spend the runtime in competition. Unfortunately, this leads to a bloated, disjointed feeling in the final film.
Oguri is perfect in Miike's signature neon, blood-soaked visuals, maintaining a strong and consistent performance throughout even as the story clashes with itself. His miserable, coked-out Columbo-esque detective is admittedly quite entertaining. However, he is brought down by Lily James' over-the-top, Southern-accented performance, a performance that doesn't quite capture the sassy badass that seems to have been intended.
Miike's style in this outing is muted compared to, say, previous films like Ichi the Killer or 13 Assassins. Flashy, yes, but not punchy. The moments of gore lack the disturbing quality we would expect from watching serial killers hack up a body or kill a lover in bed. Not to say the film lacks impressive visuals; it most certainly has some fantastic moments, particularly in those aforementioned neon streets of Tokyo and a nightclub brawl. But I found myself needing more and more, while not enough was given or went far enough in embracing the chaos.
Indeed, even the weaker Bad Lieutenant has its moments of intrigue. The question is whether there was enough to sustain it. It is ambitious, undoubtedly, but uneven and unable to climb higher. Tokyo wanted to be many things, but was unable to make up its mind. For genre enthusiasts, it's certainly worth a look, if only to see Miike's ambition.
