Based on a popular Fuji TV series, Bayside Shakedown became the surprise hit of 1998, grossing $96 million.. Its hero, Aoshima Shunsaku (Oda Yuji), was a former salaryman whose beat was the trendy Odaiba waterfront district. Also, he did not kill a single bad guy. Instead, the film derived most of its comedy and drama from his conflicts with police bureaucracy.
A sequel was all but inevitable - the only surprise is that it took nearly five years to reach the screens. Released in July 2003, Bayside Shakedown 2 earned $165 million - an all-time box office record for a non-animated Japanese film.
Some things have changed since 1998, however. Though Aoshima is once again battling the powers-that-be, his main adversary is no longer Muroi (Yanagiba Toshiro), the elite Metropolitan Police investigator with the permanent grimace, but Okita (Shinya Miki), a female cop from the same agency who is more than a match for any male bureaucrat in smirky arrogance.
The story gets underway with a bizarre murder committed under the noses of the precinct cops, with the corpse tied elaborately in a spread-eagle pose. Though Aoshima, his feisty female colleague Kashiwagi (Mizuno Miki) and the rest of the Wangan Police Station crew are soon on the case, command of the investigation passes to the Metropolitan Police, led by Okita. Meanwhile, Muroi serves as an uneasy bridge between Metro and local cops, with the later relegated to a supporting role in their own precinct.
Then another murder occurs and the investigation goes into full gear, but the killer’s motives, let alone identity, remain a mystery. Meanwhile, with the Metro outsiders keeping them from their normal duties, the local cops are forced to let other criminals roam free, including a pervert who bites the necks of his young female victims, vampire-style.
Eventually, the cops realize they are dealing with something more than just another serial killer. Also, Okita’s high-tech, flood-the-zone tactics are obviously not working. Perhaps Aoshima and his fellow foot soldiers have a better idea.
Director Motohiro Katsuyuki, who also helmed Bayside Shakedown, handles this familiar material with a smooth professionalism. Newbies who know nothing of the TV series or first film may be baffled by the profusion of characters and plot twists - but even they can enjoy the energy, ingenuity and satiric commentary on the Japanese Way.
Mark Schilling