Burst City

1982

1h 55m

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

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14 Images

Action

Music

Science Fiction

Set in a barren, futuristic Tokyo of highways and wastelands, a rowdy group of punk bands and their fans gather to protest slow, boring, Japanese living.

Directors

Gakuryu Ishii

Writers

Gakuryu Ishii(screenplay by)

Mitsuhiko Akita(screenplay by)

Stars

Takanori Jinnai

Shigeru Izumiya

Kou Machida

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Videos1

Trailer
Watch Burst City Original Trailer (Sogo Ishii, 1982)

Top cast

Command Sasaki

Kuronuma

Mad Brother

Speed Killer

Miracle God's Evil

Flying Kazato

Lolicon Politician

Blue

Kirishima

Kikukawa

Mad Brother

Speed Killer

Speed Killer

Speed Killer

Mad Stalin

Mad Stalin

Man with Mechanical Arms

Kazuo Komizu

Eyepatch Man

Directors

Gakuryu Ishii

Writers

Gakuryu Ishii(screenplay by)

Mitsuhiko Akita(screenplay by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Burst City from 1982 is a punk rock operetta with the polemic stance that is essential for the anarchist strains of punk traditions. Sogo Ishii relies upon and extends punk rock aesthetics to a convincing gesamtkunstwerk that interestingly sits very well between the post-apocalypse of the time and the cyberpunk that is yet to come. But most of all, I'd say Burst City is a war movie. A war movie where the trenches have been exchanged for a dystopic industrial slum and the main weapons are words, clubs and guitars. The anti-hero protagonists are the dynamic constellations of punk rockers, greasers and local underdog gangsters (assisted by travelling armored warriors in a motorized chariot) that have to put their infighting on hold. They are opposing not only the regular harassment of the "Battle Police" but also the approaching forces of the yakuza affiliated developers that are going to replace the neighbourhood with a nuclear powerplant. It is a David against Goliath battle and also one of anti-authoritarianism and non-conformity against gentrification and corruption that follows with normative society. The basso continuo is the relentless beating of the punk rock war drums and the libretto is emotive rather than narrative, again fully in line with the punk rock culture. Two hours long and an early movie by the then 25 year old Sogo Ishii but there is barely a slow moment as the narrative keeps pushing toward the explosive ending. With a refresher in post production it could pass as fresh out of the furnace. Highly recommended.

EmkEyen05 Jan, 2018