Daiyukai (1991) Reviews

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Kihachi Okamoto directs his 37th film with this sweet-natured satire about bungling cops and tax scams. The story opens with an 84-year-old widow and grandmother (Tanie Kitabayashi), who lives in a palatial estate in rural Wakayama prefecture, getting jumped by a trio of bumbling thugs (Toru Kazama, Katsuyoshi Uchida, and Hiroshi Nishikawa) and shoved into their waiting car. Instead of being afraid for her life, she is -- to the chagrin of her would-be captors -- having the time of her life. Soon the strong-willed granny takes command of her own kidnapping, offering the house of her former maid as a hideout and suggesting the amount of the ransom -- ten million yen. Soon the press gets wind of the crime and it soon balloons into a major media event, as the grandmother's four children fret and consult with the police. Ken Ogata also appears as the crime's lead detective and long-time friend of the grandmother. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Director(s):: Kihachi Okamoto

Format(s):: DVD
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	Denna B.

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This movie is somewhat like an after school special in that the story is "G" rated and the acting is exaggerated with goofy characters. Although the synopsis describes the story as a sweet natured satire, this is not a comedy and at best will only induce grins in the over 50 crowd. The target demographic for this movie was probably the family friendly audience. However, the last third of the movie does manage to introduce a plot twist that adds a bit of redeeming complexity to an otherwise simpleminded story. The acting and directing were good. You'll also get a chance to see scenic views of Japanese forests and mountain ranges. The audio defaults to stereo. As for extras, there's three trailers for the movie and trailers for three other movies. Lightly recommended.

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