is a 2001

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

tokusatsu is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, War film, war, fantasy, or Horror film, horror media featuring such te ...

film written and directed by

Gakuryū Ishii , formerly known as , is a Japanese filmmaker known for his stylistic punk films, which helped spark the cyberpunk movement in Japan. A number of contemporary filmmakers including Quentin Tarantino have cited Ishii's films as an influence. Earl ...

. The comic-book style story stars

Tadanobu Asano , better known by his stage name , is a Japanese actor. He is known for his roles as Dragon Eye Morrison in ''Electric Dragon 80.000 V'', Kakihara in ''Ichi the Killer'', Mamoru Arita in '' Bright Future'', Hattori Genosuke in ''Zatoichi'', Kenj ...

and

Masatoshi Nagase is a Japanese actor. He is best known in the West for his roles in Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's ''Cold Fever'' and Jim Jarmusch's ''Mystery Train''. Nagase was described by Todd Brown of Twitch Film as "one of the great unsung heroes of Japane ...

as electricity wielding super-heroes.

Plot

As a child, Dragon Eye Morrison undergoes electro-shock treatment for his aggressive behavior. The levels of sheer energy absorbed by his body over the years allow him to channel and conduct electricity. Now an adult, Morrison works in the city as a reptile investigator and has learned to channel his rage through the performance of aggressive guitar-based noise. Meanwhile, Thunderbolt Buddha, a TV repair man turned vigilante, who has the same electro-conductive powers after a childhood accident, goes after crime bosses and gangsters. When both men learn of each other's existence, Thunderbolt Buddha challenges Morrison to a final showdown on the rooftops of Tokyo.

Cast

– Dragon Eye Morrison *

– Thunderbolt Buddha *

Masakatsu Funaki is a Japanese actor, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler known professionally as , who has previously wrestled in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi (PWFG), Newborn UWF (UWF), ...

– Narrator

Production

Filming occurred in February 1999 using

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

film, and lasted three weeks. It was produced in tandem with Ishii's other film ''

Gojoe is a 2000 Japanese ''jidaigeki'' action film directed by Gakuryū Ishii. In several English-speaking countries, it was released as ''Gojoe: Spirit War Chronicle''. It is a historical fantasy martial arts film set in 12th-century medieval Japan ...

'', and both films cast the same two lead actors.

Soundtrack

Gakuryū Ishii's

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

noise-punk Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, artists indulge in extreme l ...

outfit MACH-1.67 provided the film's propulsive music. The film would subsequently be used as a visual backdrop during the band's live performances.

Release and reception

The film debuted at the

International Film Festival Rotterdam The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental fi ...

in 2001. It also screened at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

and the

Busan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festi ...

. '' Variety's'' David Rooney wrote, "A return from his more structured thrillers like ''Angel Dust'' and ''Labyrinth of Dreams'' to the punky kinetic anarchy of his early work, Japanese maverick Sogo Ishii delivers a wild ride." Mark Schilling of ''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

'' described the film as "a black comedy for hipsters and works well on that level, though it overstays its welcome," and

IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...

's Edward Crouse wrote that "the film nails a certain sci-fi madness." Tom Mes wrote on the website Midnight Eye, "A 55-minute hyperkinetic descent into electro-charged punk madness, set to an eardrum-shattering industrial punk/noise soundtrack, ''Electric Dragon 80,000 V'' transcends film to become an overwhelming, all-immersing experience." ''Electric Dragon 80,000V'' and its companion film ''

'' were commercial failures and ultimately caused their production company Suncent CinemaWorks Inc. to go under. UK film distributor Third Window Films, released a blu ray version of the film.

References

External links

* * * Electric Dragon 80000V on blu ray a
Terracotta Distribution
{{Sōgo Ishii 2001 science fiction action films 2001 films Discotek Media Films directed by Sōgo Ishii Japanese black-and-white films Japanese science fiction action films Japanese superhero films 2000s Japanese films