Jin-Rô (1998)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Hiroyuki Okiura

Writers:

Mamoru Oshii (creator) and
Mamoru Oshii (writer) ...

Release Date:

17 November 1999 (France)

Genre:

Animation | Drama | Fantasy | Thriller

Plot:

A traumatized member of an elite para-military police force falls for the sister of a female terrorist courier who died in front of him on duty.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Policeman | Terrorism | Sheep | Post Traumatic Stress

Awards:

5 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Yoshikazu Fujiki	...	Kazuki Fuse (as Yoshikatsu Fujiki)
Sumi Mutoh	...	Kei Amemiya
Hiroyuki Kinosha	...	Atsuhi Henmi (as Hiroyuki Kinoshita)
Yukio Hiroda	...	Bunmei Muroto
Yukihiro Yoshida	...	Hajime Handa
Sendai Eri	...	Nanami Agawa (voice)
Kenji Nakagawa	...	Isao Aniya
Tamio Ôki	...	CAPO Officer (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Doug Abrahams	...	Narrator, Hachiro Tohbe (voice: English version)
Michael Dobson	...	Kazuki Fuse (voice: English version)
Paul Dobson	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Brian Drummond	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Ron Halder	...	Shiro Tatsumi (voice: English version)
Ryuichi Horibe	...	Shiroh Tatsumi
David Kaye	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Michael Kopsa	...	Hajime Handa (voice: English version)
Scott McNeil	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Colin Murdock	...	Atsushi Henmi (voice: English version)
Maggie Blue O'Hara	...	Nanami Agawa (voice: English version)
Yoshisada Sakaguchi	...	Hachiroh Tohbe
Moneca Stori	...	Kei Amemiya
French Tickner	...	Isao Aniya (voice: English version)
Lee Tockar	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Dale Wilson	...	Bunmei Muroto (voice: English version)

Also Known As:

Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade (USA)
Kerberos Panzer Cops
The Wolf Brigade (USA)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo | DTS

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | France:U | Germany:16 | Japan:PG-12 | New Zealand:M (film festival rating) | New Zealand:R13 (DVD rating) | UK:15 | USA:R

Company:

Bandai Visual Company

Trivia:

Many of the weapons, vehicles, and equipment used are from the World War II period, mainly of German design. Some weapons include a modified version of the MG42 machine gun, the MP44 assault rifle, the FG42 rifle, a Panzerfaust rocket, and several British Sten guns. World War II German period vehicles, such as the Kubelwagen and Volkswagen, are also present.

Movie Connections:

References La battaglia di Algeri (1966)

Great anime, both in originality and design

I actually found the animation to be lacking. Maybe I am used to the latest Japanese animes that capture everything perfectly from expression to little details. That is not saying that it has bad animation, just that it looks like Akira, even if it is made in '98.

The story is great. I liked both the storytelling as the story itself, with many unexpected twists and (well, it IS Japanese) a very depressing atmosphere. The soundtrack is nice, too, as many people noticed.

What this movie is about is what it is to be human in an inhuman world. I think they specifically chose such a detailed yet alternate world to put the setting in. It is not science-fiction, is ultra-reality. It shows not the beauty of the world, but the place where we all sit to look through the window at a beautiful world that doesn't exist. The worldly waiting room.

It would be pointless to repeat who the characters are and what they do. Enough to say that this is a must see for anime fans as well as any other cinema lovers. If you want something bloody and pointless, watch something else.

I can compare it with Grave of the Fireflies, although it wasn't THAT heartbreaking, or with Akira. It also feels a lot like Natural City.