Post by Jean Luc de Lemur on Aug 31, 2023 23:28:57 GMT -5
Island of assassins
or, Memories of Walther P38 (1997)[/i]
I need this to get out of the way: the character designer had a clear infatuation with Laura Dern and for much of the film Fujiko looks a lot like Jurassic Park’s Ellie Satler. I get it, it’s just the main thing that sticks in my head about the special. That’s just because it’s such an obvious case of inspiration (and arguably incongruity), though, that’s hardly a knock against this TV special—it’s not just one of the better ones, but one of the best if you’re on its wavelength.
Island of assassins is a straight-up actioner. The pacing problems that usually pop up in these specials aren’t so acute here, and if it has a problem it’s not that segments drag but that it’s one action sequence after another. Pretty much every action sequence is exciting and raw in a way we don’t see in much Lupin after this, or really much Lupin before. If the opening car chase is pretty rote it’s because the real interest in here is in person-to-person action. As befits its name Island of Assassins is knife fights, fistfights, mêlées, and standoffs all the way through. The animation of the special isn’t exceptional, and there aren’t many images that stick out in my mind, but the actual action is compelling (which is why I went with the “Dr. Sattler” pictures—the film doesn’t screenshot well), even if there are some fairly egregious animated action clichés (somehow machine guns can’t hit someone even at close to point-blank range).
It verges on being all too much, but the problem with going full-tilt for the entire second half of the film—after a number of fight scenes in the first—is that there the film as a whole has lots of percussion but rhythm. That’s more something I noticed than something that actually bothered me, though.
That’s not to say the story itself isn’t well structured—more than that, it’s a clear step above the rest of the TV movies. The introductions of our criminal mains are effective: Lupin and Jigen’s approach to the island is a great, quick introduction to the stakes. Fujiko and Goemon are already working on their own on the inside, and the four join up into a strong team. The major aim of the story is to escape the island, and Lupin and co.’s plan is both clever and clear, with each character slipping naturally into their own, distinct roles. As Lupin spends much of his time with the guest ingénue so Jigen, Fujiko, and Goemon end up working as a unit, one enjoyable free of bickering and fickleness (even from Fujiko, whose character’s usually ill-served in these specials—credit Dr. Sattler’s good example, I suppose).
The only forced notes come from Zenigata’s inclusion—he’s barely in the special, mostly only appearing in a few clumsy scenes; luckily they’re short and kept away from the main story, minimally disturbing its flow.
The guest characters are a bit more of a mixed bag. The sort of penultimate (or antepenultimate) boss and head honcho of the titular island are kind of blah archetypes, with exaggerated 90s anime designs that haven’t aged well. The minor guest characters on the island are better sketched out, both literally and as characters. It’s not that they’re great characters, but they’re as developed as they need to be. When Jigen shouts out “No!” when one of them meets their doom we at least know him well enough for him it to not seem forced.
The ingénue, Elle (Ellen? it’s spelled both ways in the special but always pronounced with two syllables), she hews closer to a revenge-driven woman in a live action film of similar genre. Her hacker (it’s the nineties) brother was killed by the island’s higher-ups, giving her an intensity relative to most Lupin movie deuteragonists. It makes her better both as a character and a story device. It doesn’t hurt that she also gets one of the best Yuji Ohno’s best leitmotifs.
The best part of setting up a good plan is, of course, is watching it go wrong. That’s the whole second half of Island of Assassins, and it’s good. Chekhov’s guns, blades, and lasers go off. There are multiple levels of sabotage, even going back before Lupin’s escape. I was authentic surprised at points. Everyone, major and minor, gets their part to play. The plan fails entirely but narratively nothing gets lost.
The final stand-offs aren’t terribly original in their framing. We have Lupin and Elle vs. the big boss on an airship with an open cargo door and the rest of the core quartet trying to prevent a core meltdown elsewhere on the island. It’s a slightly odd pairing: the airship scenes are high melodrama (complete with blowing wind) while there’s a mix of suspense and light comic relief on the ground (it’s done somewhat differently but the pairing of airship and defusing reminded me of Archer’s “Skytanic,” a good thing for me). It somehow works, though. The humor on the ground isn’t outrageous, based a dangerous irony that meshes well with the airship scene. Breaking up the airship scene also keeps it from sliding into a self-seriousness that would end up undercutting its already theatrical emotional pitch.
“Theatrical” is apt, since there’s also an Elizabethan level of bloodshed. The look of the special matches the tone, fairly dark overall, illuminated mainly by lamps hanging from high ceilings and CRT monitors. Lupin’s still in red, blue, and yellow, but the new environment shades him. His look is also a bit different. The characters designs of the Lupin crew were still evolving in the nineties and haven’t reverted to the more familiar 70s look yet. I’m not totally a fan of the design—it’s often awkward—but the departure from softer or more plastic norms gives a sense of “realism” just by the virtue of being a departure, even if his proportions are still unnatural.
The culmination of “Island of Assassins” comes from close personal stakes. While the level of “darkness” is closer to some of the original manga stories, it lacks their sardonic bite. Not everything is tied up in the end, either—as the credits roll we see the crew trying to cope with the physical side effects of their time on the island. It’s almost a melancholy note. They all know they’ll be able to heal, but the story being over story doesn’t mean it won’t take time to resolve.
Highly recommended
Island of assassins has a fairly different mood from a lot of the specials, or really animated Lupin in general. There are still many spy-fi elements but the escape and heist is relatively grounded, as is the action. The tonal departure’s refreshing, though, and a welcome reminder of how much tonal and thematic breadth the Lupin franchise can have when it’s given the chance. Most importantly, Island of Assassins doesn’t just get the basics of storytelling and character right, it does them well, unlike the stumbling approach of most other specials.
Stray Observations
• While I’m overall positive on the action there’s still some silly stuff—the close-range machine gun misses were mentioned above, but Lupin’s motorcycle jump onto an already-airborn-airship takes the cake. Lupin climbing out of the cabin of a fighter jet mid-flight also qualifies, but it works well enough in the scene you only notice it halfway through the scene
• There’s a lot of LCD timekeeping here. It mostly makes sense—the escape (and counter-escape) requires careful timing, so we get a lot digital watches and control panel-based LCD displays. A big computer monitor also features a flashing LCD-style display. A big CRT monitor also flashes LCD-style numbers, though, which I found pretty funny.
or, Memories of Walther P38 (1997)[/i]
I need this to get out of the way: the character designer had a clear infatuation with Laura Dern and for much of the film Fujiko looks a lot like Jurassic Park’s Ellie Satler. I get it, it’s just the main thing that sticks in my head about the special. That’s just because it’s such an obvious case of inspiration (and arguably incongruity), though, that’s hardly a knock against this TV special—it’s not just one of the better ones, but one of the best if you’re on its wavelength.
Island of assassins is a straight-up actioner. The pacing problems that usually pop up in these specials aren’t so acute here, and if it has a problem it’s not that segments drag but that it’s one action sequence after another. Pretty much every action sequence is exciting and raw in a way we don’t see in much Lupin after this, or really much Lupin before. If the opening car chase is pretty rote it’s because the real interest in here is in person-to-person action. As befits its name Island of Assassins is knife fights, fistfights, mêlées, and standoffs all the way through. The animation of the special isn’t exceptional, and there aren’t many images that stick out in my mind, but the actual action is compelling (which is why I went with the “Dr. Sattler” pictures—the film doesn’t screenshot well), even if there are some fairly egregious animated action clichés (somehow machine guns can’t hit someone even at close to point-blank range).
It verges on being all too much, but the problem with going full-tilt for the entire second half of the film—after a number of fight scenes in the first—is that there the film as a whole has lots of percussion but rhythm. That’s more something I noticed than something that actually bothered me, though.
That’s not to say the story itself isn’t well structured—more than that, it’s a clear step above the rest of the TV movies. The introductions of our criminal mains are effective: Lupin and Jigen’s approach to the island is a great, quick introduction to the stakes. Fujiko and Goemon are already working on their own on the inside, and the four join up into a strong team. The major aim of the story is to escape the island, and Lupin and co.’s plan is both clever and clear, with each character slipping naturally into their own, distinct roles. As Lupin spends much of his time with the guest ingénue so Jigen, Fujiko, and Goemon end up working as a unit, one enjoyable free of bickering and fickleness (even from Fujiko, whose character’s usually ill-served in these specials—credit Dr. Sattler’s good example, I suppose).
The only forced notes come from Zenigata’s inclusion—he’s barely in the special, mostly only appearing in a few clumsy scenes; luckily they’re short and kept away from the main story, minimally disturbing its flow.
The guest characters are a bit more of a mixed bag. The sort of penultimate (or antepenultimate) boss and head honcho of the titular island are kind of blah archetypes, with exaggerated 90s anime designs that haven’t aged well. The minor guest characters on the island are better sketched out, both literally and as characters. It’s not that they’re great characters, but they’re as developed as they need to be. When Jigen shouts out “No!” when one of them meets their doom we at least know him well enough for him it to not seem forced.
The ingénue, Elle (Ellen? it’s spelled both ways in the special but always pronounced with two syllables), she hews closer to a revenge-driven woman in a live action film of similar genre. Her hacker (it’s the nineties) brother was killed by the island’s higher-ups, giving her an intensity relative to most Lupin movie deuteragonists. It makes her better both as a character and a story device. It doesn’t hurt that she also gets one of the best Yuji Ohno’s best leitmotifs.
The best part of setting up a good plan is, of course, is watching it go wrong. That’s the whole second half of Island of Assassins, and it’s good. Chekhov’s guns, blades, and lasers go off. There are multiple levels of sabotage, even going back before Lupin’s escape. I was authentic surprised at points. Everyone, major and minor, gets their part to play. The plan fails entirely but narratively nothing gets lost.
The final stand-offs aren’t terribly original in their framing. We have Lupin and Elle vs. the big boss on an airship with an open cargo door and the rest of the core quartet trying to prevent a core meltdown elsewhere on the island. It’s a slightly odd pairing: the airship scenes are high melodrama (complete with blowing wind) while there’s a mix of suspense and light comic relief on the ground (it’s done somewhat differently but the pairing of airship and defusing reminded me of Archer’s “Skytanic,” a good thing for me). It somehow works, though. The humor on the ground isn’t outrageous, based a dangerous irony that meshes well with the airship scene. Breaking up the airship scene also keeps it from sliding into a self-seriousness that would end up undercutting its already theatrical emotional pitch.
“Theatrical” is apt, since there’s also an Elizabethan level of bloodshed. The look of the special matches the tone, fairly dark overall, illuminated mainly by lamps hanging from high ceilings and CRT monitors. Lupin’s still in red, blue, and yellow, but the new environment shades him. His look is also a bit different. The characters designs of the Lupin crew were still evolving in the nineties and haven’t reverted to the more familiar 70s look yet. I’m not totally a fan of the design—it’s often awkward—but the departure from softer or more plastic norms gives a sense of “realism” just by the virtue of being a departure, even if his proportions are still unnatural.
The culmination of “Island of Assassins” comes from close personal stakes. While the level of “darkness” is closer to some of the original manga stories, it lacks their sardonic bite. Not everything is tied up in the end, either—as the credits roll we see the crew trying to cope with the physical side effects of their time on the island. It’s almost a melancholy note. They all know they’ll be able to heal, but the story being over story doesn’t mean it won’t take time to resolve.
Highly recommended
Island of assassins has a fairly different mood from a lot of the specials, or really animated Lupin in general. There are still many spy-fi elements but the escape and heist is relatively grounded, as is the action. The tonal departure’s refreshing, though, and a welcome reminder of how much tonal and thematic breadth the Lupin franchise can have when it’s given the chance. Most importantly, Island of Assassins doesn’t just get the basics of storytelling and character right, it does them well, unlike the stumbling approach of most other specials.
Stray Observations
• While I’m overall positive on the action there’s still some silly stuff—the close-range machine gun misses were mentioned above, but Lupin’s motorcycle jump onto an already-airborn-airship takes the cake. Lupin climbing out of the cabin of a fighter jet mid-flight also qualifies, but it works well enough in the scene you only notice it halfway through the scene
• There’s a lot of LCD timekeeping here. It mostly makes sense—the escape (and counter-escape) requires careful timing, so we get a lot digital watches and control panel-based LCD displays. A big computer monitor also features a flashing LCD-style display. A big CRT monitor also flashes LCD-style numbers, though, which I found pretty funny.