Directed by Gen Sekiguchi and written by Taku Tada, five bizarre stories with no apparent connection to one another eventually become intertwined, resulting in surreal circumstances. Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Reika Hashimoto, Kyoko Koizumi, Hiroshi Abe, Ittoku Kishibe, Yumi Aso, Kanji Tsuda, Yoshiyuki Morishita, Jai West, Yoshiyoshi Arakawa, Vinnie Jones and Sonny Chiba.
While there are some films which reveal themselves slowly, and it takes a while to get to know what they’re truly going for, Survive Style 5+ is entirely upfront about its eccentric, energetic personality. The fact that it is so clear right from the beginning actually makes it quite impressive that Gen Sekiguchi manages to keep that energy going for two hours. It’s remarkably consistent, especially considering this is not one story but five entirely different ones, and creating that kind of intersecting story is a challenge in itself.
The way that Gen Sekiguchi and Taku Tada blend together these odd adventures and manage to just quietly overlap them, works surprisingly well. They balance them so brilliantly, the way that Survive Style 5+ is able to continually move from one story to another, when they are so wildly different, is a huge part of why the film works. Another part being that the writing is quite sneaky, yes on its surface it is loud, bold and quirky but it subtly brings through a big heart, while also building a strong sense of humour. For a film which is full of weird, wacky tales, it’s unexpected to see the clever way in which it was put together.
Of course, there’s also a huge vein of creativity and imagination which runs rampant through Survive Style 5+ which is entertaining and charming. It’s a little bit absurdist, it’s got a penchant for deadpan comedy, and it really embraces being strange. Something which is then brought to life by the excellent ensemble which the filmmakers put together. There’s no weak link here, even Vinnie Jones doing Vinnie Jones things works well.
Kyoko Koizumi is a particular highlight, she brings such a great confidence and commitment. Tadanobu Asano’s Aman doesn’t always say much but he’s hugely enjoyable to watch. Hiroshi Abe definitely deserves credit for how much he makes you want to slap his misogynist, letch of a hypnotist. Yoshiyoshi Arakawa is an unexpected delight, he manages to instil a surprising amount of personality into his character, as someone who spends most of his time translating someone else’s words. There’s so much going on in this film and so many characters and yet none of them feel superfluous which speaks to the quality of the performances, and the writing.
Survive Style 5+ is highly creative, hugely entertaining, weird and wacky. It’s got a great style to bring through a tonne of eccentricity without ever feeling overwhelming. Gen Sekiguchi absolutely fills the film with energy and it’s really fun to watch. Taku Tada does a genuinely impressive job of intersecting these wildly different stories and creating a smooth flow to such a chaotic film. The ensemble is excellent, it’s colourful, very of the 2000s, frenzied, charismatic, and surprising.
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