This Japanese gangster comedy takes the premise of Bowfinger and reverses it. That is, instead of a film star not realizing he’s in a movie, the lead is a hammy bit-part player who thinks he’s gotten the role of his life. In a way he has; he’s impersonating a real hit man, and the “movie” is the ruse concocted by the “director” to save his own skin. (He’s been sleeping with the boss’s girl and can save himself only by arranging for a meeting.)
I didn’t care for Bowfinger in large part because I never really believed the scheme would have actually worked. I can’t really say I found this strictly believable either, but the scenes were crafted carefully and cleverly enough that for large stretches I was able to suspend my disbelief. The star’s mugging for the camera—not to mention his insistence on wearing makeup—translates into some behavior that’s pretty odd from the viewpoint of the very real gangsters, and pretty funny from the viewpoint of the audience. Overlaid on this is a gentle parody of old Hollywood, in particular the last scene of Casablanca. Even the setting, a town called “Sucago,” is an homage; it intentionally looks like a studio backlot. The intentional anachronisms and well-timed comic bits make strict believability beside the point. This is silly fun.
IMDB link
viewed 3/28/09 at Prince Music Theater (Philadelphia Film Festival) and reviewed 3/29 and 4/16/09
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