Garasuhoppa. No it's not about kung-fu masters or students. It is about a single guy who was about to get married to his high-school sweetheart but as happenstance intervenes, his fiancé dies horribly by a lone wigged out druggie who runs down pedestrians with his SUV killing her while saving a small child wearing a Halloween costume. The events that unfold in this crime thriller shows how the most powerful corporation in Tokyo headed by Terahara. A very old geezer with nothing to do except how to corrupt even the most innocent people he can get his hands on. For Suzuki - Tadanobu Asano, his role in life is that of a failure after his fiancé dies on that day. He loses his job, wanders aimlessly around doing odd jobs to make ends meet until a fateful day brings him close to a girl who says she was his student. This leads him on a chase in a world of assassins, betrayal, murder, drugs, and violence. For two whole days his life is turned upside down trying to figure out why his own life is being targeted by Terahara. Twists, and turns through out this movie involving a particular assassin named jurigi who has visions of his kills that continues to haunt him even after a job. In the middle is also a woman who works for Terahara. A ruthless, merciless bitch who loves nothing more than to bury her claws into any living person she can get her hands on. All together this film gives a wonderful performance with eye catching images of Tokyo in its most brilliant but deadly forms. The big city leads those down the right path, or the wrong one. Either way once someone steps foot into such a chaotic metropolis you take your chances. Garasuhoppa in my view is a great example of just how far a person is willing to go for revenge.Just like the locust whose only fundamental activity is to eat everything in its path. Once it's full, it can only crap out the waste, and move on to another green pasture. Much like how man can overstep boundaries in the assassination business. I give this film ten out of ten stars for original story, great music, wonderful action, chase scenes, and showing the human heart in its true form. Hats off to Tomoyuki Takimoto. I highly recommend this for those over seventeen and over.

I had been seeing grasshopper listed on Kissasian for quite a few weeks but I always gave it a miss as there were no reviews to be found. I decided to give it a go as I didn't have anything else to watch last evening and wasn't disappointed. The movie mainly deals with Suzuki, who's fiancée has been killed in a traffic accident orchestrated by a crime lord Terahara. He decided to take revenge by infiltrating the gang after receiving an anonymous tip uncovering the actual person behind the crime. While doing so his fate collides with numerous others including the gang members and several hit men hired by Terahara.I wouldn't say that the film is some sort of a masterpiece as the story is something that you must have seen several times before. But what makes this film watchable is the way it has been filmed. The end too was highly satisfying not leaving anything to the imagination. The plot unravels a bit slowly and the director takes ample time to introduce us too the characters involved and develop them at the same time. The script seems a bit over used but the screenplay saves the movie from being another run of the mill thriller. The acting ranges from average to good and actors never drop the ball. One actor I really liked was "Nanao". Apart from the fact that she's is amazingly pretty, she lit up the screen whenever she was in it with sheer raw talent. She acts flawlessly and shows what it takes play bada$$ gangster on the screen. She gives an amazingly intense performance and I loved her angry grunts and outbursts. If you have liked films like the Suspect X series you may find this interesting, although its not a investigative drama. My advice is to give it a go if you enjoy Japanese drama every now and then.