User Reviews

This movie is of course about a killer. A killer that misses his target by intention. But this movie is beyond this plot something else: It is the movie that is the best expression of the "Techno-Culture" (the style "Techno", of electronic music) i ever saw.

I'm not talking about the culture as it is seen from outside- people that are said to be (and often are) using synthetical drugs to dance the whole night to "stupid" music. I'm talking about what Techno is like, the feelings we had, why we listened to Techno.

This movie is about a boy, who wants to change the people in the world he lives in. Not in big means, just in small steps. In what he can reach. And he wants to do so in a (somehow) peaceful way. Also, it has some incredible beautiful scenes, scattered throughout it- like the faint moments of beauty in the monotone beat. There is some kind of a monotone background as you see the masses of concrete, the city with the crowds going to work or returning home, where these beautiful moments are scattered upon in a chaotic manner.

So do we feel, like the movie: Lost in that chaotic world, emotionless and grey as concrete, drifting through our life. Sometimes, we see the beauty, in nature, in the eyes of our girlfriend, or hear it in the music, or just feel it. And we want to change the world to something better, at least where we can achieve it, in a subtle way.

This movie feels like the morning when you danced through the night before, lost in the music. When you go outside, climb up from the club to the streets, the sun already risen, and the people doing their business, and you are completely lost in that world- and you feel the beauty of life. When you see the beauty of this morning, and you know all the people surrounding you could see it too, if they were awake. This is what Techno feels like. Nothing more. But nothing less.

This film, more than any other, has me convinced the critics are completely clueless. It is a perfect blend of everything great about French, Hong Kong, and Japanese storytelling.

Hinano Yoshikawa is vulnerable--and beautiful--throughout. Saying her acting was bad is like saying Juliette Lewis was bad in Cape Fear. If she really is so clueless in real life, well that was just genius casting. Shinji Takeda also gives a great, naturalistic performance.

The last 15 minutes is often criticized or misunderstood. This is really a case of French "who cares what it means, it's beautiful" meets Japanese "you should know what it means, we don't have to explain it." From an American screenwriting craft POV, one may say that it diverges too much from the preceding story, but...I was rapt to the screen and deeply satisfied when the credits rolled.

Critics of this film--and you should watch for this in the future--use phrases such as "something like" and "more or less." In criticizing Kitano's cameo, in particular, it is clear they have no idea what they're talking about. Anyone who is a big enough fan to have actually seen Kitano hit someone on the head with a giant hammer--purposely--will know that this is a classic Kitano performance.

Somehow I had thoughts about Leon The Professional when I watched this film. Just the bit parts about how a girl chances upon the professional killer and struck a friendship with him. Here, a girl chances upon a press-hyped hit-man, and begins a romantic relationship.

There's something peculiar about the modus operandus of the hit-man, K (Shinji Takeda), in this movie. He'll don a pair of Ultraman inspired spectacles to blur his own vision deliberately, before whipping out his specially crafted pistol (ok, no naughty thoughts here), and dispatches his prey. He doesn't make money for performing his hits, but rather rewards his own ego by shooting at anyone who irritates him at that point. Which makes him rather hard for the cops to predict where and who he'll strike next, and this frustrates the authorities. It doesn't help that the press builds up the hype of this crazy, masked "four-eyed" vigilante, and despite having a photo-kit of his face plastered on the front page, this anti-hero eludes the cops and remains an enigma.

Cue cute Japanese schoolgirl with huge expressive eyes (drool) Hinano (Hinano Yoshikawa), whose brother happened to be a cop taking on the case. On one hand, she's attracted to him, though she does not condone his violent acts, and on the other hand, wonders if she should follow her civic duty and report him to the police, or her brother. Bad boys almost always get the cute chicks I'd say.

The movie has the look and feel of a classy indie, and being a French-Japanese production, it has this Euro-techno soundtrack infused, which I enjoy. Oh, and legendary Takeshi Kitano has a cameo as well, as what else, a Yakuza member. But don't hold your breaths as he only appears towards the end, and doesn't do much in his scene. The best scene in the entire movie will probably belong to the tense moment between K and Hinano as they square off and a piece of trivia gets unveiled. That one will make you go "ahhh...", while other scenes which you will probably enjoy are those scenes where K goes on his spree. Other than that, it's most plain lovey-dovey talk between lovers.

Code 3 DVD contains no extra features, except for the usual English subtitles, a photo still gallery and the interactive scene selection. There are also some trailers (its own and other kinky films) included, but nothing worth a closer look.

When I saw the first scenes I had other Japanese movies ( e.g. Hanabi ) in my mind. I was somewhat disappointed because this is a French love film more like "Salt on our Skin" or Episodes of the Three Colors Trilogy. This means no violence, no action. In the end I came to like the film for exactly this fact.

My recommendation: watch this film with the one you love, so you have got something to do during the lengthy parts.

The man shoots people but never kills them. This is not a thriller, it's a Tokyo life slices showing... with French eyes. It's amazing, sensual and incredibly modern.

'Four Eyes' likes loopy techno, video games and justice, whenever he see people that are acting up or in any way discriminates by being racist or by looks, he takes matters into his own hands. Enter Hinano Yoshikawa, a horrible actor, but tolerable - and things are bound to change.

After the first twenty minutes or so this didn't look like it could make it through, but if you hang on and don't mind the acting, it is actually quite enjoyable. And its nice to see techno represented as both soundtrack and also as a (small) part of the movie even if its a little ahem loopy and directionless. Typical for its time I guess.

I always thought there were no good love movies in this world. Films like "Thorn Birds", "Gone with the wind", "Titanic" and "Love Story" with all that crying-suffering&dying stuff full of exaggeration never really touched me. Another reason I don't like these movies is that they completely lack in style.

However: The 90s have been extremely generous to us, giving us three excellent love movies full of style & magic: "Los Amantes del Círculo Polar", "Der Krieger und die Kaiserin" and this gem.

"Tokyo Eyes" is full of cool music, excellent camera work, cute scenes, and good storytelling, creating a mood that absorbed me right from the beginning. It's not pretentious in any way and it didn't annoy or bore me for a single second (As most other love movies do). The last five minutes are fantastic and contain one scene that in my opinion is one of the best in movie history (at least in terms of camera work). Shinji Takeda does a great job as "K" and Hinano Yoshikawa covers her missing acting skills by cuteness beyond good or evil. The cameo by Takeshi Kitano is nice as well.

P.S: Though I wouldn't consider this movie to be utterly weird or totally different from standard Hollywood movies, some people may find it too slow-paced, lacking in action or even pointless.

10 points out of 10.

Being a long-time fan of Japanese film, I expected more than this. I can't really be bothered to write to much, as this movie is just so poor. The story might be the cutest romantic little something ever, pity I couldn't stand the awful acting, the mess they called pacing, and the standard "quirky" Japanese story. If you've noticed how many Japanese movies use characters, plots and twists that seem too "different", forcedly so, then steer clear of this movie. Seriously, a 12-year old could have told you how this movie was going to move along, and that's not a good thing in my book.

Fans of "Beat" Takeshi: his part in this movie is not really more than a cameo, and unless you're a rabid fan, you don't need to suffer through this waste of film.

2/10

This movie was something that struck me almost as powerful as F***ing Åmål (Show me Love), which I saw the week before. It's a really sweet lovestory, with the one of the best endings I've ever seen, it has to be seen, it's unexplainable. The "shooting-guy" is just too cool, he designs videogames and has thousands of 12"-clubrecords. The girl is too pretty, it's almost annoying. The music in the film is so fat and so suggestive and most important, so F***ING swell and trendy and perfect it's unbelievable. And, of course, you can't buy it with english text anywhere on the net. Some b**ody sod stole my videotape with it. In a bl***in hospital!!!

Anyway, if you ever get a chance to see this movie, do so. It's strange, but if you're normally intelligent, that wouldn't be too much of a problem.

"Tokyo Eyes" tells of a 17 year old Japanese girl who falls in like with a man being hunted by her big bro who is a cop. This lame flick is about 50% filler and 50% talk, talk, and more talk. You'll get to see the less than stellar cast of three as they talk on the bus, talk and play video games, talk and get a haircut, talk and walk and walk and talk, talk on cell phones, hang out and talk, etc. as you read subtitles waiting for something to happen. The thin wisp of a story is not sufficient to support a film with low end production value, a meager cast, and no action, no romance, no sex or nudity, no heavy drama...just incessant yadayadayada'ing. (C-)

I've seen this movie four days ago and it still bothers me. This movie does not only give you an outline of what it must be to live in Tokio in the 90ties(as well as in any other big city), but transmits the atmosphere 100%! The actors do not talk much and still everything is said. The music is absolutely well chosen. I went out of the cinema with a feeling I never had before after watching a movie. It's like being understood for the first time. You must see this film! And if you like Takeshi, watch Takeshi's castle. If your neighbors complain about you laughing, invite them and they will understand.

This is probably my least favorite Kitano Movie. The film is centered around a sociopath who uses a modified gun to scare criminals and "mean people" by shooting off center at them. He is pursued by a young girl who believes that he's not a bad person - just misunderstood. The movie is a story designed specifically for Japanese or for those who are culturally inclined towards Japanese media. Everything about the movie from the street scenes to the underlying comedy relief reeks with Japanese influence. If you want to see what life is like as a Japanese person, it is a good movie, other than that its boring to all but the most open-minded of foreign love story lovers.

"Hinano"(Tetta Sugimoto) is a 17-year-old girl living in Tokyo with her brother "Roy" (Tetta Sugimoto). As it happens, her brother is a policeman investigating a series of incidents involving a young man, "K" (Shinji Takeda) known in the press as "Four Eyes" who shoots at certain people but always seems to miss. The press gives him the nickname of "Four Eyes" because of the thick bifocals he wears and the fact that he can't seem to shoot his targets. What they don't realize is that he deliberately wears the glasses to disguise himself and isn't trying to shoot people. He just wants to scare them. Anyway, Hinano falls in love with K and is concerned that he is playing a dangerous game that is eventually going to catch up to him. Now, rather than detailing the entire story I will just say that this is a cute romantic comedy which should appeal to young adults. And even though the ending was a bit confusing, I enjoyed the chemistry between Hinano Yoshikawa and Shinji Takeda.

This is an intriguing film in its early running. Its protagonist is driven by estrangement to aberrant behavior, and his budding relation with a kindred spirit makes for a potentially unusual story. But, ultimately it falls flat, never delivering any real punch. The acting is a little light weight to boot, too. Tekeshi Kitano has a near cameo role which does nothing for the momentum of the film, playing a Yakuza who shows up to retrieve a gun, and is more a distraction than anything else. There are many better Japanese films directed by real Japanese.

I really enjoyed this movie, especially since it had a "guest" appearance by one of my favourite Japanese actors, none other than Takeshi Kitano. The movie is a mix of suspense thriller and commentary on the life and attitudes of people in large urban areas (not necessarily just in Japan) and reflects some aspects of life in Tokyo quite well. Highly recommended.

I have seen this film on TV, and I think I was right not to have bought a ticket to see this film in a cinema, because the actors, especially H.Yoshikawa, made me laugh, though they were not supposed to. I honestly think that this is not a bad film. I guess you will spend some nice time seeing his film, but you should not be too serious.

Maybe the actors are not very well known and the plot is kinda strange but the story is really funny and entertaining is ideal in order to have a good time. It's a movie that combines comedy, action and a kind of strange romance.