I caught this on Criterion's channel on Hulu without knowing anything about it. A group of five morally-challenged college students come up with a "perfect" plot to rip off an illegal bookie. Of course, as always happens in movies like this, something goes wrong and things quickly spin out of control. During the 1950's Japan made a number of movies in the "sun tribe" genre. (The most famous is Crazed Fruit which is also available from Criterion.) Sun Tribe movies are different from regular delinquent movies in that the delinquents were from affluent families. These movies gave audiences a chance to cluck their tongues at the excesses of the rich and the general worthlessness of the young generation. This movie is a solid example of the genre as the characters cut class, drink, sponge money off of people and generally drift toward a life of crime. The performances are good as is the story. It may not be as exciting as contemporary crime movies, but it had a couple moments of genuine suspense and it kept my interest all of the way through.
4 Reviews
If You Can't Trust Bookies And College Students, Who Can You Trust?
boblipton17 April 2020
Four college students spend all of their time playing games instead of tending to their classwork. Then they realize they have no money and despite the family connections of ringleader Akira Kobayashi, no prospects. So they come up with a scheme, a variation of the 'The Wire' confidence game, to take some bookies for a huge sum of money. It works, but the bookie won't pay, and they find themselves caught up in a bigger and deadlier game than they had imagined.
Toshio Masuda is a Japanese director who is not particularly familiar to me, although I have seen the sections of TORA! TORA! TORA! he directed after Kurosawa was fired off the project. Here he has directed a very good "busted caper" movie, with some actors who perform very well. Mari Shiraki, as the sister of the welshing bookie, is very good. The disapproval of the post-war prosperity, whern money seemed to be the only standard, is nicely skewered.
Toshio Masuda is a Japanese director who is not particularly familiar to me, although I have seen the sections of TORA! TORA! TORA! he directed after Kurosawa was fired off the project. Here he has directed a very good "busted caper" movie, with some actors who perform very well. Mari Shiraki, as the sister of the welshing bookie, is very good. The disapproval of the post-war prosperity, whern money seemed to be the only standard, is nicely skewered.
Good fun, and then becomes pretty hard-hitting, too
Jeremy_Urquhart20 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
An alternate title for The Tragedy of Today listed on IMDb is The Perfect Game, maybe referring to the way this film involves a group of young college students trying to "game" the system of gambling for a bike race in order to pay off debts. Spoiler alert: the game is not perfect. Things go wrong.
Things go surprisingly wrong, actually. The film really takes you off-guard by how dark it gets. It's quite light and breezy early on, feeling like a crime caper or even something of a heist movie, the way they set up their plan, and the fact that while it's risky, it's not exactly life or death stakes.
At least not at first. Complications arise and desperation soon kicks in, and it's surprisingly how brutal some of the consequences end up being. Even though I found it jarring at first, I think I appreciate how willing it was to shift tones so wildly (and I think it worked fairly well in the end).
It's good stuff. It's sharper and snappier than your average Japanese crime-drama from the 50s or 60s, and really doesn't feel like it's as old as it is. Not quite amazing, but very good all-around, and especially so when you read that the director, Toshio Masuda, apparently directed five other films in the year 1958!
Things go surprisingly wrong, actually. The film really takes you off-guard by how dark it gets. It's quite light and breezy early on, feeling like a crime caper or even something of a heist movie, the way they set up their plan, and the fact that while it's risky, it's not exactly life or death stakes.
At least not at first. Complications arise and desperation soon kicks in, and it's surprisingly how brutal some of the consequences end up being. Even though I found it jarring at first, I think I appreciate how willing it was to shift tones so wildly (and I think it worked fairly well in the end).
It's good stuff. It's sharper and snappier than your average Japanese crime-drama from the 50s or 60s, and really doesn't feel like it's as old as it is. Not quite amazing, but very good all-around, and especially so when you read that the director, Toshio Masuda, apparently directed five other films in the year 1958!
The Tragedy of Today....
manfromplanetx3 December 2018
Kanzen na asobî is also known as the Perfect Game , or Imperfect Game, it is an excellent crime action film, with as the headline title suggests a story that points to some serious undercurrents of social malaise among Japanese youth.
Four academic college students come up with a scheme to make some big money fast. They hatch an elaborate plan to scam an illegal bookie by placing a bet on a bike race knowing the winner in advance of the closing bets... no spoilers here !
Opening with a typically mod Nikkatsu jazz fuelled introduction, a deceptively frivolous beginning soon unfolds spirals into a compelling dark & bitter tale. Director Toshio Masuda a master of his craft, is aided with a superb cast and crew, this absorbing beautifully composed drama has a surprising and unpredictable dimension switching as the rhythm changes tone...
No votes here at IMDb ? , no photo (sorted) No review (done) Highly Recommended !! Classic Japanese Cinema.
No votes here at IMDb ? , no photo (sorted) No review (done) Highly Recommended !! Classic Japanese Cinema.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
