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Title:
  Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade - Special Edition

UK Distributor:  N/A (US release reviewed)

BBFC Certificate:  N/A

Suggested Retail Price (SRP):  $59.99 (around £40)

Running Time:  142mins (approx.)

Audio Options:  Japanese DTS, English 5.1, Japanese 5.1

Subtitles:  English

Reviewer:  Rich (Webmaster)

 

This is a powerful film.  The animation and drawing is fantastic and incredibly realistic, in fact one of this film’s main strengths is its realism.  Every event in this film could have happened, there are no giant robots, no demons, no magical powers or laser cannons.  Special forces are armed with MG 42's, the police drive Volkswagen Beetles, rioters throw bricks and Molotov cocktails.  This could have been a live action film but it works remarkably well as an anime, the writer Mamoru Oshii is famous mainly for directing Ghost in the Shell but this film is a testament to his ability in design and scriptwriting.

The realism of this film has another side though, it is very violent.  When somebody gets shot by an MG 42 (a German made heavy machine gun) they are nearly torn apart by the hail of bullets, when a girl is killed by wolves in a dream sequence it is disturbingly realistic.  However, the plot of this film is very strong, it has numerous twists and becomes absorbing very quickly, the plot also prevents the majority of the violence from being excessive.

The best aspect of this film is the use of Rottkappchen (the disturbing Brothers Grimm version of Little Red Riding Hood) as a subtext. This was an inspired idea, the quotes that are frequently used in the dialogue really tie in with what is going on and the parallels between the stories are cleverly handled.  The ending is also very powerful and I didn’t see it coming – even though I should have done if I had really thought about it.

Where this film falls slightly is that some of the characters are a little anonymous, especially the senior police figures.  It is also occasionally confusing and has a plot that you must listen to carefully, it is not after pub anime.  The extreme violence may also put you off but if you can cope with that then this is one of the best anime films you’ll see.

Best Bit: The shocking final scene.

Worst Bit: The senior police discussions.

Ratings

Feature:   Extras: N/A
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