Torre de Tóquio (2005)

This is a rather old movie, so there is no surprise that there aren't any reviews. I will write this only because I am seething after that two hours I wasted and to ward anyone else off from watching it. The only reason I decided to watch this movie was because of Matsumoto Jun and Okada Junichi. Unfortunately, their presence was not enough to save this pathetic movie.

The movie centers around a plot we have all seen before: relationships between older women and younger men. Any drama or movie with this plot tends to be rather racy. This movie was not. After the first thirty minutes, I started to wonder when it would pick up. I figured it just had a slow start. Well, I was wrong. The movie never really did "pick up", it just kept going at the same sluggish pace. There were no twists or turns; there was no depth in the characters and really no reason for us to root for them or care what happened to them; the plot was extremely shallow and move sluggishly. By the second half, I was bored. It seemed like a really long episode of a drama.

The main players of the plot are Matsumoto Jun and Okada Junichi's characters along with the older women they sleep with. This movie is chock full of pointless sex scenes that try to titillate but fail miserably. Watching MatsuJun suck face with that older women was just awkward. It is quite evident that both would rather be somewhere else. As far as the relationships, I could honestly care less. Okada Junichi's character and his mistress are seeing each other, but we don't know for what reason. The movie gives no background information on how they met. The woman is married, but everything seems okay at home. There is no reason given as to why she would cheat. Her husband obviously provides her with a lavish lifestyle. There is no visible mistreatment. So what we get is an empty, hollow romance that exists obviously for the controversial aspect; with no controversy whatsoever other than the age difference and the fact that she's married.

On the contrary. MatsuJun's relationship with his older lover was a little bit more interesting considering the woman's neurotic personality and seemingly troubled home life, but that's it. MatsuJun's acting is lacking in this. Considering it's an older movie and he was much younger and inexperienced, it can be expected. My guess is that he was handed the role because of his presence in Johnny's Entertainment.

So basically, this is one thrill-less snoozer of a movie. If you like either of the leading men, watch any of their later works. I say stick around for the first five minutes to see Okada Junichi's naked form and skip the rest. At two hours, it really isn't worth the time.

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