The City

In the dark depths of the criminal underground of Tokyo’s Shibuya district, GOD rules the streets. As one of his killers messes up and has to flee, GOD’s henchmen pursue him to take revenge. This starts a trip through the neon-lit night and a game of cat and mouse between hunters and prey. With his rousing editin and artfully crossfaded collages, Katsuki Kuroyanagi interweaves his characters’ stories and turns the city into an omniscient and observing storyteller.
Over the course of seven years and with a meager budget of $6,500, he has captured the criminal pulse of the Shibuya quarter. The postmodern electronic score, the jazzy Reggae tracks and the sparse dialogues of his protagonists makes this glimmering neon-noir an ultra-cool punk symphony of a city, reminiscent of »Ghost in the Shell« and »Blade Runner«, as well as Jules Dassin’s »Night and the City«. Katsukis’ dazzling neon-noir breathes the spirit of these great archetypes, but stands on its own as a new and exciting piece of cinema.