Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on June 2010

Occasional actor Tatsushi Omori (son of dance legend Akaji Maro) burst onto the directing scene with his brutal but compelling 2005 masterpiece Gerumaniumu no Yoru (“The Whispering of the Gods”). It was, without a doubt, the most sensational directorial debut in a decade but this follow-up is disappointing. Kenta (Shota Masuda) and Jun (Kengo Kora) grew up as orphans and are now jaded demolition workers who capture perfectly the anomie of Japan’s contemporary underclass. After Kenta picks up Kayo (Sakura Ando) for a night of cheap sex, the boys decide to trash their company’s office, steal a truck, and take a road trip to see Kenta’s imprisoned brother in Hokkaido. They bring Kayo along mainly for any cash they can lift from her. While the journey, like that in Apocalypse Now, is clearly away from civilization and towards oblivion, the film can’t sustain its existential angst. By the end, we hardly care how it all turns out. While I expect gripping work from Omori in the future, this film falls short of the mark. English title: A Crowd of Three. (131 min)