Wyrd War hereby summons all battle rockers to assemble for a loud screening of Gakuryu (Sogo) Ishii’s dystopian punk rock musical BURST CITY (1982)!
BURST CITY is one of the most daring experimental films of the so-called lost decade of contemporary Japanese cinema. A commercial failure, and still woefully underappreciated in the U.S., Ishii’s fast and loose epic planted its flag in the toxic compost of MAD MAX (1979), RUDE BOY (1980) and THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION (1981), and inspired generations of filmmakers to break free from conservative values and traditional storytelling techniques in favor of a sort of ecstatic propulsion. The hyperkinetic storyline pits two rival bands and their misfit squatter tribes against battle cops, petty criminals and yakuza thugs who are determined to establish a nuclear power plant within the industrial wasteland of their dark future turf. Or something like that. The real beauty of the film is its snarling, choppy, uncompromising middle finger ethos and swaggering style. Starring members of popular Fukuoka and Tokyo-based punk bands, BURST CITY hurtles through gritty 16mm concert footage like a misguided ballistic missile toward a truly cathartic and incendiary climax. “THIS IS NOT AN EXPLOSIVE MOVIE…THIS IS A MOVIE EXPLOSION!”
BURST CITY is one of the most daring experimental films of the so-called lost decade of contemporary Japanese cinema. A commercial failure, and still woefully underappreciated in the U.S., Ishii’s fast and loose epic planted its flag in the toxic compost of MAD MAX (1979), RUDE BOY (1980) and THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION (1981), and inspired generations of filmmakers to break free from conservative values and traditional storytelling techniques in favor of a sort of ecstatic propulsion. The hyperkinetic storyline pits two rival bands and their misfit squatter tribes against battle cops, petty criminals and yakuza thugs who are determined to establish a nuclear power plant within the industrial wasteland of their dark future turf. Or something like that. The real beauty of the film is its snarling, choppy, uncompromising middle finger ethos and swaggering style. Starring members of popular Fukuoka and Tokyo-based punk bands, BURST CITY hurtles through gritty 16mm concert footage like a misguided ballistic missile toward a truly cathartic and incendiary climax. “THIS IS NOT AN EXPLOSIVE MOVIE…THIS IS A MOVIE EXPLOSION!”
Director: Gakuryu Ishii
Run time: 116 mins
Format: Digital
In general, the Hollywood Theatre does not provide content advisories about the subject matter shown in our theatre. Films exhibited don’t necessarily reflect the views of the Hollywood Theatre. Information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media and DoesTheDogDie.com.