Review of Postman Blues (1997) by Aaron L — 02 Dec 2007

When I first saw this quirky treat on Sundance Channel's, Window On Japan, month-long special, I didn't know what to expect. The promo promised that it's going to be totally unconventional, and unconventional it is! With its tongue-in-cheek, homages/parodies of pop cultural references (i.e. Leon: The Professional, Chungking Express, miscellaneous action film cliches), Hiroyuki Tanaka, a.k.a. Sabu, did an excellent job of making this shoot'em up comedy a bittersweet delight! It's also interesting to note that Postman Blues was directed by the same film maker that made a lengthy, character acting career, playing corrupt cops (Shinjuku Triad Society) and a doting dad/hitman (Ichi The Killer), so I guess it's very refreshing to showcase a directorial debut (?) from someone who's routinely typecast! (Though, I think Susumu Terajima's character could be more fleshed out beyond a convenient member of the body count: I hope Sabu have a role in mind... wait a minute, I think it's called The Blessing Bell! =-P).

*hint: check out the surprise, schmaltzy happy ending!