Adrenaline Drive by Shinobu Yaguchi (Review)

There’s something offbeat and charming about Adrenaline Drive that ultimately offsets any lack of originality.
Adrenaline Drive

Okay, so maybe a movie about a couple of young, starcrossed lovers who make off with a bunch of gangster money isn’t all that original. But there’s something offbeat and charming about Adrenaline Drive that ultimately offsets any lack of originality.

Suzuki is a dissatisfied worker who doesn’t have the guts to tell off his boss; Shizuko is a too-serious nurse who spends too much time in the books. But when they have the chance to make off with some yakuza cash, they jump at the opportunity. Posing as a married couple, news of the marriage eventually reaches the gangsters, who then track down the couple.

Naturally, a series of plot twists ensue, as the couple and the gangsters begin to make and break various alliances trying to recover the money. It’s not necessarily spicy and edgy, but that’s not the point; it’s as charming a flick as your likely to see.

There’s no fear that the movie will take a darker turn, and while this comedy may not offer any belly laughs, it’s so winsome that you can’t help but smile throughout the whole thing. And even as the couple’s relationship is played for laughs, they’re so likable and awkward with their newfound life that you want them to make it.

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