Maniac Driver

Japan has a ridiculously rich cinematic history from which to pilfer.  But for Maniac Driver (2020), a film based around half-a-dozen genres and assorted pinkie violence tropes, director Kurando Mitsutake wasn’t content to stick to his home county.  In fact, the film is introduced as a Japanese giallo, that particular brand of erotic thriller that Italy bled dry throughout the ‘70s.  Although Mitsutake seems to be under the impression that the only qualifications are technicolor lighting and a keyboard-driven music score.

Cruising the streets of Tokyo for a woman worthy of his misplaced vengeance, the unnamed “driver” struggles to maintain a grip on the wheel and his sanity at the same time.  Visions of wild sex and brutal violence interrupt his self-destructive quest, which culminates in the accidental rescue of his intended victim.  Now labeled a hero, will his life its true meaning…or simply unveil yet another mask?

 

If Godfrey Reggio ever slummed in the porn industry, Maniac Driver just might be the result.  Koyaanisqatsivisuals compete with blood-drenched erotic interludes, neither making much narrative sense…but both disarmingly beautiful.  Mitsutake’s film can be enjoyed just as much at 2X speed as normal playback.  Even at a brisk 76-minute runtime the place drags relentlessly.  And the extreme sex scenes – starring Japan’s top adult film stars – are more off-putting than erotic.  That certainly would seem to be the film’s point, lifting wholesale plot points from gritty downbeat classics like Taxi Driver and (as one might expect) Maniac.

 

I’m not even sure Maniac Driver deserves a review of this length and depth.  Is it pure sexploitation, sadomasochistic drivel or derivative crap?  It looks so good doing all three that question is harder to answer than you might expect.  You’ll find some hints in the Blu-ray extras, including a Making Of, trailers, slideshow and audio commentary.

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