Japan Flix: 'Bayshore Route Battle: Skyline Legend'
From our last review of Highway Battle series we've established that during the 80s and 90s that street racing was at its peak of popularity and the place to be was the Bayshore Route along the Shuto Expressway of Greater Tokyo. BRB: Skyline Legend catches up with three of these drivers, now grown men with careers and responsibilities, some 20 years later.After seeing his old comrades driving the newest cars on the Bayshore, Toru, mourning the loss of his wife, decides to once again follow his dream. He sets out tuning and perfecting his Skyline DR30 from 20 years before. After countless tune-ups, as well as polishing up on his driving skills, he faces a seemingly unwinnable challenge against not only his friend's GT-R 35, but also the fastest, most dangerous car on the Bayshore - the Porsche known as the "Black Devil."
They remember the old days and Toru thinks that those days are behind him until he and one of those friends come face to face with the Black Devil on the Bayshore Route and his friend's GT-R 35 is simply no match for it. But the desire to race comes alive in Toru once again. Trouble is, he doesn't have a car. So he hunts down his old Skyline and with the help of an old friend and mentor they make it road worth once again and Toru will ultimately race against this 'Black Devil'.
A quick search for any information related to the actual title doesn't bring up anything. But, if
the stunt driving is any indication then director Masashi Omino assembled the same team that worked on the Highway Battle series as well. And it is rather impressive to see these cars weave in and out of traffic and at the same time make a note that the camera is moving across these same three lanes with the same grace and ease. These movies are not the high octane 'Fast and oh fuck it I don't care anymore' movies that must destroy everything in their paths. This is just street racing, pure and simple.
Potential Spoiler - My only hang up, just one single hang up, (and I am being forgiving of it's TBS television drama feel because these aren't large productions) is that by the end of the film when the identity of the 'Black Devil' has been revealed, because of who it is I guess, everyone just continues on driving. Hold up. Isn't this the same douche bag who has been causing drivers to spin out of control at speeds in the hundreds of kilometers? What!? And no explanation as to why this mysterious driver was being such a dick in the first place. What's his damage? The end? THE END!?!
But for once it is good to see your average salaryman behind the wheel of a fast car. His muscles aren't bulging from under his t-shirt. The closest thing to a pit babe is the barkeep at their local drinking hole. Apart from the racing BRB is about a man who has lost the most important thing his life and attempts to find something that will fill that empty place. It does not lay it on thick but by injecting a small piece of heart into the story line it ascends the most typical racing films.
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