The Mole Song: Hong Kong Capriccio

The Mole Song: Hong Kong Capriccio (Japanese: 土竜の唄 香港狂騒曲, Hepburn: Mogura no uta: Hong Kong kyōsō-kyoku) is a 2016 Japanese action comedy film directed by Takashi Miike from a screenplay by Kankuro Kudo based on the popular manga series Mogura no Uta by Noboru Takahashi. It is the sequel to the 2013 film The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji and follows the story of Reiji Kikukawa after the events of that film.

The Mole Song: Hong Kong Capriccio
Film poster
Directed byTakashi Miike
Produced byJuichi Uehara
Misako Saka
Shigeji Maeda
Written byKankuro Kudo
Based onMogura no Uta
by Noboru Takahashi
StarringToma Ikuta
Eita
Nanao
Tsubasa Honda
Music byKoji Endo
CinematographyNobuyasu Kita
Edited byKenji Yamashita
Production
company
Distributed byToho Company
Release date
  • December 9, 2016 (2016-12-09) (IFFAM)
  • December 23, 2016 (2016-12-23) (Japan)
Running time
128 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Plot

Undercover investigator Reiji Kikukawa, nicknamed "The Mole", has infiltrated the Hiura gang led by Masaya Hiura, a.k.a. "Crazy Papillon", and risen to the rank of second-in-command after eliminating the members of the clan who were involved in the illegal drug trade without authorization. A disgraced yakuza member forges an alliance with the Dragon Skulls, a Chinese gang, to take on the Sukiya-kai clan that is in control of the Kanto Region. Shuho Todoroki, head of the Sukiya-kai, becomes a target and his daughter Karen is kidnapped to be sold at a beauty auction in Hong Kong. Reiji once again tries to do the right thing while remaining undercover as he becomes entangled in a massive international conspiracy. Meanwhile, elite police officer Shinya Kabuto moves to arrest Reiji.

Cast

Release

The film premiered at the 2016 International Film Festival & Awards Macao at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, December 9, 2016.[1][2] It later received wide release in Japan on December 23, 2016. It had its North American premiere at the 16th New York Asian Film Festival at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, July 14, 2017.[3] By the first screenings, the film had ranked #5 at the Japanese Box Office, and earned ¥223 million (US$1.804 million).[4]

Reception

The film received generally positive reviews. Mark Schilling of The Japan Times wrote that Toma Ikuta is "a versatile actor" who plays "a goofy undercover-cop-cum-gangster".[5] In a separate review of the film he wrote that The Mole Song: Hong Kong Capriccio is one of Takashi Miike's better films, noting that "Ikuta gives himself up totally to the idiocy of being Reiji, from his incurable awkwardness with women to his knack for stupidly getting himself into perilous situations."[6] Maggie Lee of Variety wrote, "Despite the ragtag characters, sudden twists, and dizzying collage-like animated sequences, Kudo's literate screenplay and Kenji Yamashita's brisk editing manage to steer the main plot on course, making this one of the easiest-to-follow outings by Miike."[7]

Home video

The film was released on Blu-ray & DVD on June 14, 2017.[8]

References
  1. Chow, Vivienne (9 December 2016). "IFFAM: Miike Takashi Sings Hong Kong's Praises at 'Capriccio' Premiere".
  2. "Screening Schedule – iffamacao.com". www2016.iffamacao.com.
  3. http://www.subwaycinema.com/nyaff17/films/the-mole-song-hong-kong-capriccio
  4. "Live-Action Resident Evil, Mogura no Uta Films Debut in Box Office Top 10". Anime News Network. 26 December 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  5. "'Close-Knit': The pride that breaks the prejudice - The Japan Times".
  6. "'The Mole Song: Hong Kong Capriccio': Digging deep into the yakuza - The Japan Times".
  7. Lee, Maggie (14 December 2016). "Film Review: 'The Mole Song: Hong Kong Capriccio'".
  8. 東宝. "映画『土竜の唄 香港狂騒曲』公式サイト". 映画『土竜の唄 香港狂騒曲』公式サイト.
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