Released Date: 3 Feb 2005

Synopsis (Courtesy from Cathay-Keris Films):

This eagerly-awaited sequel weaves four separate story-lines together over the course of a three day period of public holidays. As before, its unique appeal comes from blending crime-solving action with highly entertaining depictions of the various characters involved. This time out there is the added attraction of a new layer of conflict provided by the newly-introduced Senior Superintendent, Hitomi Okita. Hitherto, the strife between the local precinct and "head office" was the source of much drama, but with Okita's appearance, the local force's notion of police work is turned entirely on its head. Having spent the last five years perfecting the philosophy and technique of "community policing", Sergeant Aoshima is shaken to the core by the new challenge this woman represents.

Movie Review:

Ever felt unappreciated in an organization? Tied down with uninteresting workloads and facing a one-track minded boss or supervisor who can be demanding and unreasonable at the same time? Or ever felt frustrated when you had great ideas to improve on the work efficiency or fasten the work process but was met with rigid structure of bureaucratic red tape that prevented your ideas from turning into reality?

If you had shared or experienced the same type of predicament mentioned above, you can easily relate to the hardworking, yet underappreciated small community cops in Bayside Shakedown 2.

From the opening sequences, the viewers will be easily identify with the main character, Aoshima (played by singer Yuji Oda), the passionate detective as the likeable hero who is capable of doing almost everything by himself but yet bound by uninteresting cases such as a crazed stalker that goes around biting other people’s neck.

The story picks up its pace when a strange murder took place near the Rainbow Bridge which is under the jurisdiction of the Wangan Police Station. As the murder involved the CEO of a company, the bigshots from Tokyo Metropolitan Police, headed by a female cop Hitomi Okita, were assigned to move into the Wangan Police Station to deal with the murder case. This murder case serves as a catalyst in bringing the inefficient corporate politics to a heated boiling point between Aoshima and Hitomi Okita, resulting in a climatic conclusion on how to get the job done.

Like most Singaporeans, this was the first time that I was exposed to the Bayside Shakedown’s successful franchise. Initially in terms of getting to know the characters, there was some catching up to do but as the movie proceeds but it isn’t that difficult at all. There will also be some references to the previous movie or serial and subplots from the original movie that appears in this sequel but it won’t be necessary to know the show’s debut plot to enjoy this film.

And these past references might actually intrigue the viewer to check out the original Bayside Shakedown to learn about the submarine incident that happen between the lead actor and the chief.

Don’t expect stimulating exchanges of gunfights, car chases or gratuitous violence in this film. Instead, let these hardworking cops with hearts of gold win you over with their determination to overcome the bureaucratic bullshit that are handed to them in this strictly hierarchy world.

Movie Rating: B -

Review by Richard Lim Jr