Shinobu Yaguchi’s films always make me smile because they’re consistently fun to watch even if they don’t achieve everything they need to over the course of their running times. 1999’s romantic (and slightly black) comedy Adrenaline Drive does make the most of its hilarious plot and energetic cast although it takes a slight misstep later on with a very short burst of violence some viewers may find slightly sours the experience. On the other hand, given the character in question dishing out that brief bit of ouch time, it’s a sort of cathartic moment for him after all he’s been through…

The story is about the chance meeting of a guy (Masanobu Ando) and a girl (Hikari Ishida) after a series of accidents has a down on his luck rookie driving school employee happen to be in a car that rams another with a Yakuza member (Yutaka Matsushige) inside. Things go from bad to worse for Ando’s character as he’s forced to become a Yakuza intern (thanks to his boss, who was actually the one who hit the car before hurriedly swapping places. Shortly thereafter while making some tea for his new boss and his crew, Ando accidentally blows up the apartment thanks to a faulty pilot light in the gas stove. In the ensuing chaos, he meets Ishida’s lonely and bored nurse, finds a huge stash of Yakuza cash in a bag in the ambulance he shares with that gang leader and after a wreck caused by the delirious gangster, decides to keep it so he and his new girl can escape their dreary lives. This sort of story has been done to death in more dramatic flicks for ages, but Yaguchi and his cast play it for laughs and yes, those laughs are constant and on target.

With everyone else in the house dead after the blast, Matsushige’s battered but still mean as hell gangster sends out a crew of idiots to find his money and of course, they do after some work. However, they don’t get to hold on to that loot at all thanks to them being not so bright and a bit accident prone themselves. The young lovers escape, eventually have a bit of a getaway and even a bit of marriage talk pop up. However, thanks to the girl’s overactive and overeager nature, some rushed wedding invitations get printed out that give away their location to any and all who see them. Naturally, that Yakuza finds out and the final portion of the film is an extended chase and catch scenario where that aforementioned moment of violence occurs. As noted, it’s a bit of catharsis for that gangster, but may seem out of place given the overall light tone of the film. Fear not, though. Things go back to normal madcap-ness afterwards and things wrap up in a predictably satisfying manner.

There are a bunch of supporting characters that zip through the film and make it even more amusing, but it’s all about the three principals at the end of the day. Some subplots pop up and vanish like the morning dew, but there’s an overall comic tone to everything that keeps the film flowing. There’s actually not much “adrenaline” on display here, but the chases are great and there’s some nice suspense whenever that money come up (which is often). You’d probably want to keep 100% legally untraceable funds if you fond them (admit it!), but add a dash of 100% gangster traceable (with some legwork) funds to the equation and yeah, you’d probably change your mind in a heartbeat. Or you’d try hard as heck to get away and become a completely new person. The film tosses both outcomes together and lets you see one potential (and quite amusing) result.

This one’s currently out of print, but you can track down a subtitled DVD from a few sources for not too much money. It’s well worth checking out, as are Yaguchi’s other films such as The Waterboys, Swing Girls, Happy Flight and Robo-G. The director’s work needs more love in the US because of its universal appeal, as despite the Japanese settings and themes he uses, there’s a very common humanity and likability on display in his work. I say track down a few of these and have a little Yaguchi festival at some point. Don’t forget to invite a few friends (but make sure no Yakuza are among that group)…