User Reviews

I've always liked Japanese comedy but this one tops my list. Very real characters combined with a very unreal situation can always bring out the best in a film. And reversal of roles is also prevalent: the head nurse getting greedy and the mob boss struggling with full body casts.

There's dark, light, and every other kind of humor in this film, and the situation is very enjoyable. I've always liked mischievous dark comedy and if you're tired of what's come to be common "American Dark Comedy"(Very Bad Things, Something About Mary, etc. etc.)this will be a great and refreshing film to watch. It's so fun that you won't even notice the subtitles.

"Adrenaline Drive", a misnomer, is about money and a shy guy and a not-so-shy girl who have it and a handful thugs and one real badass Yakuza dude who want it. A busy, fun, and creative little flick, "AD" works well in the beginning and slowly wears out as it plods sweetly but doggedly towards its conclusion. Worth a look for those into Japanese films. (B-)

Everyone can find laughs and enjoyment in this movie, an unpredictable twist on a familiar theme. The lead actors are completely charming and natural, making their somewhat pitiful characters attractive and endearing. One truly hilarious episode deals with an explosion, showing a chain-of-events that is logical, comical and a bit frightening.

Even the secondary characters shine in their roles, and the movie allows them time to bring their characters to life. The strict head nurse from the hospital explores her dark side while the nastiest gangster is humbled by medical procedures and a limited capacity.

Sure there are some cliches, like the mousey nurse transforming into a stylish vixen, and the inept thugs who don't have a clue, or the strategically placed pickup truck that leaves at precisely the right moment. But it's all done with enough good nature and energy that makes it more than worthwhile.

"Adrenaline Drive" is no "Run Lola Run". Rather it is a Japanese version of a put-on, an "It Happened One Night" in slow motion which does finally have one car chase. The film's intent is telling us how polite Japanese mannerisms can interfere with human nature. A car rental clerk who can't talk down his boss (Suzuki) and a young demure nurse fast approaching old maid (Shizuko) meet under almost imagined circumstances. The local mafia group accidentally blow themselves away leaving one badly injured survivor (Kuroiwa) and a cache of blood-soaked cash. Enter these two woebegone fugitives from a genteel world who seize the cash, run away from their jobs, and even contemplate marriage. The story would end there except for a series of chases filled with pitfalls involving Kuroiwa and a bunch of incompetent hoodlums that personify 'the gang that couldn't shoot straight' who want the money back. "Adrenaline Drive" is fun to watch because it doesn't do anything out of character. The car rental 'boss' runs away leaving Suzuki holding the bag rather than confront Kuroiwa after a minor fender bender. Shizuko can't hide the blood seeping from her locker so she yells her friends away when they attempt to help her. The shy and love-smitten Suzuki buys a ring for Shizuko only to throw it away in a jealous fit. "Adrenaline Drive" is a film to enjoy for its delicate characters and how being delicate may be more trouble than it is worth.

This movie caught my attention as a japanese version of "Office Space." It was less goofy and more intelligent than that though. It had decent acting and very probable situations. Nothing was really over the top (ie no big explosions, bloody deaths, etc). Also had a lot of really good things to make you think about life, death, money and power. It was serious without being depressing and after the final credits rolled, I was left with a good feeling inside.

I have to give "Adrenaline Drive" a lot of credit. There were a lot of amusing moments and the numerous shifts in alliances was unexpected. But the central characters of the movie, a young couple, didn't work for me at all. First of all, neither character was very bright. Why would you steal a load of money and then "hide" in a glamorous hotel, making phone calls and telling people where you are? Furthermore, the young man was a walking doormat. It's very irritating to watch a movie centered around a guy who is a pushover. Most of the film he is being pushed around by everyone he comes in contact with, including the young nurse who is the one person you'd think he'd manage to stand up to. Speaking of the nurse, she naturally goes through one of those magical "makeovers" where a pretty girl wearing glasses transforms into a beautiful one with contact lenses.

And I had a lot of trouble accepting how much these people accomplished while seriously injured. The guy nearly breaks his leg in the early accident yet is able to outrun a pack of Yakuza thugs? The gangster manages to survive THREE major, life-threatening events and within a week or two he's merely on crutches, fighting with people. By the end of the film I was just waiting for the end. I won't say I hated it but I can't recommend it either.

Don't let the name fool you: this is a romantic comedy with some yakuza added for spice. Still, it's quite charming. Masanobu Ando is particularly engaging when he is trying to deal with his girlfriend's suddenly acquired sassiness. The mob subplot provides relief from the utterly formulaic but nonetheless endearing romantic crap. It's also extremely funny in spots. A good date movie for those of us who have semi-adventuresome dates to take to movies.

By coincidence I rented Adrenaline Drive the day after I watched Waterboys, but until I went to add review to IMDB I had no idea they were by the same director! I had heard quite a bit of negative criticism of the movie, but this seems to be from people who were misled by the title into expecting some kind of high octane action movie, which it certainly is not. It is actually a very nice quirky character-driven (romantic) comedy.

Shy car rental worker Masanobu Ando and even more shy nurse Hikari Ishida find their lives suddenly brought together when they find themselves in possession of a case full of Yakuza money, and go on the run together. Love blossoms on the road, and the two learn to take more of a front seat role in life.

The story is not a particularly original one, but with a movie like this it's all about the details - and the development of the plot, dialogue and situations are all very well thought out and original. It never feels tired or worryingly cliched.

Adrenaline Drive is built on the kind of solid foundations that the best movies always stand on - a cast of well developed characters, each with distinct personalities and quirks and enough screen time to let you get to know them. The two leads get most of the screen time and are therefore the core of the movie, and thankfully Masanobu Ando and Hikari Ishida play them perfectly. They seem totally natural in the roles. The smaller roles are all equally well filled too - the all round brilliance of the acting suggests that director Shinobu Yaguchi had a strong influence on the mostly young cast, and knew exactly what he was doing.

There is a certain amount of excitement in the young couple's adventures, but nothing that warrants the application of the word "Adrenaline". There's a little bit of romance, a little bit of pathos and a lot of effective comedy, but only one or two scenes that are likely to raise the blood pressure noticably. The movie is very pleasant and agreeable to watch.

The closest movie I can think of to compare with Adrenaline Drive is another Japanese comedy, Space Travellers. Both have a warm hearted nature and characters nobody could fail to love (even the bad guys), and both handle the development of a familiar situation in innovative and enjoyable ways. Adrenaline Drive perhaps has a slight edge, being masterfully put together at every turn. I find it hard to imagine anybody failing to enjoy the movie as long as their expectations are in the right genre, in fact.

Highly recommended!

Two innocents beat out a really bad guy and six stooges to take home $2,000,000 and fall in love in the process. Sounds like something we've seen 100 times, but this one has two really sweet kids that are a joy to watch. Setting this familiar plot in an unfamiliar setting helped, too. Humor ranges from more-or-less subtle to slapstick. As far as I could tell, we didn't miss much in the translation--except reading the F-word in the subtitles doesn't have the impact of hearing it in English.

Adrenaline Drive is highly derivative of existing genres: the on-the-run-from-the-mob-with-a-sack-full-of-money heist movie combined with a teen romance, but throws in such great slapstick humor and endearing characters that make the film completely entertaining to watch. It's got a sense of humor reminiscent of Beat Takeshi's films, but more lighthearted and broad. Everyone on the cast shows great comedic skill. My personal favorites are the pack of ditzy nurses who spend all their time slacking on the job, and Suzuki's boss, who taunts him relentlessly. The actor who plays Suzuki is quite a hottie, by the way.

My main disappointment with the storyline was the transformation of the main female character from a mousy wallflower into the sassy chick after she gets a makeover and a new wardrobe. It was the loss of a great sight gag - the skinny, nerdy girl facing off against the mafia. Oh well. All in all this is a FUN movie. Even though you can probably predict the ending, every minute is worthwhile to watch.

Okay so I was a teensy bit disappointed by this movie, I had already become so accustomed to Shinobu Yaguchi's funny style of directing and crazy films such as The Secret Garden, Swing Girls and Water Boys- those movies are all five star movies according to me- but this one falls a bit short...

The premise in itself is kind of exciting and funny, but it seems that Shinobu wanted to tone down a lot of the elements from his usual movies to have a more "realistic" tone and pace. This is admirable in itself but for a movie that is called "Adrenaline Drive" one kind of expects to be put on the edge of the seat at all times, with laughs along the way... unfortunately there aren't many laughs nor much that happens- instead the happenings are sort of stretched in the two hours of the movie's running time... but the premise keeps you going and the actors act a certain way that is naive but in a way fun (not as fun as the other movies I mentioned though).

This is also the first movie of his that I know off (I haven't seen his later movies) that has an antagonist in the roles of a Yakuza and his underlings which is an absolute change of pace which is good- I like it he handles it good!

I guess my main problem is the pacing and the length of the movie, it feels really slow at places and the jokes are few and far in-between, but maybe that was what he wanted as well- to make something a bit more "realistic" (realistic in his terms because the premise is still crazy) and that is good but coming from seeing his other movies one kinda feels a bit disappointed by it not gonna lie. I'd say it's still worth a watch but be ready to spend a bit of time watching it cause it's a bit slow. Actually my fav part of the movie was the last part where he ramps up the comedy and the action of everything happening, perhaps a bit too late? Either way I think he should've shaved off at least 30 mins from this movie, then the pacing and perhaps the comedy would've been improved.

One thing that I like about this movie is that once you've seen a few of Shinobu's movie's you start to recognise the actors and that they reappear on almost all of his movies- this is so sweet, it feels like a troupe of actors that he loves working with- and I appreciate it so much, it feels like home in a way.

In all other aspects this movie looks great!

Check this out if you want, but if you're searching for the usual Yaguchi style of fun then you might be a bit amiss- some people might like the slower and more realistic place but I'm more split in the middle regarding that, I'm still happy I saw it and perhaps I'm going to watch it again sometime if I have a Shinobu Yaguchi marathon!

Adrenaline Drive (Japanese with English Subtitles) is the most refreshing and delightful film I have seen in years. Saw it at the Academy of Arts theatre in Honolulu. How many times have you experienced an audience applauding a movie?

Don't be fooled by the title. This film is in no way an "adrenaline drive." It moves slowly with the romantic comedy far apart. But thats not a reason not to watch this movie. Don't think of it as a "movie" but as a look into Japanese life. This movie centers around a rental car guy and a shy nurse. When they find a case of money they decide to run away together. But when Yakuza gang members find out they go after. This is a great movie to watch because you find out how the Japanese think and their culture. And how much similar they are to Americans in terms of how they live,their shops,etc. This is more than enough reason to watch this movie.

I saw this movie in the original version and liked it a lot. It is a very Japanese movie, well made and acted, very charming and never boring, in which two ordinary people seem to be drawn by accident into a minor crime story that unfolds in a calm, quasi inevitable way as the two rise to the situation's challenges and seize its opportunities and many comical situations come about.

I saw this film in the Japanese Film Festival, here in Melbourne. I found it to be a very entertaining story of two people who are thrown together after a Yakuza den explodes. It was a love story, with comedy thrown in. I thought it was great, and well acted. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to see a light hearted love story.

This film, while taking a rather sappy romantic story line (via circumstance, two passive losers find fire in their lives as a couple) and mixing it with a stale action 'hook' (innocents get mob money; mob pursues), produces a thoroughly enjoyable comedy that will appeal to almost everyone.

Although there is very little adrenaline on display, except for the delightfully silly 'keystone kop' young Yakuza gang, everything clicks. Casting is dead on. There is a great diversity in the characters and each actor nails their part. The featured couple have a special magic charm going from mousy to wickedly clever. The 'old bag' head nurse is hilarious when interacting with the equally tough mobster, and the aforementioned gang of toughs throw a chaotic slapstick into the mix.

Highly recommended to anyone who doesn't mind subtitled films.

When I stumbled upon the 1999 Japanese comedy "Adorenarin doraibu" (aka "Adrenaline Drive"), I must admit that I was expecting a tad more from the movie than what writer and director Shinobu Yaguchi ended up delivering.

First of all, I hadn't even heard about the movie prior to sitting down to watch it here in 2022. With "Adorenarin doraibu" being a Japanese movie that I hadn't already seen then that was enough to make me have an interest in watching it. And given the movie's title and it being a comedy, I must admit that I was expecting a bit more upbeat and fast-paced movie. But no, I was in for a slow paced narrative that was devoid of comedy entirely.

The concept of the storyline had some appeal, for sure, but the transition from script to screen just wasn't a particularly successful one, especially since the movie was so slow paced that it was quite an ordeal to sit through and witness. This being a movie about random strangers suddenly coming in possession of a large sum of money, there are other movies of a similar storyline that fares way better than "Adorenarin doraibu" did.

The lead actor and actress did actually good enough jobs carrying the movie, but it was just a shame that they had a subpar script to work with, as it served as an anchor holding them back.

"Adorenarin doraibu" was a disappointing movie, and one that I will never return to watch a second time.

My rating of the 1999 Japanese movie "Adorenarin doraibu" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.

Great escapism in this tale of a young milktoast car rental company driver and mousy nurse both in dire need of a boost of confidence. Through a string of unbelievable events they meet and then fall into a wealth of yakuza money. They are chased by the monstrous yakuza as well as his stooge like young henchmen. Yaguchi's themes are all here: happenstance, destiny, money, greed, finding your own identity. Oh and let's not forget his wonderful mocking of Japanese societal conventions as well as people in general. He has a sharp wit and utilizes violence to a humorous effect (such as when the yakuza hits each and every one of his henchmen with a shovel). I found this one a little toned down compared to "Hadashi No Pikkunikku" ("Down The Drain") however his style is so consistent and this one was equally entertaining if slightly less over the top. Seek this one out by all means.

Though fluffy and lacking purpose, Adrenaline Drive is extremely enjoyable. A parody of popular Japanese movies, it pokes fun at nearly every aspect of the typical take-the-money-and-run film. It simultaneously made me cringe and laugh out loud. Definitely not to be missed by anyone who can stand the familiar plot.

Shinobu Yaguchi's "Adorenarin doraibu" ("Adrenaline Drive" in English) manages to do a lot with a routine plot. The story involves a man who steals money from the yakuza, leading to a series of crazy adventures. It's not any sort of masterpiece, but like "Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald", it shows us that Japan does know how to make some zany movies. I recommend it.

Rented this from Netflix. The look of this film is slightly low budget, but it complements the bizarre situations in the movie well. Think "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" only in Japanese and less overt violence. The acting is good and the story is very very good and funny. Cinematic ally, it's not much to look at. The movie concentrates on telling the story as clearly as possible and it does a good job doing it. Although the movie itself is pretty tame, there is some strong language in the subtitles that younger children probably shouldn't be exposed to. Another movie that you may like if you like this one is "Wasabi" with Jean Reno and Ryoko Hirosue. It's worth a rent!