Adrenaline Drive

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Adrenaline Drive

Released May 5, 1999

1h 52m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

76%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

67%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

After an accident with a black Jaguar, a meek and indecisive rental car clerk is forced to visit the Yakuza's lair. The thug is ready for revenge when a violent explosion kills off his whole gang -- almost. The clerk falls in love with a nurse at the hospital, and together they dodge the Yakuza's vengeance.

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: B+

Sep 7, 2011

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Edward Guthmann

San Francisco Chronicle

Rated: 3/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 3/5

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Thom Bennett

Film Journal International

Stirs up about as much adrenaline as a good nap.

Mar 1, 2007

Full Review

Ted Murphy

Murphy's Movie Reviews

The film's humor arises mostly out of the flouting of Japanese social codes which admittedly don't necessarily translate to belly laughs for American audiences. Some of the supporting roles are played broadly and the seemingly indomitable bad guy is one o

Rated: C+

Jan 11, 2007

Full Review

MaryAnn Johanson

Flick Filosopher

[A] sweet and clever little comedy. It's mostly nothing we haven't seen before, but director Shinobu Yaguchi keeps the action rolling and the audience chuckling...

Nov 10, 2006

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Audience Member

This Japanese romantic comedy is an enjoyable movie to watch. It was apparently made as a satire of 'girl's romances' popular in Japan but that aspect was lost on me. For me it was just a crime comedy and a pretty good one. "Adrenaline" in the title seems to imply a faster action pace than this film moves at, but that somewhat slower pace gives plenty of time to get to know and like (even to like the "bad guys") the characters. Very well written and well acted, it isn't any great story but it was fun to watch. I would recommend it as good, fun viewing.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Audience Member

Meandering but charming.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Frances H

What a cute little movie! The guy and girl are so adorably naive and the yakuza underlings so so "dumb and dumber." They remind me of the Monkees. Love the "money laundering" (literally) scene. Really enjoyable comedy.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/10/14

Full Review

Audience Member

a personal favorite, showed to me by my japanese teacher in high school. made me realize that japanese films are fucking awesome. or sometimes just totally weird. but usually pretty fucking awesome

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A caper without the title-promised adrenaline.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A cute and zany Japanese comedy where two disparate slackers ultimately fall in love while on the run from the yakuza with a suitcase of cash. Good natured and fun, even if it is a bit long in the tooth.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

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Shinobu Yaguchi

Director

Hikari Ishida

Shizuko Sato

Masanobu Andô

Satoru Suzuki

Kazue Tsunogae

Head Nurse

Yu Tokui

Chinpira

Yutaka Matsushige

Kuroiwa

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Synopsis

After an accident with a black Jaguar, a meek and indecisive rental car clerk is forced to visit the Yakuza's lair. The thug is ready for revenge when a violent explosion kills off his whole gang -- almost. The clerk falls in love with a nurse at the hospital, and together they dodge the Yakuza's vengeance.

Director: Shinobu Yaguchi
Producer: Kiyoshi Mizokami, Kenichi Itaya, Tomohiro Kobayashi
Screenwriter: Shinobu Yaguchi
Distributor: Shooting Gallery
Production Co: Kindai Eiga Kyokai
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): May 5, 1999, Wide
Release Date (DVD): Jun 26, 2001
Box Office (Gross USA): $77.3K
Runtime: 1h 52m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)