Tokyo Joe

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Martin B @RT44235356 Nov 14, 2025 An under rated Bogart flick in my view. Unique plot and setting. Great cast and poetic if unsettling ending. Florence Marly just terrific as the radiant, conflicted female lead who's past of struggle and turmoil showed through brilliantly by her face and demeanor if not words. See more DanTheMan 2 @DanTheMan2150AD Aug 30, 2025 Although Tokyo Joe taps into the post-war frustrations that are seemingly synonymous with film noir, the result is so derivative and half-hearted that it squanders any goodwill the filmmakers might have brought to it. The subject matter of trying to work through a post-war conflict from within the losing country has so much more potential than what's on display here. There's not much to take away from this world-weary melodrama except for a lot of gloom. As expected, there is a traditional action-filled climax where Bogart's character demonstrates he is heroic and a true patriot, as the occupiers are depicted as the good guys and those Japanese fighting against the occupation are portrayed as fanatics responsible for the war who still haven't learned their lesson. It's an uncomfortable attitude to have. Stuart Heisler adequately directs, but without much flair. There are many small moments in this film that feel like a classic, but none of the characters are shown with enough weight or passion to convincingly convey the life-and-death stakes the plot demands. Despite some nice casting that includes Sessue Hayakawa and Teru Shimada, Tokyo Joe is only a recommendation for Bogart completists, given how unengaging the whole affair feels. The title made for a great Ryuichi Sakamoto album, though. See more Blu B @RT43513976 Aug 6, 2025 Acting wise it's not bad thanks to Bogart who is great in this but everyone else is just forgettable. Save for his friend at the start but we never see him again until the end. His wife is alright and the two just don't have the best chemistry in the world. The villians are forgettable. Really the big issue is support wise no one really stays around long enough to develop much. Music and cinematography is good here with some solid direction. The black and white looks good/moody and the setting of post WWII Japan is memorable. It's cool seeing Bogart there. Editing and pacing are alright but this is where this falls apart. This is two stories. One is a love triangle in an almost Casablanca type setup and the second is a byproduct of the romance where it's like a war crime thriller trying to smuggle these bad guys in a plane. And it starts jumping around between the two and the crime plot just gets very convuluted and difficult to follow for no reason. I kind of got it andit does tie in at the end but it's still messy. Thankfully this isn't even 90 minutes, it's executed rather well, and Bogart help make this above average. If your a die hard fan of Bogie or the director this might be worth checking out but most could skip this and not miss much. See more Roger S @RT29673327 Dec 15, 2024 Great action scenes. Easy to see what inspired Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Bogart is looking very well, considering he had less than ten years left to live. What a judo fighter! Bogart wears both a medium trenchcoat and a tuxedo. See more Steve D @RT35616104 Jan 17, 2024 Decent story far too abrupt an ending. See more Deke P @RT96675217 Jun 1, 2023 1949! BOGART! Interesting post WW2 drama, some Korea, & lots US occupied Japan. Saw a good part of it on tv 5.31,23 See more Read all reviews

Tokyo Joe

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