Attack the Gas Station! - film review

From: Andy
Message:
Four kids, one armed with a meaty piece of wood, charmed by red
pictograms etched along its length, attack a gas station in a part of
downtown Japanese City X. They smash and smash and smash; take the
takings from the till.

Why do the kids attack the gas station? roll the confusing subtitles.
Because it is fun!

Next night, eating food in the local 7-11, boredom is coming off them in
waves. So they go off and attack the gas station again. They bundle the
regular gas-monkeys up to an upstairs room, take over the station and
set up ripping off the punters by filling up their tanks regardless of
how much they gas they need and charging them for the full amount. For
rude punters, they get stuffed in the trunks of their cars and left.

Pretty much thats the basis of the plot, except:

As much as it is a slapstick comedy, its a social-commentary. The reason
why these 4 characters have performed these acts has already been
explained, but there are further individual reasons why these 4
characters have found each other; lack of respect from their elders be
they parents, sports coaches or anonymous bar owners. The lack of
respect for the kids stemming from a fear that the kids are
disrespecting them by their life choices, by their not doing as theyre
told as they were once told. Often punishment is just meted out just
because. School teachers, policemen, theyre all a part of it.

And this attitude of respect and disrespect rolls down to the kids. Kids
are at each others throats manifesting in bullying; violence. I guess
the question is, do they break the cycle?

A word about the violence. I found it very difficult to watch a film
that, in one scene, uses violence as slapstick (hitting a man -
admittedly off screen - over the head with a length of wood), when, in
the next scene, it shows kids kicking the savage shit out of each other.
I could just be too sensible. That aside, the main thrust of the
violence is wickedly turned on its head as each gang in turn, having
been told about the previous gang's demise at the hands of the
gas-station-gang, comes to the gas station for a show down. No1 in the
gang can quickly become No2 as someone takes his place quicker than a
bad curry, not only because No2 is faster or stronger than No1 but
because No1 has been misinformed about his place in this world, he only
knows his gang and nothing outside it. And, eventually, its this circle
of oneupmanship that brings the film to an astonishing finale. As a
postscript to this, at the end when, inevitably the police barge in, is
when, for me, the most shocking violence takes place. Im still trying to
work it out since its on the same level as the gang on gang violence.
Perhaps its because theyre in uniform... Regardless, non of the violence
ever amounts to more than a few cuts and bruises for anyone.

A word about the comedy. Now, it pretty funny throughout. You /want/ the
gangs to get beat up because, well, they /need/ to be beat up. Its what
theyre there for. But as a result of the gangs being beaten up, theyre
also put under gas-station arrest. "Heads down!" Meaning those in
trouble better lay on their fronts put their hands behind their backs
and lift themselves off the floor with their heads and stay like it or
Bulldozer will kill them. "You mean really kill them" "Nah, just beat
them up"... Bulldozer has the coolest jacket btw. Bulldozer, the
funniest imo, has the classic resolution to dealing with in-gang
scuffling. He takes control (he's the one with the pictogrammed wood)
and orders those who are fighting to stand up and fight each other
properly. This is how No1s are replaced by No2s, although the No2s can
get too cocky sometimes... He also has a fantastic mono-e-mono with a
rude girl with whom he plays a strip-word-game.

And there's baseball, and art, and singing under duress, and singing
which is carefree, and a lot of breaking of telephones, general
rudeness, and the classic line from where, after having delivered many
takeaway dinners to the station and not been paid and having been
smacked about for being disrespectful, the delivery guy brings all this
motorhead mates for a(nother) showdown: "Never underestimate the
Delivery Boys!" Our hero in retort: "I didnt order anything!"

Oh, and its a happy ending.