Stray Dog: Kerberos Panzer Cops (1991)

Check your expectations at the door

I feel like I need to check my expectations at the door with the Kerberos films, because Stray Dog has now made it two for two in terms of what the saga promises being vastly different to what it delivers. A voyage of self-discovery and an almost complete inverse of the claustrophobic and highly contained surrealist tone of The Red Spectacles, this film is instead slow, meticulous, delicate and at times insanely beautiful, almost as if Mamoru Oshii is attempting to channel the works of Takeshi Kitano. Scenes breathe, conversations feel incidental, and the camera observes rather than dramatises. It offers brief glimpses and hints to the wider armour-clad world of this tantalising dystopian universe, never fully delivering like its earlier companion piece. Instead, we get a slice of life holiday road trip, cosy and melancholic, usually encompassing a silent exploration of local scenery and Kenji Kawai's wonderfully relaxing musical score, in an attempt to find meaning in downtime. Oshii's direction is remarkably relaxed, the cinematography filled with bustling moments in dense urban environments, a dedicated segment in the portrait of a life. However, the tone frequently shifts between slapstick comedy and over-the-top gags, which ultimately makes the serious moments harder to realise, especially the incredible final act shootout, which felt so rewarding to see, bookending a long stretch of near-idleness. I need more of that in the next films because I don't think I could take being blue balled like this for a third time. While there are definitely elements to Stray Dog I liked, being so quiet, strange and disarmingly casual, it all feels in service of a saga that squanders its awesome setting. Here's hoping Jin-Roh delivers...

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