Review: Electric Dragon immediately draws some comparisons to Shinya Tsukamoto's infamous work, Tetsuo. But similar only in their lack of color and their extreme kinetic energy, Electric Dragon blazes it's way onto the screen in a likewise unforgettable manner. Sogo Ishii will either be damned or praised for this piece, depending on who you ask. To some it may be a headache, while to others it's a visually superb work, short on running time and long on style. I, myself, fall in the latter category.

First off, let me remind anyone who isn't quite sure of it, that Tadanobu Asano is the man! He lights up the consistently dark screen in Electric Dragon, although it's a little easier this time since he's not exactly sharing the screen with a lot people. While he spends the short duration of the film bursting with energy in a fittingly electric fashion, Masatoshi Nagase (the Yin to "Dragon Eye" Morrison's Yang) trails through the movie in a more subdued fashion. Asano brings the loud punch of electric guitar and ear-ringing distortion to the table that completely contrasts the smooth beats and laid back, near-deafening calmness that Nagase's "Thunderbolt Buddha" commands. The contrast is at it's most noticeable when Asano is maniacally and, to him, therapeutically grinding away on his guitar, while elsewhere, "Thunderbolt Buddha" is literally floating down the street, with absolutely no expression on his face, as if in a trance.

The style that Sogo Ishii splatters across the screen is usually punctuated in an extreme manner, either simply by the rabid and frenetic camerawork or by blazing on-screen text that jumps about, emphasizing the few lines in the film. Even simple touches, like Nagase's cool as ice Buddha mask covering half of his face, Phantom of the Opera style, are way too awesome. He does a commendable job of having the entire movie work it's way to a boiling point near the end, setting up the inevitable battle between the two characters. The way the final product comes across is more like an experiment in film-making than anything else. It's hard to judge it as anything more than an exercise in insanity.

Even starting a paragraph to talk about the story gives me a headache. Why bother? Dig as deep as you like and you still won't get past a synopsis that can be said in more than a few words. It's not complicated, and it's not meant to be. It doesn't necessarily make you think, and there's not a whole lot going on. I like it that way. At least it works for Electric Dragon. This is purely visual, take it as anything more at your own risk.

The culmination of the film comes in the form of Asano Vs. Nagase at the end, which is what you've been waiting for the whole time. The action is very sporadic and more like two kids that hate each other fighting at recess. It reminds me of some old-school DIY punk music video, sparing to an extent the migraine inducing editing style found in more recent video work. You've got some great lines in this part, and when's all is said and done, you still won't be sure why the hell they were fighting. And you won't give a damn either.

The incredibly short running time of ED (really a short film if you wanna get technical) is actually beneficial. Any longer, and the style might have dissipated a bit, and a few of the energetic flavorings may have started to seem pretentious. While even in it's current state, the movie dragged once or twice (Ishii could have chopped a minute or two of Asano awkwardly wailing on his broken axe) it never dampened the film's spirit.