Review: One of the first things you're likely to notice about GUNHED during the opening is how inappropriate the music is at times. It's like one of the editors stumbled on the wrong switch, as a low-key baseball stadium tune whimpers its way comically through an explosion-filled battle of quarter-scale models (a musical decision which, despite the fact that it makes sense by the time the movie's over, still reeks of basement-brewed Casio work).

Almost everything about GUNHED is evocative of the most classic elements of cheesy late 80's action flicks. Characters with names like Boxer, Brooklyn, and Borneo lead the squad (come to think of it, pretty much all of the original crew's names started with B), and the setting is a picture-perfect post-apocalyptic, computer-run headquarters that screams everything from TERMINATOR to ROBOT JOX. Other aspects are similar to many anime OVAs of the time, especially the music (once they got past that awkward baseball jingle in the beginning). Combined, it forms that "shoot first, ask questions later" attitude that's essential to a mindless futuristic action romp.

After the infiltrative first act, the movie switches speed as it follows Brooklyn, who seems to be the only surviving member of his gang of bandits. Now he's stuck with a lone female Texas Ranger and two kids that seem to (of course) know the base like the back of their hands (much like Newt in ALIENS). GunHed-constructing montages and corridor crawling mech sequences take over from here on in, a formula which volleys back and forth from being exciting to scaling just an inch above a sarcastic "woo hoo."

The multicultural cast mixes together to a frothy brew perfectly suitable for the Japanese equivalent of whatever 3 NINJAS movie is next on the slate. What more could you ask for in this scenario, though? You certainly don't want your grey-tone mech model action to be stained by a noteworthy performance. This movie has exactly what it needs: actors that likely couldn't care less, and a mech that looks like a cross between ED-209 and something out of Square's FRONT MISSION series.

The sets in the movie definitely stand out, and special effects director Koichi Kawakita put a lot of care into constructing the world of GUNHED that would otherwise be a collection of stagnant warehouse venues. It's no surprise that his contribution to the film is such an important part of the whole production, as his filmography of special effects work is rather prolific. Some of his earliest work was on the TV series RETURN OF ULTRAMAN and ULTRAMAN '72. Though it's tempting to just run off his entire impressive list of SFX work, some key titles include ZONE FIGHTER (TV), NOSTRADAMUS NO DAI YOGEN, a gang of Godzilla movies like GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH, and most recently, the 2003 Tokusatsu series CHO SEIJIN GRANSEIZA. Kawakita adds staggering scale to the world of GUNHED, and provides that level of attractive fantasy essential to enjoying what would otherwise be "just another sci-fi flick."

Kawakita's experience in the realm of Kaiju film and Tokusatsu television pays off big time, with optically printed laser beams and mondo mech monstrosities filling the screen at key moments. All of this aside, one of the most interesting things about GUNHED is its director, Alan Smithee. Maybe this name rings a bell, maybe it doesn't. Alan Smithee is a notorious director that's reputable mainly for making awful films. The catch is, as most people are aware of, he's not real. Smithee is a name that directors have attached to a film that they felt maybe was taken out of their control, or perhaps didn't turn out as they had hoped (i.e. it ends up being crap). GUNHED was really directed by Masato Harada, and aside from its general corniness, I wouldn't say that it's putrid enough to deserve falling into the Smithee filmography (into which many things, from episodes of THE COSBY SHOW to THE BIRDS II, have fallen).

So GUNHED is exactly what you would expect from a movie with such a ridiculous acronym (It stands for Gun UNit/Heavy Elimination Device. I guess they realized GUHED didn't exactly have the same ring to it). Through the layers of cheese, the scale model action can actually get a bit tiresome, especially near the end. Regardless, GUNHED is a fun sci-fi flick that's reminiscent of older Keita Amemiya movies, which is reason enough to check it out.