Feb 22 2005
Movie: “Junk” 2000
“Junk” (2000) Directed by Atsushi Muroga.
Starring: Nobuyuki Asano, Osamu Ebara, Tate Gouta, Miwa Yanagizawa and Natsuki Ozawa.
(MF Title: “Double cross of the living undead zombies from the grave”)
Zombie Film Rating: 
Overview: A gang of thieves knocks over a local jewelry store, then arranges to meet with a mob boss at an abandoned military facility to fence the goods. Unbeknownst to them a secret military experiment has gone horribly wrong at this facility, and they will have to survive not only a double cross by the mob but the legions of the undead hiding in the shadows.
Fortunately, for all concerned, a small (and man do I mean “small”) team has been dispatched by the military to ensure the destruction of the facility, of course one of the members of the military team is a doctor formerly assigned to this experiment, coincidentally his dead girlfriend has somehow become the uber-zombie of legend…
What does all this mean? Largely incomprehensible (and I am NOT kidding) zombie fun…that’s what.
Disclaimer: The copy I received of this film was a 50/50 split of English and Japanese dialogue, with the only available subtitles being Japanese and German. As such I missed out on approximately 50% of the dialogue in this movie. Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure they didn’t lose me with the plot twists.
Summary: The movie opens with a scientist injecting a naked dead woman with a flourescent green liquid as he exlains to his assistant that within 30 seconds she will return to life. In 30 seconds nothing happens, in 60 the naked woman sits up and eats the doctor, proving the doctor both basically right and incredibly stupid (Let’s see, you’ve been reanimating the dead for two years, and you’ve still not learned to keep your hands, feet and neck away from their mouth? Kinda Darwinian isn’t it?)
Next we jump to a jewelry store heist being carried out by the “cool trench coat gang”. They escape with the loot and one casualty (stabbed foot, don’t ask) and as they drive like mad from the scene they contact a local mob boss, setting up a meet to fence the rocks (I assume, again I do not speak Japanese). A meet is set at “the old military facility” outside town, and the gang rejoices in the knowledge that they will soon be rolling in cash.
We jump again, this time to a doctors office, where the young doctor is approached by two US Soldiers who escort him to the US Base nearby. He meets with the officer in charge who explains that a research project the doctor was involved in (presumably before setting up a private practice) has gone off the rails, and he is needed to help shut it down. This part is easy, as it can be done by remote control, and the doctor is just about to shut the project down when an evil generic emergency message is flashed on the screen. Circumstances have changed, and they’ll have to send a “team” in.
Back at the abandoned base the gang is killing time waiting for the meet by exploring the facility. Naturally they are attacked by zombies, and after shooting a few of them they flee. On the way out they encounter the mob boss and his henchmen, who demand the loot and then make their intention to kill the gang clear. The gang warns them that the facility is occupied by zombies. Naturally the boss and his henchmen doubt this until they too are attacked by the zombies. What follows is a three way battle between the zombies, the henchmen and the gang. Casualties abound.
Just to keep things interesting the army team arrives at the facility at this point (I say “team”, I mean the doctor and one soldier). They enter the facility and hearing the screams of one of the surviving gang members they split up. The doctor seeks out the gang member, while the soldier rushes to activate the self destruct feature. The soldier discovers the computer system has been sabotaged, and begins repairs. Before he can activate the self destruct feature however he is attacked, killed and eaten by the naked uber-zombie.
The doctor, having saved one of the two remaining gang members rushes to the lab, and finds the soldier dead and to his horror finds that the uber-zombie is his dead girlfriend. Coming to terms with his emotions he tries to kill her, but this zombie can move. She gives the doctor an ass-kicking, then tosses his beaten body to the normal zombies. He is only just barely saved by the gang member who he makes promise to activate the self destruct. There is a little more fighting, and then the self destruct is activated, the building explodes, and the gang members escape with their lives (and the loot).
Critique: Despite not understanding a great deal of what was being said I enjoyed this movie. It’s hardly a classic, but it was a fairly painless zombie romp, and had some entertaining scenes. I’d recommend it, just make sure your copy lacks the language issues mine did.