Redline (2009)
Race for your life.
I’ve got another charity stream coming up soon and I’ve chosen a popular-amongst the friend group destruction derby game for it. You might wonder where that becomes relevant for the movie tonight - well, let’s just say I found an excuse to rewatch an old anime and show it off to some friends, because I have the need for speed and I don’t think my car is going to make it. Push it hard, push it fast, tonight we push for the Redline.
Redline is a movie that’s about racing and the need for speed. Its about pushing the body and car to the limit, and it might surprise you but it’s a story about love. Yeah, you spend most of this movie following our main racer and his mechanic friend in the quest for winning races - although plot twist the mechanic friend is more interested in appeasing the mob out for his head and rigging the races, resulting in not a lot of first placers for our main hero. Still, the racers need mechanics, and the mechanics need racers - they’re basically family. Through some luck - or the power of people being somewhat sensible and dropping out of a race that promises to have a very high body count - our main still manages to get into the big one itself - the Redline race. This no-holds bared race is taking place on the space-military planet of a bunch of cyborgs who claim peace for all, but would far rather not have a bunch of race car cameras putting all their secret war-experiments and potential secret war crime items out on display for the worlds, so the race is quickly not just a race for pole position - but one for life itself.
I mean, it’s a story as far as racing flicks go - gives as much a reason as any other one. To be fair, I’m leaving out a good amount of detail as I do with most plot synopsis segments I do for these things. There’s this whole underlying background to the main character that gets slipped out in little segments and flashbacks, and culminates with a bit of a “power of love” ending that feels a bit like they couldn’t come up with anything better to do after the climactic race results other than just end the movie and not deal with it - fair enough, the finish line is what we are here for after all, given it’s a race. It lets a little bit of depth get added to some of the characters, which is nice since we do spend time away from the actual race segments as well - and much like a giant monster movie, if I have to watch parts not about the giant monsters, they can at least make them likeable or enjoyable you know?
The characters are plentiful - and despite it not going into huge detail on their backgrounds, it does give a little snapshot that gives each of our final racers a little something something. Yes, some of that something is literally just “these two hate this one because this one busted them being little jerks” or “this guys is a machine, and the car is him” kind of celebrity spot lights, but it’s more than they really had to do. Combine that with the fact that you are really there for the main character, and it ends up being a little more than you expected or really needed to still have fun with the movie. Actors do a fine job with what they are presented, but I also would hedge on the safe side and label it as a “don’t go in with super high bars set for expectations.” Like, yeah, the lines are delivered lively and the voice actors all sound different enough that you don’t get confused, but it still very much has that voice actor edge where it sometimes it’s cheesy, sometimes it’s annoying, and sometimes even when it’s really good it doesn’t quite tug at your heart strings still.
Dropping that gold.
So the first time I watched this, I’ll be honest - I watched it because i recognized the artwork. Ever since my favorite franchise gave me a sequel movie and studio Madhouse was behind it, I have picked out and been attracted to a ton of their stuff - some of which had existed long before and I just never really put it together until afterwards. This here is one of those things where I saw a still from it, recognized it as specifically that style, and decided it sounded like a good ride - and heck yeah it is. They do so a good job with showing energy in shots, or at least it’s a lot of fun to see them convey energy in shots that you don’t once feel like these things are moving slow. From the little things, like how popping a nitro causes things to stretch and elongate out like they are a spacecraft hitting light speed, or the spastic jumping about before they even manage to get it under control enough to keep it straight and true. Beyond that, things are packed with details, and it’s just always a pleasure to see it in my opinion.
With the science fiction setting (and the animated nature), they really get to have some fun with things. Different planets, wicked cars, crazy outfits and characters, they get it all. Space-magic lady pop stars with their over-sexy outfits. Crazy bounty hunters whose news intro looks like something out of Cowboy Bebop. I mean, when the most normal person you have still manages to have a righteous pompadour that could easily be described as some kind of phallic symbol - you know you are in for a heck of a ride. The cars all looks like something out of a video game - with perhaps the original car of our lead character, which is somewhat laughable in it’s normal-ness, but also still very sexy as far as cars go. I mean, there’s nothing really off the table - including that classic “someone else had to walk in at this moment” boob shot that’s collective on screen for all of maybe three minutes, but inevitable like clockwork is when someone walks in on it and calls you a weirdo.
Audio is alright. It does it’s job for the movie, helping support the scenes - but it’s also largely underpowered in comparison to the absolute craziness that’s going on for your eyes and other sound effects. Each character does none-the-less have their own little theme stings, some getting played more than others (specifically the race/movies Redline theme). Balance is good and you don’t have any trouble understanding things, and actor deliveries are largely good enough that any complaints towards them can be written off as “probably as intended.” Oh yeah, and most the cars sound pretty awesome.
Ain’t nobody got time for missile!
You want a hoot that talks to the power of nitro? You want crazy characters and high-octane cars? Well, this little buggy can get yah there fast. I know anime isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and that the fact it’s drawn alone is enough for it to get thrown out of some peoples watch lists, but as far as racing flicks go I feel like this one does a better job at being a thrilling jaunt of speed with a little something else to it’s meat than some of the other options out there. Colorful when it wants to be, serious when it rarely desires, this thing will spin your tires fast enough they might just leave your car behind.