P. P. Rider
Asian Cinema
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1h 57m
Directed by Shinji Sômai | 118 mins | 1983
Adapted from a story by Leonard Schrader—yes, Paul’s brother—"P.P. Rider" is a cheeky, playful, and consistently surprising adventure yarn about three young friends who, having witnessed the kidnapping of their school bully, set out on a journey across Japan in hopes of freeing him from his yakuza captors, mixing with incompetent cops and "In the Realm of the Senses" (1976) star Tatsuya Fuji along the way. A frisky farce employing a dazzling array of stylistic conceits, the filmmaking showing every bit the youthful glee of its protagonists.
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