Deadball Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: A guy with an extraordinary ability for pitching is put in a juvenile detention center where he must fight for his life in a baseball game to the death.

Review: Let me preface by saying that this is a re-imagining/retelling of sorts to an earlier film named "Battlefield Baseball" by the same director, but I never saw that so I'll avoid comparisons. This is one of those comedic, over the top splatterfest films in a similar vein as "The Machine Girl" among many others. Typically I'm not that big of a fan of these types of films, but, while this film didn't have the ridiculously sexy Minase Yashiro to carry it, it has its own means to entice viewers. For me, the main draw was just how surprisingly funny it is. Considering how stupid this movie starts out, I had little hope or expectations, but I was really wrong. I was laughing out loud pretty hard by the end which is saying something from me. I also felt as though the action, violence, and turn of events were done well, and, of course, there are nine lovely ladies to enthrall the senses! Oh, they knew their target audience, that's for sure!

Like I said, the story starts off dumb with a father and his two sons playing catch. Our main character, Jubeh (played hilariously by Tak Sakaguchi), throws a powerful fastball that launches him into orbit and come down like a meteor inadvertently killing his father. This comes maybe two minutes into the movie, looks so terrible, and seriously lowered the bar on what to expect, but hang in there. Years later, Jubeh goes on a massive killing spree and yet still ends up at a juvenile detention center because he's underage. I should note that almost all the characters are meant to be teens but all the actors are in their 20s and 30s (obviously too) which enhances the outlandish nature of it all. Jubeh is a caricature of Japanese tough/cool guys right down to his wannabe gunslinger attire and his uncanny ability to pull cigarettes out of thin air. In the oddest of choices, Jubeh's roommate, Shinosuke, who is supposed to be a boy, is played by Mari Hoshino. I actually indirectly mentioned Ms. Hoshino in my review of "Infection" as one of the better looking nurses. Although you can tell it's a girl, they did a decent job downplaying her delicate features. The warden tells Jubeh that his brother, Musashi, had been an inmate there and died and so Jubeh should take his place amongst the baseball team. The warden quite proudly displays her nazi admiration since apparently her family were collaborators in WWII; it sounds worse than it is, but I can easily understand how this may turn off some viewers since this becomes an ongoing gag.

Reluctantly, Jubeh joins the baseball team, and we meet the humorous lineup of goofballs that comprise the teammates besides Shinosuke. Each teammate serves as a mockery of various pop culture icons like a guy named "Abatar" (might have a double meaning since I believe Japanese people have trouble saying the letter V) with his jersey number "3-D" or a guy with a baseball stuck in his head, appropriately named "Eyeball." I really loved this cast of idiots, and they run with their characters even if most are wasted. Once the warden sets the stage with her added crew of nazis, which I think are played by English actors (not too sure about that one), the team realizes that there's more to this than a friendly game. After an awesome introduction, Jubeh and crew are up against the Saint Black Dahlia High School for girls which is comprised of sexy murderers; they do not disappoint in their presentation that's for sure! Unfortunately, only two really get much screen time: the leader, Poison Ivy, and a girl nicknamed "Blind" but it's okay because they were the two best. Also, I have no clue what their real names are because the credits listed their names but not who played who! Anyway, the nazis make note of the whole "Japanese schoolgirl" notion as it has been played out endlessly (although you can't go wrong with the classics!). The banter between the two teams is one of the highlights like when Poison Ivy is trying to give Blind hand signals with no response and she says, "What's the blind bitch's problem?" Or how easily "Ratman" is dispensed with.

It goes without saying the violence is over the top bloody with increasingly unrealistic means to which each character is killed. After faking his death, Jubeh manages to take out most of the nazis and the warden's various henchmen. By the end, only Shinosuke is left standing from Jubeh's team as the warden unleashes her secret weapon, a robotic version of Musashi who is somewhat alive after all. Musashi makes swiss cheese out of my lovely ladies, the announcer, some parody version of J-pop idols, and the umpire as Jubeh finally kills the warden. Musashi's look is great because he's supposed to be some mechanical killing machine but then just has tiny human legs. Jubeh eventually unleashes his super pitch that he performed at the beginning of the film to destroy Musashi. Somehow Jubeh and Shinosuke end up in North Korea with a hilarious spoof of the country as Jubeh learns some gay governor set him up that we met at the beginning of the film. The ending is that Jubeh throws some crazy pitch that kills the governor and his crew of flunkies.

I was really surprised by how much I liked this movie. It's not as straightforward as "The Machine Girl" but nowhere near as convoluted as the likes of "Tokyo Gore Police." And unlike similar films, "Deadball" is much more comedic with genuine laughs with good gags and setpieces. If you liked either of those movies, or love this sub-genre in general, then you should enjoy this just the same. I definitely recommend this one, but if you hate these kind of movies, and especially if you couldn't appreciate the superior "The Machine Girl," then this should be an easy pass.

Notable Moment: There are a lot of funny parts like Shinosuke's rant about all their crimes, but I think all of those moments are overshadowed by the introduction of the Saint Black Dahlia High School team of psychotic and murderous girls. It would have benefitted from better lighting, but the ladies clearly stole the show.

Final Rating: 7/10

The sexy murderers of Saint Black Dahlia High School!

My favorite of the bunch and the leader, Poison Ivy: