Film Review: Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects (1989)

Many 1980s nostalgics claim that the decade truly ended with the airing of the last episode of Dynasty. Fans of 1980s action cinema, on the other hand, might point towards another moment that marked the end of the era – premiere of 1989 film Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects. It was the last film in the long and prolific career of director J. Lee Thompson and the last film 1980s action icon Charles Bronson made for The Cannon Films, studio whose low budgets products dominated video store shelves at the time. It was also one of the more unusual and the more controversial films of its time.

Bronson plays Lt. Crowe, LAPD detective who dedicated his life from taking out pimps from the street of the city while at the same time trying to be good husband to his wife Kathleen (played by Peggy Lipton) and loving, although at time overprotective, father to 15-year old daughter Rita (played by Amy Hathaway). One day, while travelling in crowded bus, she gets touched up her skirt by Hiroshi Hada (played by James Pax), Japanese businessman who recently came to Los Angeles from Japan and was unaware that American, unlike Japanese women in crowded public transportation, don’t look kindly at such incidence. Crowe is even more incensed over the incident than Rita and wants to find the perpetrator. However, strange twist of fate would reset his priorities towards Duke (played by Juan Fernandez), sleazy pimp specialised in selling adolescent and pre-adolescent girls to rich and perverted clientele. One of his victims happens to be Hada’s daughter Fumiko (played by Kumiko Hayakawa) and Crowe, who had clashed with Duke before, is determined to bring the innocent girl home.

Kinjite is strange, but ultimately unpleasant and ultimately bad film, even for notoriously low standards of Cannon productions. This is mostly because it shows that it could have been something more than mere excuse for Bronson’s character to incarnate vigilante fantasies of 1980s crime-ridden America. Script by Harold Nebenzal was originally quite serious police drama that tried to deal with dedicated detective who has to face some hidden personal demons, very much like in the case of Clint Eastwood’s character in Tightrope few years earlier. Unfortunately, Cannon wanted something much simpler and exploitative and good example is the scene when Crowe and his partner (played by effective character actor Perry Lopez), acting on false information about missing girl’s whereabouts, crash into porn film set; it not only provides necessary dose of female nudity, but also a violence because the crew, conveniently under influence of cocaine, makes unwise decision to physically confront law enforcement officers. On the other hand, action is at times slowed due to subplot about Japanese businessman, which was probably brought into the film due to fears of Japanese corporate takeover of America, trend very relevant to late 1980s America. It is mishandled in a way that leaves no proper resolution and even allows film to be accused of succumbing to racist stereotypes. But the greatest disappointment is Bronson, although not surprisingly, because the advanced age made the actor not that credible as unstoppable street avenger. Bronson was tired and seemed disinterested in role, and same can be said for Thompson whose style of directing left much to be desired, especially in unconvincing scene of final showdown which, like in so many 1980s action films, take place in abandoned industrial facility. Thompson’s direction is so poor that audience at the beginning might miss a detail that really stands out in Bronson’s career of screen vigilante – Crowe, after catching pervert in flagranti with teen prostitute (played by Nicole Eggert), does very special sort of vigilante justice by applying dildo to certain part of pervert’s anatomy. The scene, although implied, happens too quickly to be noticed by some of the less perceptive viewers. The ending scene, which is somewhat unusual for Bronson’s films and in which protagonist displays original concept of “poetic justice”, improves general impression. However, the era could have ended with much better and more satisfying film.

RATING: 4/10 (+)

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