I was actually set to give this title a really bad review. Unlike other Asian Pulp Cinema releases, I just could not find a redeeming quality in Sunny Gets Blue. Then I saw the last 20-minutes of the film and changed my mind.

     It was not that Sunny Gets Blue was horrible. There were some interesting ideas and plot points throughout the video. Two struggling thugs, Jack and Cash, owe money to a Yakuza or Mafia syndicate known as the Grass Gang, and need to get cash fast or they will end up dead. The two find out about a large sum of cash held by a young woman named Sunny and decide to steal the money from her and escape their troubles. In their quest to get the cash, they run into the woman’s partner, who may be worse than the Grass Gang. Now add the Grass Gang into the equation and viewers get a wild free-for-all where everyone is just trying to stay alive. Gun fights, violence, and mafiosos...what more could a guy want?

     What I could not take were the Japanese voice-over actors, whose English was less than spectacular. When they cursed, I almost laughed despite the fact that they were being really serious and threatening. The movie’s narrator was awful. He was so dramatic that I laughed when he tryied to come off as philosophical.

     BUT there was a lot of action in this film. There were also many guns, chases and searches. The gun battles were just very well done, especially at the end. I always find it to be cool when two guys buddy-up and try to take out a large group of bad guys, even though the odds seem truly stacked against them. But the voice acting, was just--let's put it this way, Sunny Gets Blue would have been better as a silent film. But there was someone in some large multinational corporation who thought the film worthy of production. Pepsi is placed in several scenes predominantly. I wonder how much they paid?

     Depending on what you think a happy ending is, chances are you will be totally shocked by the situation that occurs at the end of Sunny Gets Blue. My eyes literally opened up in amazement. Wow! That was so cool, I said. The end of the film actually made up for the rest of the movie. If you can get your hands on a sub-titled Japanese version of this tape, I strongly recommend you do, because the English dialogue ruins this film.

     Sunny Gets Blue is different, once you get past the dialogue. And I promise you the last 20-minutes of the film easily erases anything negative perceptions about the film.

     Send your comments and or questions about this article to JMinners@ybfree.com.

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