Nonstop

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

A quick glance at Japanese youth fashion reveals a playful approach combining cut 'n paste eclecticism, nostalgia, parody, and the simple desire to look good. Nonstop is a fine example of this approach. The film's stylishly headstrong action is informed by equal amounts of gangster satire and pure adrenaline. Nonstop's storyline ups the ante of last year's Run Lola Run. This time three manic youth careen around a city while trying to catch each other while avoiding gun-hungry cops and mobsters.

The race starts when a luckless worker (Tomro Taguchi) decides to rob a convenience store. The clerk—a heroin user who used to be a rock star (Diamond Yukai)—sets off in pursuit. He in turn is wanted by a petty loan shark with large ambitions (Shinichi Tsutsumi). Thus one afternoon of nonstop running begins. Flashbacks and fantasies play nonlinear games with the standard chase format. The blend of unnecessary violence and flat-out humor conjures up Quentin Tarantino. Ritalin cinema for those take their entertainment at a breakneck pace.