Fresh and Exciting

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

I really don't want to spoil anything, but Kabukiman has to be seen to be believed. So here's the story, detective Harry Griswold goes to a Kabuki theater and there's a big shoot-up there. He happens to be heroic and tries to stop the men, but one gets away. One of the kabuki actors then kisses Harry, then next thing you know Harry is wearing a kimono and kabuki face-paint. He then later finds out he has to stop a certain event from happening coupled with the fact that he still has to do his police duties. Kabukiman's arsenal includes many oriental themed attacks such as chopsticks that pierce skin, fans, a sword, and my personal favorite turning people into sushi. When he transforms into Kabukiman for the first time it's enjoyable to watch, and the second transformation that happens (No spoiler here!) is just so hilarious that it creates one of the best chase scenes I have ever seen put to film. The final battle can be a bit upsetting, but Kabukiman is to New York what Toxie (The Toxic Avenger) is to Tromaville, New Jersey. In other words check it out for the absurdity, but there is also a heartwarming story about becoming an oriental superhero involved also.

There are few artistic achievements that our race as a whole have produced, especially in the field of motion picture, that truly resonate within our psyche, leaving us profoundly altered. This film, Sgt. Kabuki Man, NYPD, is one of those achievements. It is a pure lancet of truth and hope that slices through the gossamar chains of society's current state of disrepair, a beacon in the fog for lost souls to reclaim there lives. Using the classic Joeseph Campbell idea of 'hero' and 'quest', this novel script shows that anyone, even one as societally dominated and oppressed as the protagonist Harry Griswold, possess the ability to totally revamp their lives into something meaningful and worthwhile. And indeed, it is the brilliantly woven script (by freshman writer Robert Koffey) that keeps the plot taunt and titillating, steeped in rich metaphors and symbolism. For example, during the initial kabuki transformation sequence after the goons have shot up the theater and the explosions have gone off, the main character can be seen frenching an old guy and then eating some worms. This is a perfect microcosm for the greater ideas that directors Michael Hurtz and Lloyd Kaufman feel we need to come to grips with in our own lives- suffer embarrassment and pain to feel redemption. Thank you, noble angels. I only hope your genius-work finds a receptive audience in the vapid teenage wasteland of suburban America.

I was very surprised by this flick.The first Troma flick I saw was Terror Firmer, which was just wall to wall sex and violence. Not that that's a bad thing.With Kabukiman, however, the sex and gore is reduced considerably, and a lot of the humour is quite witty ("Nice dissolve, huh?"), with only a bit of gratuitous nudity(If it wasn't for the attempted rape bit this film could've got away with a 12 rating) and cartoon violence. I really enjoyed this movie, and it definitely makes my all time favourite list.

If you like Troma's kind of silly, off beat, absurd humor then I'm quite sure you'll really enjoy a whole lot of scenes in this flick as well. There are lots of cartoonish, hilarious characters all of which have been acted out with confidence and conviction.The story... well there's this American cop in NY who finds out he can get supernatural powers by changing into the Kabukiman, a kind of Japanese Samurai dude with lots of makeup. Our hero uses his new found powers to beat the crap out of some local small time crooks in various entertaining ways, but it turns out he really owns his powers to the fact that he was chosen to fight the Evil One, who is about to take over the world. He is reluctant to accept this responsibility at first, but a Japanese chick kicks some sense into him and then goes on to teach him how to use his new found skills properly.>