Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Kamikaze '89 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 19, 2018

Wolf Gremm's "Kamikaze '89" (1982) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Movement. The bonus features on the disc include vintage promotional materials for the film; new trailer; audio commentary by producer Regina Ziegler; and more. The release also arrives with a 16-page illustrated booklet featuring articles by critic Nick Pinkerton and writer/producer Samuel B. Prime. In German, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Future cop

His physical appearance might have been perfect for his character, but there is no denying that Rainer Werner Fassbinder was simply not well at the time. The close-ups make it painfully obvious. His face is oddly swollen, making him look like a hardcore boozer who has tried but failed to recover, while his eyes are uncharacteristically small, dry and tired. The fancy leopard skin suit can’t hide his poor body posture either, and at times he literally looks fifteen, maybe even twenty years older. Someone should have made the right call and have Fassbinder placed in a medical facility, not before a rolling camera.

The film is set in a not so distant future after Germany has evolved into the perfect totalitarian state -- the media now controls the entire pipeline that supplies information to the masses, but there is no more unemployment, pollution and military conflicts. There is total equality in every single social area and the state’s most powerful body, The Combine, is protecting the status quo.

When a bomb threat disrupts business operations at The Combine, Lieutenant Jansen (Fassbinder), a veteran with a perfect record, is summoned by its leaders and given four days to track down and neutralize the terrorist. Initially the old pro assumes that it is only a matter of time before he catches yet another amateur resister, but a fresh murder case at The Combine and a cryptic message about its mythical underground nemesis, Krysmopompas, change his mind. The case then becomes flat-out weird when a prominent figure from The Combine suggests to Jansen that all of the answers that he is after might be in a secret room on the thirty-first floor of The Combine’s thirty-floor headquarters building. When Jansen reaches the top of the building and attempts to locate the room, all hell breaks loose.

Wolf Gremm’s film Kamikaze '89 is such a giant acid trip that it is quite surprising that someone like David Cronenberg has not yet thought of producing an English-language remake of it. The bulk of the material in it is so unhinged yet full of brilliant social and political observations that a visionary master like Cronenberg who understands how to balance style with substance could very easily deliver something very special with it.

The film is based on a cult novel by Per Wahlöö, but Gremm and screenwriter Robert Katz (The Cassandra Crossing) made a number of ‘improvements’ that enhanced its post-modern qualities. Also, there was apparently a plan to promote Kamikaze '89 as the first in a series of films about Lieutenant Jansen and his adventures in a rapidly evolving world.

While the style and tone of the film are certainly quite amusing -- the mixing of garish colors and industrial visuals make the whole thing look like a striking surrealist techno-pop thriller -- what is really interesting is just how accurate its predictions turned out to be. It essentially profiles Big Brother, as it currently exists, its inevitable takeover of the politicized media, and eventually the emergence of the ultimate totalitarian state. Jensen’s struggle to reach the control room is really just a pretext to visualize the entire (d)evolution in a way that is attractive and thought-provoking at the same time.

Fassbinder is fascinating to behold as the alcoholic who slowly begins to understand how deep the rabbit hole goes, but it is virtually impossible to ignore the depressing fact that this turned out to be his final performance. His old pal and frequent collaborator Günther Kaufmann plays the loyal assistant Anton. Franco Nero also has a small cameo.

The groovy techno soundtrack was created by former Tangerine Dream member Edgar Froese.

Kamikaze '89 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Wolf Gremm's Kamikaze '89 arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Movement.

The release is sourced from a a very recent 4K remaster. The film looks healthy and stable. Also, there are no any distracting age-related imperfections. Delineation is good, but during indoor/darker footage there are some noticeable fluctuations that impact depth. Some of these fluctuations are part of the original cinematography, but some are also introduced by the more aggressive grading. There is some noticeable black crush that flattens nuances even during well-lit sequences, though overall balance remains quite good. Colors are stable and there is a good range of healthy nuances. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections, but some encoding optimizations could have been made to ensure better exposure. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Kamikaze '89 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: German LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio has been remastered and it is very easy to tell because overall stability is outstanding and depth is at optimal levels. Some very small dynamic fluctuations are present but because there are key sequences that have been shot with plenty of unfiltered sounds and noises. Edgar Froese's techno score sounds great. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in our review.

Kamikaze '89 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

BLU-RAY DISC

• Rainer Werner Fassbinder: The Last Year - this archival documentary feature from Wolf Gremm follows Rainer Werner Fassbinder during the production of Kamikaze '89 and his final film, Querelle. In German and English, where necessary. (60 min, 480/60i).

• Commentary - in this new audio commentary, producer Regina Ziegler discusses in great detail the conception of Kamikaze '89 and various important changes that were made before shooting began, the film's visual style and tone, Rainer Werner Fassbinder's involvement and his final days, etc. In English.

• John Cassavetes Radio Spots - a collection of vintage radio spots for Kamimaze '89 narrated by John Cassavetes. Some are incredibly funny. In English. (5 min, 1080p).

• Restoration Trailer - presented here is the new U.S. trailer for the recent 4K restoration of Kamikaze '89. In English and German, with imposed English subtitles where necessary. (2 min, 1080p).

• Trailer Reel - a collection of trailers for other Film Movement releases.

DVD DISC

• Wolf at the Door - an incredibly moving documentary about the life and career of director Wolf Gremm. It was made in 2015, while the director was fighting cancer and knew that he had little time left to live. In English and German, with imposed English subtitles where necessary. (76 min).

• Booklet - 16-page illustrated booklet featuring critic Nick Pinkerton's essay "Kamikaze '89" and writer/producer Samuel B. Prime's article "Kamikaze '89: The Edgar Froese Soundtrack".

Kamikaze '89 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Much like Francois Truffaut's Fahrenheit 451, Wolf Gremm's Kamimaze '89 warns about a future that some could easily and very successfully argue is already here. The main difference between these films is that the latter delivers its message while it essentially takes its audience on a wild acid trip, complemented by the techno tunes of former Tangerine Dream member Edgar Froese. Rainer Werner Fassbinder made his final appearance in it and soon after died from a drug overdose. This recent Blu-ray release is sourced from a good 4K remaster and is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.