Pornostar (also known as Poruno suta or Tokyo Rampage), is a 1998 Japanese crime film directed by Toshiaki Toyoda. The movie centers around the story of a young and enigmatic man named Arano (played by Koji Chihara). With a thirst for violence and deep hatred for the Yakuza, who he believes to be worthless, Arano decides to embark on a killing spree. After murdering two Yakuza members, Arano gets roped into performing a hit for some local gangsters. Despite a promising start, Arano’s unpredictable and volatile nature soon proves to be more trouble than the gang bargained for.
How was Pornostar Received Critically?
The movie received above-average reviews from critics and viewers. With more than 1100 ratings on IMDb, Tokyo Rampage currently sits at a score of 6.5.
Panos Kotzathanasis of Asian Movie Pulse said that Pornostar “is not a masterpiece, but it is a very entertaining film that flows smoothly and a great place for someone to start his association with Toyoda’s filmography.”
Quite similarly, Tom Mes from Midnight Eye wrote “Pornostar is not a flawless film, but it’s one of those debut features that while being noticeably underdeveloped nevertheless shows a great amount of promise in its director.”
About the Director – Toshiaki Toyoda
Toshiaki Toyoda is a Japanese movie director and screenwriter who was born in the Osaka Prefecture on March 10th, 1969. Toyoda moved to Tokyo at the age of 21 where he worked alongside director Junji Sakamoto & producer Genjirō Arato.
Pornostar was the debut movie for Toyoda, he has since gone on to direct multiple movies including Blue Spring (2001) & 9 Souls (2003). Much of his work has been released by Third Window Films, a popular UK distributor of East Asian movies founded in 2005. Aside from his filmography, Toyoda has also worked on numerous music videos for various Japanese rock bands.
