The films plot centers around Punk Rock gangs who fight against society & the impending construction of a nuclear power plant. That is, when the gangs aren't feuding with each other, or racing their motorcycles and souped-up cars that sound off like the bands themselves. Additionally, their fans partake in the protesting of the plant. Surrounded by urban and desiccated landscapes we get a real sense of bleakness & lawlessness which drives its inhabitants towards despair, and the exhilarating freedom of a danger zone ruled by natural law.Surely, it's kill or be killed, so why not crank out some cool tunes along the way? But with band names like The Roosters, Battle Rockers, and Inu, not to mention girly makeup, makes it difficult to perceive these rockers as threats. When flanked by throngs of fans in collusion with a never-say-die attitude; see, then these stalwarts start to look dangerous in packs. The leather jacket clad rebels prove to be a menace indeed. Hey, just ask the pigs.

So, the Yakuza (suits) want to profit from atomic energy by propping up their power plant, which will give honest folks work. However, a nomadic duo, who appear to be rather neanderthalish and a bit crazy, come into their midst. We also see them at the beginning of the film when they stop to look at a map, which subsequently catches fire before the movie title appears. One grunts, the other has a tendency to scream like a hyena for no apparent reason. Clad like warriors who come off like epileptics and erratic laymen: they arouse caution from their peers. Did something happen to them? Are they just backwards? What's the deal? Who cares! Maybe they come from a "Crazy family" that likes to "Panic in the high school"! Flashbacks give clues to their origin and purpose. But anyways, they find work alongside the other plebes, eventually learning of their cattle status. The overseers of the nuclear development project try to exploit their employees; which, only brings about heightened madness.

Well then, what's the meaning of all this? The violence, panic, hysteria, futuristic struggles...? As I stated earlier: This is an EXPERIENCE! One you can really feel! One that's "a movie explosion", and if you don't believe that--then wait--just wait--for the warring between factions (Punks vs. authority, laborers against "suits") which bring this picture to an insane denouement. Wrongdoings are avenged, oppressors put into their place, and triumphs are won during the battles captured by the "see-saw-camera-on-a-tripod-in-the-middle-of-the-ocean" as waves of riots drown the landscape in a sea of craziness. In other words just watch the damn film. It's berserk enough to rattle your very soul! And on that note, i want you to raise your fist and scream "Don't fuck with me!". Yeah, that's the essence of Burst fucking-punk-rock City! Sogo Ishii captured an era as filtered through a future lens...

- Reviewed by Nosferatu's Blood