Maniac Driver – Reelgore Releasing (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Japan, 2020
Director: Kurando Mitsutake
Writer: Kurando Mitsutake
Cast: Yôta Kawase, Ayumi Kimito, Keisaku Kimura, Tomoki Kimura, Iori Kogawa, Yoshiki Kondô, Ai Sayama, Kiichi Sonobe, Yoshiki Takahashi, Saryû Usui

Release Date: December 13th, 2022
Approximate Running Time: 74 Minutes 42 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Japanese
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $34.95

"A deranged taxi driver appears to be randomly stalking and killing various young women on the streets of Tokyo. His descent into madness follows a personal tragedy that has since left him in search of a worthy victim to satisfy his own bloodlust and possible death...But is anything as it seems?" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Maniac Driver comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 23 GB

Feature: 19.9 GB

Shot on digital, the source looks excellent. Colors are nicely saturated and at times vivid; black levels, image clarity, and compression are solid.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles, removable French subtitles, and removable Spanish subtitles. Dialog always comes through clearly; everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, two image gallery slideshows: A Japanese Giallo and Behind the Scenes, a theatrical trailer (1 minute 39 seconds, DTS-HD 5.1 Japanese with removable English subtitles), a Making of featurette (29 minutes 53 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with non-removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with director Kurando Mitsutake, in English.

Summary:

Though billed as a Japanese Giallo, Pinku Eiga’s influence can be felt throughout Maniac Driver. With the opening being a gratuitous sequence of a woman in a bathing suit in the shower as she slowly caresses herself, that morphs into a brutal kill that is synonymous with Giallo cinema. This is the first of many instances in which Maniac Driver seamlessly transitions from Giallo to Pinku Eiga elements.

That said, anyone expecting character development or a fleshed-out narrative should look elsewhere. Maniac Driver is a film where style overshadows substance. This actually works in its favor. And nowhere is this more clear than with Maniac Driver's stylish cinematography, which shines brightest during the kill sequences.

From a production standpoint, Maniac Driver maximizes its resources for all they are worth. And though the premise covers familiar ground, there are ample moments of misdirection and ambiguity that make the finale all the more potent. The driving synth mood-setting score mixed with some heavy metal is one of Maniac Driver's strongest points, and the actresses provide plenty of eye candy. Finally, Maniac Driver is a seamless blend of Giallo and Pinku Eiga that should appeal to fans of both genres.

Maniac Driver gets an excellent release from Reelgore Releasing that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a pair of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer