Dog Soldier: Shadows of the Past Movie Review

The CIA has discovered a cure for AIDS in this animated Japanese feature. The problem is, a bevy of other organizations want the antidote for themselves, including smugglers and Japan's own intelligence service. Ex-Green Beret John Kyosuke Hiba is recruited to recover the cure, but finds himself facing a conflict of interest. This Japanimated attempt at a U.S.-style action flick is surprisingly lifeless, and in fact tops many anime fans’ “worst of” lists. Hiba is an embarrassing Rambo-clone, the kind of hero most American viewers got tired of in the mid-'80s. In Japanese with English subtitles, but it makes more sense if you don't read them.

1989 45m/C JP D: Hiroyuki Ebata; W: Shou Aikawa. VHS, LV INJ, CPM, WTA