Adrenaline Drive

Funnier than Yaguchi's earlier comedies, this plays like a sardonic hetero variation on Kitano's Boiling Point, while borrowing Kitano's discovery Ando from Kids Return. A nerdy kid upsets a yakuza and escapes with his life, a large sack of banknotes (washed and tumble-dried to remove the bloodstains) and a shy nurse who blossoms when she loses her glasses and gets her hair done. These two go on the run, Pierrot le Fou-style, never quite getting it together sexually as they fend off assorted cops, bag-snatchers and vengeful yakuza. Not as fast paced as the title implies, but it strikes the right balance between motion and emotion, never confusing the two.