Nightmarish beasts, corrupt political figures and a hapless, sexy innocent who bares her mamms more than once in
"Bio Hunter's" hour of footage adorn this sci-fi/horror adventure, which makes up for in philosophic introspection and
surprisingly sympathetic characters what it lacks in pacing and flimsily treated science.
Stepping into hackneyed terrain from the very beginning, manga writer Fujihiko Hosono does manage to subvert
conventional notions of demonism by turning to the not-so-exact science of geneology, debunking any types of mysticism.
Scriptwriter Yoshiaki Kawajiri has Dr. Koshigaya narrating "Hunter's" scientific premise:
"Let's, for a moment, dismiss Darwin's theory that the evolution of any species requires hundreds of thousands of
years of very slow evolutionary change and assume that a virus could bring about sudden, drastic change. Then perhaps
we can assume that stories of ghostly apparitions and monsters throughout this world were all caused by an evolution
of virus contamination."
Kawajiri stands inexorably behind this conceit even when the token wise old psychic spouts portents and warnings.
Koshigaya, an eternal skeptic, explains how this second sight stems from a chemical arrangement in the body not, from
an otherworldly sixth sense. Molding the elements of the fantastical into tangible concepts, Hosono keeps his creation
rooted in terra firma.
Koshigaya's partner Komada also bastes this well-served bird with a savory flavor. Infected with the very demon
virus he's committed to eradicating, his body becomes the stage for a classic Jekel/Hyde battle to save his soul.
But as the story progresses, doubts surfaces as to whether his humanity even still exists. In maudlin scenes scored
with tearful music, Komoda's feelings for the younger Murakami heighten his sense of desperation and poignantly draw
parallels to how real life diseases such as AIDS repress passionate desires.
"Bio Hunter" doesn't necessarily infuse these loftier themes into its derivative plot. But stylistically, director
Yuzo Sato's keen sense of tone and humor forgives compromises his team has made to the hack-boys in management who were
probably worried about marketing this one to the masses. Koshigaya, university professor by day - demon hunter
extraordinaire by night, slides like a glove into the role of noir detective. Character designer Hirotsugu Hamazaki
cuts "Hunter's" hero from the mold of the classic, weathered dick. His continuous voice-over feeds the film with a
tongue-in-cheek narcissism; he has a womanizing personality; he's awkwardly armed with a gun that shoots anti-viral
capsules; his unkempt visage belies an obsessive compulsion to know. He is the portrait of a man who will always be
alone and like it, a campy, complimentary match for Komada, a man tortured by his longing for love.
A mix of the bizarre, noir and sappy romance, "Bio Hunter" drives its themes, if not its plot, boldly into the hyper-real,
fusing mythical lore with earthy science to tantalize fears of both.
