Takashi Miike’s *Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo* continues the franchise as a largely independent crime story, following drug-addicted Lieutenant Yabuki as he attempts to rescue a powerful politician’s daughter. Although Miike’s appointment seemed fitting given his provocative, unconventional style, the film falls short of Abel Ferrara’s original and Werner Herzog’s cult follow-up, offering a conventional anti-hero thriller rather than a distinctive exploration of its setting or themes.

The film features Shun Oguri as Yabuki, Lily James as FBI agent Gwen Birgssen and Liv Morgan as the hostage at the centre of a criminal conspiracy involving a sadistic assassin. While its neon-soaked visuals and dark subject matter echo the earlier films, the review criticises its convoluted plot, weak dialogue, underdeveloped themes and unconvincing central characters; Oguri lacks the emotional intensity of Harvey Keitel or Nicolas Cage, while James is undermined by the script and a shaky accent.