Some filmmakers are just so sincere that they’re incapable of making a soulless product even when actively attempting to sell out. One of my favorite examples of this is the career of Troma co-founder and master of schlock, Lloyd Kaufman. From the Toxic Crusaders cartoon to the director’s fondness for cash-grab sequels, Uncle Lloyd has […]
Some filmmakers are just so sincere that they’re incapable of making a soulless product even when actively attempting to sell out. One of my favorite examples of this is the career of Troma co-founder and master of schlock, Lloyd Kaufman. From the Toxic Crusaders cartoon to the director’s fondness for cash-grab sequels, Uncle Lloyd has never shied away from more commercial endeavors so long as the patrons don’t get in the way of his unique, anti-corporate vision.
And among the filmmaker’s numerous attempts at translating the underground appeal of Troma to a wider audience, the bizarre production ofSgt. Kabukiman NYPD happens to be one of the most fascinating. While this deeply odd superhero flick wasn’t as big of a hit as The Toxic Avenger (and Kaufman himself considered it a disappointment for many years), I’d argue that the clownish antics of Kabukiman resulted in one of the most underrated movies in Troma history.
And in honor of The Toxic Avenger reboot bringing the radioactive crime-fighter back to the big screen in all of his unrated glory, I think this is the perfect opportunity to discuss Troma’s other body-horror-inspired super-hero with a heart of gold.
In a classic case of niche American properties becoming “big in Japan,” the original Toxic Avenger was a surprisingly big hit in the East-Asian market. That’s why a large portion of the film’s controversial sequels was shot in Japan, a decision that allowed the heads of Namco to visit the set and approach co-directors Kaufman and Michael Herz with a business proposal about developing a new super-hero character specifically for the Japanese market. Kaufman jokingly replied that he already had ideas for a spin-off movie about the “Kabuki-Boy” character that briefly appears in the film, but the executives ended up taking his idea seriously and struck a deal. This nearly accidental partnership resulted in a $4 million budget – a huge sum for a Troma movie at the time – mostly acquired through foreign investors.
Of course, problems soon arose as both Michael and the Namco executives insisted on pivoting the film towards a more family-friendly style of filmmaking while Lloyd seemed incapable of compromising his “Tromatic” influences. This creative friction would go on to plague Kabukiman even after the film was completed, but it’s precisely the push and pull between Herz and Kaufman that make this such an entertaining feature. In fact, I’d argue that the duo’s conflicting personalities were also responsible for the success of their previous films.
Kaufman himself has admitted that the two initially disliked each other when they met at Yale and only hung out because one of them had a pinball machine and other owned the only TV in the dorm. However, they soon realized that their opposing dispositions made them highly effective creative partners. While Lloyd has always been outspoken about politics and extreme filmmaking (with the Troma co-founder acting as the public face of the company), Herz’s camera-shy personality and more business-oriented approach make him the perfect foil for Kaufman’s eccentricities. In the case of Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD, the disparate styles meant that the film could simultaneously benefit from the chaotic energy of a classic Troma production (i.e. rapid-fire gags, cartoony sound effects and over-the-top violence) with the more traditional structure and sensibilities of a mainstream blockbuster.
In the finished film (which was mostly shot on location in both New Jersey and Manhattan), we follow Rick Gianasi as Harry Griswold, a bumbling NYPD officer who stumbles onto a criminal conspiracy to murder a family of Kabuki performers that harbor a supernatural secret. As he attempts to thwart the assassination during a performance, Sgt. Griswold accidentally receives the family patriarch’s magical powers and gains the ability to transform into Kabukiman – a superhero that uses his theatrical (and often culturally insensitive) abilities to fight crime.
While this sounds like a standard superhero parody, with Sgt. Griswold going through all of the traditional steps of having to learn how to master his powers with the help of his badass sidekick Lotus (Susan Byun) so he may one day take down a power-hungry crime boss, the Troma DNA keeps the film from feeling formulaic. In fact, many of the familiar moments here are actually gags poking fun at the then-recent Tim Burton adaptation of Batman. There are also loving references to everything from classic Film Noir to retro commercials – as well as the Batman TV show starring Adam West.
Despite its considerable budget, Kabukiman also benefits from the cinematic jankiness inherent to Troma productions. The obvious cuts and added narration/ADR meant to explain missing scenes would have been annoying in any other film, but the unserious style here means that these shortcomings come off as charming rather than lazy. The missing footage also means that the film moves at a breakneck pace, with the story ending before you can become tired of the main character’s buffoonery.
The constant stream of energetic gags (which are boosted by a quirky soundtrack featuring what is objectively the best theme song in Troma history) is entertaining enough, but it’s Sgt. Kabukiman himself that makes this chaotic movie worth revisiting. Rick Gianasi exhibits plenty of leading man energy in spite of his character’s frumpled outfits and exaggerated facial expressions, but it’s his remarkable slapstick skills that keep me coming back to this film time and time again. Honestly, I could spend all day watching Gianasi hop around in his colorful kimono and fighting crime, and it’s a shame that the character never returned for a proper sequel.
Granted, there are certain problematic elements that make Kabukiman a little more difficult to revive than Toxie. While much of the film’s culturally/racially insensitive elements can be explained by the time frame in which it was made, there’s no real excuse for Lotus being a stereotypical “Dragon Lady” or for our hero to engage in barbaric practices as he slowly “turns Japanese.” Thankfully, the humor here is so frenetic that it’s actually easier to digest than in most other Troma productions, especially when you realize that the movie was made with the best of intentions. There’s also the fact that this was an international co-production, meaning that at least one Japanese producer had to sign off on the more controversial elements.
The executives weren’t pleased with everything, though. The extreme violence present in Lloyd’s original cut of the film had to be thoroughly toned down in order to guarantee a theatrical release over six years after the movie had been completed (which is why Kabukiman’s iconic car-flip scene had already appeared in other Troma pictures before showing up in the film it had been originally filmed for). Thankfully, even the PG-13 version of the film still features bizarre moments of body-horror as Kabukiman bleeds makeup over his face and goes through painful-looking mutations in order to transform into the colorful hero – a gruesome process that reminds me of Jon Watts’ underrated Clown. That being said, be sure to seek out the much more entertaining R-rated version of the flick if this article has convinced you to see it!
Toned down or not, Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD wasn’t exactly the success that Kaufman, Herz and Namco had intended. Hardcore Troma fans thought that the movie was too mild when compared to their previous offerings, and mainstream audiences were still put off by the over-the-top violence and gross-out elements even in the censored cut. This is why Lloyd himself viewed the project as one of his biggest personal failures, as the flick still failed to connect with audiences even when he was trying to make something a little more marketable – with this disappointment resulting in the filmmaker’s depiction of Kabukiman as an incompetent alcoholic in Citizen Toxie (where Gianasi was tragically replaced by another actor).
Looking back on Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD now, I’d argue that Kaufman and Herz did in fact achieve their goal of creating a more accessible Troma hero – it’s just that audiences weren’t yet ready for the flick’s bizarre B-movie aesthetics coupled with a blockbuster story. However, in an age where everything from animated TV shows to online videos (such as the AVGN series) have been heavily influenced by Tromatic excess, I think it’s safe to say that Kabukiman has earned the right to be reappraised as both a Troma classic and a hilarious super-hero flick satirizing genre tropes that still run rampant on the big screen nearly 3 decades later.
Troma returns to the big screen with The Toxic Avenger only in theaters on August 29!
