If you're like me, you love the Bayside Shakedown films. The two movies and their spin-off Negotiator: Mashita Masayoshi entertained thanks to likable good guy values and a knack for mixing humanity into standard big screen action thriller formula. Important stuff gets mixed with the everyday, and the characters endear because dammit, they work hard! Considering the usual cinema maverick cops, it's great to see the blue collar worker take center stage once in a while

Bayside Shakedown returns with The Suspect: Muroi Shinji, starring Toshiro Yanagiba as Federal Officer Shinji Muroi. As the title suggests, the taciturn Muroi comes under criminal fire - but not necessarily innocently. In a move fitting for the Bayside Shakedown franchise, Muroi is busted for something he may actually have done. While investigating a murder, the trail leads to a young cop suspected of the crime. But the cop is killed in what could be classified as police brutality - and if it's not that, it's at least incessant badgering with a fatal outcome. Is Muroi guilty of pursuing justice so zealously that he badgered someone into throwing themselves in harm's way? And is that something he should be busted for?

Who knows? The inherent moral murkiness of Muroi's "crime" is intriguing, but the film spends more time on more obvious things, like the borderline evil Hanajima Law Firm. They're apparently out to get Muroi, and they're not alone. The feds and the local police bureaucracy are playing the blame game, and both identify Muroi as a good scapegoat. Amidst this wave of misfortune, Muroi is reluctantly aided by a young lawyer named Obara (Rena Tanaka), who has a reason to hate cops but will fight for Muroi anyway because it's her job. She also runs all over the place in an endearing manner, which references her previous hobby of running track and her obvious desire to work hard at what she does. It's kind of like...hey, the usual blue collar values of the Bayside Shakedown crew!

The theme of the suits vs. the streets has long been a Bayside Shakedown staple, and Suspect follows suit in an interesting, though less charming way than the films that spawned it. Director Ryoichi Kimizuka adroitly sets up each player during the film's involving first half, creating both characters and caricatures that fit right into the Bayside Shakedown world. The filmmakers pay as much attention to the system as they do to the concept of right versus wrong; the film takes pains to show us what's actually possible in Japan's bureaucratic justice system as opposed to the black-and-white judgement that audiences usually prefer. Basically, justice is preferable and possible, but compromise is a must. In pushing the idea of responsibility over absolute right, Suspect manages to feel complex and sometimes even real.

Too bad that complexity is not enough to give the film an absolute thumbs up. The first half of the film may involve, but the second half gets bogged down in slow revelations and a numbing inactivity - and much of it is perpetrated by Muroi himself. The character is a street-sympathetic suit who understands the plight of the guys in the trenches, but he's still a by-the-book square. With the pressure mounting, Muroi seeks to do only what he can - which given his character, isn't a whole lot. Ultimately, it takes action from other people to get the job done, the idea being that it's Muroi's exemplary character that inspires them to act thusly. Muroi's righteousness and respect for the system make him an admirable guy, in a "he tries to do the right thing" sort of way. But it's not that exciting watching others bail out Muroi. At some point, it would be great to see him actually spring into action.

But hey, that's usually a job for Bayside Shakedown characters who don't actually appear in this film. In Bayside Shakedown and its sequel, it was Muroi's job to exert steady calm over potentially explosive situations, while local cops like Aoshima (Yuji Oda) and Sumire (Eri Fukatsu) did the hot-blooded thing. Yanagiba's taciturn cool can sometimes border on morose, but the character's righteous resolve makes him likable, if not overly compelling.

Whether or not he's strong enough to carry an entire film is a tougher question. In my estimation, the answer would be "no". We need more than a righteous witness to really make this film a winner, and Muroi never actually becomes more than that. As it is, Suspect has plenty for the fans, and is interesting enough in its own right for some of the uninitiated. But the film will likely not recruit anyone new to the Bayside cause. Suspect lacks the necessary punch to truly entertain, and seems content to use exposition as a means of solving everything.

Still, as a part of the Bayside Shakedown series, Suspect does carve out its own appropriate and largely intelligent niche. Is it a good film? The answer to that question may ultimately depend on who you are. I liked it, but again, I love Bayside Shakedown movies. And even though Suspect is more plodding than powerful, I still want them to make more. (Kozo 2006)