Junk (2000)

Even Japan wasn't immune from the outbreak of zombie themed horror movies. It could be argued that the Japanese helped usher in the movement with such films as "Versus" from 2000 as well as today's review, "Junk". Personally, I found "Junk" to be more entertaining and ridiculous than "Versus". Labeled as a Yukuza Zombie film, "Junk" pays homage to zombie classics like "Re-Animator" and "Dead Alive". Because of these obvious influences, the zombie make-up is kept cheesy and barely a step above the quality of work that Tom Savini was doing in the early 1980's. But the film does capture a hint of the comedic undertones that both movies had, sometimes to the point that you think that the acting is a bit too much over the top.

A team of four amature thieves pull off a daring jewelry robbery and make off with an estimated 100 million yen worth of loot. They make plan with a local yukuza boss to sell the stolen goods to and begin daydreaming of what their lives are going to become. The trade is to take place at an old abandonded military base. Unknown to these two groups, the US military was using the base to conduct unauthorized tests in reanimation. The tests were successful but the scientists and other personnel were all killed and turned. It's not long before the thieves and the yukuza run into the zombies, and during a fire fight between the two, more zombies are created. Now it's a race for survival until the military can come save the day, led by the co-creator of the reanimation serum.

Favorite moment - Watching the "zombie queen" in action, clearly more of a video game final boss than a regular old standard zombie!

Kyoko the zombie queen is hungry

Kyoko now has white hair! Whaa?

Yukuza checking out the stolen loot.