Takashi Miike's 'Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo' Stumbles, Failing to Capture the Franchise's Notorious Spirit

When you hear the names Takashi Miike and 'Bad Lieutenant' in the same sentence, a certain kind of visceral, boundary-pushing cinema usually comes to mind, doesn't it? After all, Miike gave us unforgettable cult classics like 'Audition,' and the 'Bad Lieutenant' moniker itself conjures images of Abel Ferrara's raw, Harvey Keitel-led original, or Werner Herzog's wonderfully unhinged Nicolas Cage iteration. So, the anticipation for 'Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo,' with Miike at the helm and a stellar cast featuring Shun Oguri and Lily James, was palpable. Unfortunately, it seems the film, released in mid-September 2026, has largely landed with a rather confused thud, leaving critics scratching their heads and fans somewhat deflated.

This latest chapter plunges us into the gritty underbelly of Tokyo, following Kyoji Yabuki, a deeply corrupt metropolitan police officer played by the ever-charismatic Shun Oguri. He's exactly what you'd expect from a 'Bad Lieutenant' – a man deeply entrenched in moral decay. His world, however, intersects with Gwen Birgssen, an FBI agent portrayed by Lily James, who’s hot on the trail of a missing U.S. vice presidential candidate’s daughter, Megan (played by pro wrestler Liv Morgan), whose disappearance seems linked to Yabuki’s shadowy dealings.

Now, let's talk about Lily James. It's truly a shame, but her performance as Agent Birgssen has emerged as one of the film's most significant points of contention. Critics have universally described her casting as, well, 'miscast' is probably the kindest way to put it. There’s a particular detail that just keeps coming up: her 'hilariously thick Southern accent,' or as another reviewer put it, her 'intermittently southern ballbusting accent.' It seems to pull audiences right out of the narrative, making her character, an FBI agent no less, surprisingly unconvincing. One really wishes she'd managed to nail it, or perhaps, simply gone without.

Beyond individual performances, the film itself is, by most accounts, a bit of a bewildering experience. Reviewer Mark Asch's sentiment that it's a 'wildly uneven,' 'dour, oddly dull' affair seems to encapsulate the general feeling. It’s been labeled a 'confounding and frustrating mess,' a 'surprisingly dull crime thriller' that never quite gels. You know, sometimes a film can be messy in a compelling way, but here, it's more like a 'meandering nightmare of disconnected sequences that never comes together into a compelling whole.' That’s a tough pill to swallow for a Miike project, honestly.

And speaking of Miike, fans might also be surprised by the violence, or rather, the lack thereof. For a director known for his extreme cinematic flourishes, the level of violence in 'Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo' is noted as 'relatively tamped down.' One could speculate this was a strategic move, perhaps a 'concession for a wider North American audience,' but for those expecting Miike's signature intensity, it might feel a tad watered down.

Ultimately, 'Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo' seems to have missed a real opportunity. It fails to find a 'coherent identity' and struggles to live up to the infamous, gritty reputation of its predecessors. While Sam Pressman, a producer, has expressed hopes for the series to continue, one can't help but wonder if this particular installment, unfortunately, doesn't build a strong enough case for it. It's a shame, really, as the premise had such promise.