This Thursday will see the debut of the final episode of Tokyo Vice season one on HBO Max and to hold you over we have an exclusive clip that tees up the finale in a big way. In the clip, Hideaki Itō’s Jin gives Ayumi Tanida’s Shinzo Tozawa a major heads up about the investigation being made into him by Ken Watanabe’s Hiroto Katagiri, while also teasing that their business together may not be concluded. Check it out in the player below and look for the last episode to drop on Thursday, streaming only on HBO Max.
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For those unaware the series’ official description from HBO Max reads as follows: “Loosely inspired by Jake Adelstein’s first-hand account, this crime drama follows the young American journalist as he descends into the neon-soaked underbelly of late ’90s Tokyo, where nothing and no one are what they seem.” Watanabe stars in the series alongside Ansel Elgort (Baby Drive, West Side Story), leading the ensemble cast that includes Rachel Keller (FX’s Fargo and Legion), Hideaki Itō (Sukiyaki Western Django), Ella Rumpf (Succession, Raw), Rinko Kikuchi (Pacific Rim, Babel), and Tomohisa Yamashita.
Tokyo Vice was created by J.T. Rogers for television, but the series saw a lot of film fans perk up about its development when legendary filmmaker Michael Mann signed on to direct the pilot, who brought a lot to the table for the cast as well. “This pilot’s success owes a lot to Michael Mann. He really tried for the realistic feeling,” Watanabe previously revealed to EW. “It’s so difficult to get approval for shooting in Tokyo, and we considered other places just outside the city. But Michael Mann wanted and needed to shoot in Tokyo. Japanese critics sometimes say that foreign filmmakers only want to shoot Tokyo from above, like from the sky or something. But Michael wanted to shoot deep down, in the ‘basement’ of Tokyo. It really gives you that ‘underworld’ feeling.”
The series has earned an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with a “Certified Fresh” distinction,” with the critical consensu reading: “Tokyo Vice’s protagonist is its least interesting element, but the intrigue of Japan’s underworld and the verisimilitude of its setting make for a seductive slice of neon noir.” As of tomorrow, Thursday, April 26, all eight episodes of Tokyo Vice are now streaming on HBO Max.
