All Night Long

All Night Long
Release Date - 11/14/1992
Country of Origin - Japan
Directed by Katsuya Matsumura
Starring - Ryōsuke Suzuki, Eisuke Tsunoda, Yōji Ietomi, Sachiko Wakayama, and Yumi Goto

In discussing the Japanese gore scene of film what are some of the titles that pop up usually? The Guinea Pig series, various works of Daisuke Yamanouchi and Tamakichi Anaru, Lucky Sky Diamond, and several others. What I find humorous about this is that most of these titles are shot on video direct to video films. Whether it be from being stated as fake snuff, to their cheap fun quality, or any other reason besides gore (most definitely thrill of the hunt to see them) these are the titles most people will mention. But yet some of the ones mentioned are in fact theatrical films.

You have stuff such as the Entrails of series, the Evil Dead Trap movies, Organ, and various pinky violence and exploitation films. While the first three examples are in fact known to fans of this scene of cinema they don’t pop up as often as the direct to video ones. Perhaps it’s due to the level of violence and, like I suggested, the thrill of the hunt. These theatrical films tend to have easily available ways to view them, legal as well in multiple countries compared to the barely released Guinea Pig or Yamanouchi films. Wanting to see violent films that had law enforcement evaluate them and/or just hard to get raises the interest to watch or own them. Why go off and rent or buy something as violent and known as Evil Dead Trap when it’ll always be there if you have a shot to watch a really hard to find film like Suicide Dolls. Though to be fair some theatrical films are hard to legally find and watch due to never being put on home media, being too pricey on home media, or just not that known.

Yet sometimes, just sometimes there are theatrical films that are as violent as previously mentioned ones that just get a lot of attention. One of them being today’s subject; All Night Long. Released in 1992 and made by director Katsuya Matsumura, All Night Long has obtained an almost legendary status to it. This is mostly due to how violent the film is and in general how violent the series is and upped the ante. However another reason tends to be that the films all have a bleak tone and story to them that makes them utterly nihilistic. The goal always tends to be show how shit the world is and throw in some violence to try and drive the point home, each film offering different scenarios to showcase this. After this first film though the series went straight to video for who knows why and aside from volume two and three (yup, the films go by volume…at first) being given release outside of Japan, none of the other ones have seen distribution outside of their native home land in an official way. Though what might be even more surprising is that Matsumura actually won an award for best director for the first All Night Long film. And they say gore can’t get you anywhere.

The series has been one that I’ve wanted to review for a while but haven’t due to other reviews needing written (and general laziness). I thought the “holiday” would be a fun time to start due to the plot of the first film. So here we are, on Valentine’s Day, discussing a movie that is nihilistic as fuck and uber violent. Let the love run through you as we take a look.

All Night long focuses on three teenage boys; Saitô Shinji (played by Ryōsuke Suzuki), Suzuki Kensuke (played by Eisuke Tsunoda), and Tanaka Tetsuya (played by Yōji Ietomi). One day the three (at that point strangers) converge at a train crossing along with a schoolgirl. A man soon approaches and, after being ignored by the schoolgirl, murders the girl viciously before turning his eyes on Kensuke. He’s eventually stopped by Shinji as Tetsuya goes to call for help. They eventually meet up at Kensuke’s house and decide to throw a party with each of them having to bring a date.

For Shinji this goes well as he befriends and starts a relationship with a fellow high school girl who’s quite the nihilist, to a degree. Tetsuya falls for a classmate at his private school and is aided by the class’ playboy (how I don’t know), but is betrayed by his helper. Kensuke meets a girl while driving and she agrees to come, however she ends up stranding him near a power plan handcuffed and with his pants down on the night of the party. The unfortunate events do not end as Shinji is beaten up with his girlfriend raped and mutilated by a gang. Once more the three converge at Kensuke’s house and decide (well Shinji and Kensuke decide, Tetsuya is basically dragged along) to get revenge, tracking the gang down to their hideout.

In a mad and bleak world, these three broken youths have on this night to take revenge and dish out some of their grief and pain. The night won’t end till bloody vengeance is theirs, even if it takes all night long.

When looking at All Night Long as both a series and in this singular film it becomes very clear that Matsumura’s goal was to show how bleak and violent the world is. And in this film he succeeds in spades at driving that message home. But while his intent succeeds in terms of the tone and message of the film, just how good is the actual film outside of it?

Beginning with story it should come as no surprise that movie’s plot is simple as all hell. The pacing of the film allows for the story beats to be hit one after another in rapid succession. Honestly there’s not too much to say here due to how simple it all is. Everything happens quickly and as you would expect. I will say that not everything is in the end tied up. We see Shinji interviewed for a job as a technician worker at a plane factory and we see his interviewer tell a co-employee to shred Shinji’s file. Yet we never learn if Shinji received the news and if he did we don’t see him reacting to it. Kensuke’s female acquaintance handcuffs him to a fence but we don’t see him escape, we know he did since we the audience sees him driving home, but how exactly did he get free? Finally while it is clear that Shinji’s girlfriend was raped and mutilated, what happened to her afterwards? Did she die? Did Shinji leave her there? It isn’t explained and it, along with the aforementioned points are things that really should have been shown. But really these are the only standout negative points of the story in terms of how it was written. In general, like I said, everything is simple that there isn’t a lot of discussion to be had. At the end of it that in itself could be the movie’s worst aspect. It delivers what you came for and doesn’t offer much of anything else, especially in the story.


Needless to say the simplicity carries on to the characters. The viewer is given basic information as to what the three are like; Tetsuya is a shy gullible push over, Shinji is just bleh, and Kensuke is a guy with an ego with a psychotic and mean side to him. Even when the trio decides to go on a rampage not much changes aside from Shinji becoming bloodthirsty and cold as shit, Kensuke is still psychotic (though it is shown a bit more now) and Tetsuya is still a pushover. Heck the ending which looks to seemingly change a character doesn’t really do much except make him a combination of two other characters. The only character that seems to have some depth to them is Shinji’s girlfriend with her being nihilistic but still rather joyful. Again everything is just so simple that I can’t say much without repeating myself a whole lot. You have a quickly paced and simple story mixed with simple characters. I wouldn’t say the story lets the characters down, as they do react to what happens. They just don’t grow from it outside of wanting revenge. A simple story while disappointing can be slightly forgiven. Simple characters that don’t have much too really make the viewer care however is unforgivable.

That leaves the technical side of the movie. It’s fairly meh. Some of the shots are nice and one shot in particular of Tetsuya has a nice menace to it. But really it’s just all bland and bleak looking. Everything looks like grey and dull and while some color gets in there the film has a graininess to it which washes it out some. Music is repetitive and just there. It doesn’t pop up a whole lot and the soundtrack itself is mostly a twainy affair with only one bit having some techno popping sounds to it. What about the gore? For a film that is heralded as being as violent and gruesome as the Guinea Pig series it really doesn’t go that far. The only time it gets to an extreme level is when the man kills the schoolgirl. But after that it doesn’t really do anything that an action movie wouldn’t do. Overall the technical side, like the story and characters is just a bag of not much and for some, probably a disappointment.


Trying to review All Night Long is such a hard thing to do. This coming from the fact that everything is so blatantly simple and eh that it becomes difficult to try and evaluate it outside of saying “This is just, a thing.” Looking at the story, characters, and technical aspects we have a film that doesn’t offer much and looks as dull and gloomy as the intent wants it to be. You can’t latch on to anybody and there isn’t enough of a plot to drag you into the ride of the film. The film is heralded for the violence but honestly I don’t find it that violent outside of one early scene, everything after that is tame and like I said what you’d find in an action film. So at the end of it All Night Long is not that impressive of a movie or that great of one to be frank.

Yet where the film succeeds is in Matsumura’s message of “People are shit and the world sucks.” Violence and insanity is around every corner and can be combated with more violence and insanity. Now while this is true of the world we live in sadly it’s been done in other movies. The message of All Night Long is clear and brought home to the viewer, and in some aspects the simple story, characters, and dull look help enhance it. But you have to ask yourself if the message is more important than looking at the film as a whole. To me I try to look and judge all things that go into a movie which in this case makes it hard to hand out a verdict.

Really when you get down to it, All Night Long is an overhyped film. I imagine if you come (which we all do) for the violence and you’ve never seen anything super graphic then maybe it’ll leave an impact. But I think for many of us we’ve seen so many other overly violent movies that this becomes tame in the long run. The atmosphere and tone fits the intent but everything else is just so simple and mediocre that it brings the film down. If the gore is your reason for coming then it isn’t a bad hour and a half to spend, just don’t get your hopes up or expect to be left with anything other than an attitude of “Eh it was okay.”

D +