Production Budget Analysis

The production budget for Redline (2009) has not been publicly disclosed.

CAST: Takuya Kimura, Yu Aoi, Tadanobu Asano, Takeshi Aono, Tatsuya Gashûin, Unsho Ishizuka DIRECTOR: Takeshi Koike CINEMATOGRAPHY: Ryu Takizawa MUSIC: James Shimoji PRODUCTION: TFC, Madhouse

Box Office Performance

Theatrical box office data is not publicly available for Redline (2009). This may indicate a limited release, direct-to-streaming, or a release predating modern box office tracking.

Profitability Assessment

Insufficient publicly available data to assess profitability.

INDUSTRY IMPACT

PRODUCTION NOTES

▸ Development

In 2003, prior to Redline's production and release, a prelude anime OVA entitled Trava: Fist Planet was released, featuring two characters (Trava and Shinkai) who would reappear as key characters in Redline.

Redline was produced by Madhouse, which Maughan notes is all the more unusual as it is Koike's directorial debut. Several more advance screenings were done at international film festivals during 2010. At the 2010 Nantes Utopiales Sci-Fi festival, the film received the special mention of jury and public. The film opened in Japan on October 9, 2010. Coinciding with this, the film was shown in a San Francisco-based Viz Cinema theater from October 8–14, 2010. Distribution in North America is handled by Manga Entertainment. It was the last new product released through the American division of Manga before they ceased distributing new titles in the States.

▸ Music & Score

An official soundtrack to the film by was released under GBC label on October 6, 2010 and contains 42 tracks. It ranked 207th on Oricon's album chart.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Summary: 1 win & 3 nominations total

CRITICAL RECEPTION

Redline was unsuccessful at the box office. It saw greater success following its home release and critical reviews and is considered a cult film. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds 70% approval rating based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10.

Tim Maughan of Anime News Network gave it a A+, and describes the film as "something very special, very different, and insanely exhilarating." In particular he praises the film's director, saying that "Koike has managed to make all this chaos believable." He goes on to say that "Redline is animation not only at its best, but also largely animation for animation's sake." Although Maughan says some may dislike its techno soundtrack and "minimal plot," he calls Redline "the most insanely exciting, visually exhilarating anime film you've seen in decades."

Thomas Zoth of Mania.com comments that while the film does not provide "a deep plot or unique premise," it still "demands to be seen." He said that if Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was "an assault on the senses ... Redline is a declaration of war." Zoth went on to praise the film for its "imaginative creatures and clever designs", to compare Koike's work to that of Quentin Tarantino, and to compliment the film for its "soundtrack, with its memorable high-energy tracks that greatly complement the chaos onscreen." He concludes by saying that if "the life of the industry has been drained and replaced with rote, cookiecutter shows-by-committee, Redline shows a path out." a remake of Hanna-Barbera Wacky Races with arts inspired from Jack Kirby comics and know-how, rhythm and energy inherent of the best Japanese anime movies. The reviewer praises the animation quality as breathtaking, and declares that Takeshi Koike made an homage to comics and films of the 70s and 80s.

Kwenton Bellette and Peter Martin reviewed Redline for Twitch Film.