Sometimes it¡¯s all about the casting. Hiroya Shimizu and Mahiro Takasugi have an on- and off-screen bromance that stretches back to when they appeared together in the 2012 TV drama ¡°High School Entrance Exam.¡± Their rapport is one of the best things about ¡°Oasis,¡± a mostly generic crime drama by first-time director Takuro Iwaya, who also wrote the script.
Set in the filmmaker¡¯s native Nagoya, it¡¯s a familiar tale of childhood bonds clashing with gangland loyalties, enlivened by offbeat touches where the quirkiness doesn¡¯t always seem to be intentional. Hiroto (Shimizu) and Kanamori (Takasugi) grew up together, until a violent rupture sent them down different paths. Now the former is an enforcer for a local yakuza family, while his old pal has hooked up with a less tradition-bound gang.
Both of them seem resigned to playing the roles they¡¯ve been assigned; Hiroto, in particular, treats his vocation with the seriousness of a young executive on the corporate fast-track. However, his dedication starts to falter when he¡¯s reunited with Beniha (Marika Ito), a damaged young woman who was once part of their teenage friendship group.
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