Product Details

• Actors: Sachiko Ayase, Mickey Curtis, Tadao Nakamaru, Osamu Ohtomo, Daisuke Shima
• Directors: Yasuhiro Horiuchi
• Writers: Jirô Kuwata, Kazumasa Hirai
• Producers: Carl Macek
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Fox Lorber
• VHS Release Date: September 5, 2000
• Run Time: 83 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304390319
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #382,281 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A surprisinly thoughtful movie, May 14, 2001

By 

Laura Mortensen (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 8 Man [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I read the blurb on the back of the box and thought this sounded like a silly action film to enjoy on a rainy night, and in some ways it is, but there is also some thought put into the premise of the story.

This dubbed vesion of the film is narrated by Chief Tanaka in a film noir style. My boyfriend found it a bit annoying that Tanaka's voice was done by a man who had dubbed for a lot of different Japanese Anime, but I thought his voice fit well.

Tanaka explains how one of the men in his department was shot and killed by a gangster. Instead of letting an abulance take the man to the hospital Chief Tanaka dragged the body to his own car and ended up going for help to Doctor Tanai. Doctor Tania is reasearching cybernetics and needs only a fresh corpse to continue with his experiments. Tanai takes the dead policeman and transforms him into 8 Man.

Tanaka sets 8 Man up as a Private Detective named Azuma and the policeman's girl friend Sachiko ends up working for him. Azuma's former partner in the meantime goes undercover to help take down the man who had Azuma's former self murdered. When he in turn gets shot 8 Man and Chief Tanaka end up taking the gangster out.

8 Man, was not Dr. Tanai's first experiment as it turns out. Tanai made his own son Ken into a robot after he was killed in a car accident. Ken is what brings the thoughtfulness to the movie. Unlike Azuma or 8 man, Ken was left with his memories of being fully human. He hates his fater for what he has become and murders people out of spite. He makes Azuma doubt the worth of his own existance. Ken points out that he can never love Sachiko as he might wish to. Azuma ends up with his own angst about this half-life he has been given.

What Azuma decides to do with the second chance which was forced upon him makes for a truly involving story, at least for me.

4.0 out of 5 stars 8Man Movie, August 27, 2011

By 

Michael J. Albee (Batavia, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 8 Man (DVD)

If you're a fan of the original cartoon series and remember it from when you were a kid, like I was in the 60's when it premiered in the US, then you'll appreciate this movie on a certain level.
I recognized the plot as being taken from one of the original cartoon episodes.
You have to remember, this was made in the 80's in Japan, so the special effects aren't the high tech realistic stuff that Hollywood has now, but it is fun to watch and shows you how the Japanese looked at this character.
I've heard people say that 8Man is just a rip-off of Robocop, but 8Man was created more than 20 years before Robocop, so it's actually the other way around and 8Man gets points on originality.

4.0 out of 5 stars 8Man euthusiast, November 22, 2010

By 

A. retallick "blueant" (austin, tx United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 8 Man (DVD)

The story is a bit different from the 1960s cartoon series; some creative liberties taken for adaptation to the screen. Basically, most of it is intact. Was no problem for me. I enjoyed seeing 2 major characters- the Professor and the Police Chief, each with their own self interests about working with 8Man.

8th man costume is great, they did a good job. I like the special effects, not bad for it's time. The gangsters were kind of typical, however,the major villain was interesting ; I liked his vocal quips.

I enjoyed the movie until about halfway. Then it seemed to bog down with 8 man loathing himself. In the cartoon series, 8 man eventually accepts his fate and does not dwell so much about life.

It does kind of pick up at the end and wrap up the story. It's a fun detour to take if you want to watch a modestly budgeted Superhero film.