Runtime: 76 minutes
Directed by: Ralph Bakshi
Starring: This is an animated feature w/ live action moments & interludes
From: AIP
Have I grown too old or too jaded for Ralph Bakshi movies? Or is it just that some elements have aged like milk? Perhaps it’s all of the above but the last viewing of this (which had to be at least a decade and a half ago) left me with more positive opinion than the take I have after finally having the opportunity to discuss this here. For the record, Fritz the Cat I enjoy despite its puerile and sometimes sloppy nature, while Coonskin was just off-putting due to the plot and the stereotypes. Here, we follow a character named MICHAEL CORLEONE, as Bakshi hates The Mafia and by extension, The Godfather.
Michael is an artist in NYC who lives with his parents and eventually starts dating a Black bartender. Throughout we see plenty of real footage blended in w/ the animation, which includes Michael in flesh & blood playing a game of pinball. Plenty of symbolism is present; unfortunately, there is also plenty of stereotypes. This includes Italian, Jewish people, Blacks, and yeah, a trans person… or at least a man who presents themselves as a woman but has not transitioned. This person is a barfly and they romance a man without him knowing the truth—not the greatest stereotype to see in 2023.
There’s also plenty of nudity, blood, and language-I had no memory of so many N-bombs being dropped. The reasons why I can give this a “fine” rating: some of the animation was interesting, as was the live-action footage & how it was integrated into the end product. However, the true highlight was both the funky score from Ed Bogas & Ray Shanklin and a soundtrack that had everyone from Sergio Mendes & Chuck Berry to Dave Brubeck and The Isley Brothers—it was fire, in other words.
As I stated in my review of Heavy Metal, adult cartoons of the past that were designed chiefly to be bold due to their focus on boobs, violence, sex, and language… it doesn’t seem as impressive if you’ve seen any anime; even if only a tiny fraction has been experienced (the same boat I’m in), the stories and animation just seems better. If you want thrills that are taboo-and that’s not counting the tentacle stuff!-that field has films like this and Heavy Metal utterly vanquished. Then again, plenty like this film more than I do so don’t just read my opinion if you’re undecided on Heavy Traffic.
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