In the Midst of Disaster, Only One Signal Matters Source: The Associates press release Official Movie Site: 252 (Japan)
Inspired by a miraculous real-life rescue event that occurred following the Chuetsu earthquake of 2004 and named after the Tokyo Fire Department code that indicates the discovery of survivors in need of rescue, 252: SIGN OF LIFE (252: Seizonsha Ari, aka 252: SIGNAL OF LIFE, 2008) is an epic, special effects-laden disaster movie that combines the thrills and dramatic heroics of THE TOWERING INFERNO with the elemental spectacle of SINKING OF JAPAN. Giant, baseball-sized hailstones and a devastating tidal wave are merely precursors to the main event, a mega-typhoon that strikes Japan and virtually destroys Tokyo, leaving a handful of survivors trapped in the rapidly flooding and collapsing subway system with their fate of hanging in the balance. Among them is a former Hyper Rescue Squad member, Yuji Shinohara, and his young deaf-mute daughter, Shiori, along with a desperate businessman, an antagonistic medical trainee and a beautiful Korean nightclub hostess. Taking turns to tap out the 2-5-2 distress signal on the surrounding walls and pipes as chaos continues to reign above and below ground, they manage to attract the attention of an elite response force from the Tokyo Fire Department on the surface who were about to give up hope of finding anyone alive. With the eye of the huge, killer storm about to hit the area, both the rescuers and survivors must find the courage to risk everything in order to avoid certain death at the hands of nature. Directed by Nobuo Mizuta (NO MORE CRY; BOY MEETS GHOST; MAIKO HAAAAN!!!) and starring Hideaki Ito (SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO;THE LAST MESSAGE- UMIZARU; KAMUI), Takayuki Yamada (MAIKO HAAAAN!!!, BATTLE LEAGUE HORUMO; MW), Yu Kashii (DEATH NOTE) and Korean model-turned-actress Minji (A LUSH LIFE), 252: SIGN OF LIFE is a white-knuckle thrill-ride through a volatile world at the mercy of wild and unpredictable meteorological forces. 252: SIGN OF LIFE (cert. 12) will be released on DVD (Region 2, PAL) by MVM on 10th January 2011. The suggested retail price is £15.99. Label: MVM Release date: 10th January 2011 Release type: DVD Certificate: 12 Running time: 132 minutes Pricing: £15.99 Genre: Asian Director: Nobuo Mizuta Stars: Hideaki Ito, Takayuki Yamada, Yu Kashii, Minji
For more information on 252: SIGN OF LIFE please see the earlier coverage here on SciFi Japan:
