The Red Spectacles

The Red Spectacles imagines a mind-bending, dystopian future. For those uninitiated into Japanese artist Mamoru Oshii’s Kerberos Saga, The Red Spectacles (1987) packs quite a jolt. Opening titles announce that at the conclusion of the twentieth century, “to combat the rapid rise in urban crime and its increasing violence, the Metropolitan Police Dept established the ‘Special Armed Task Force Against Violent Crimes’ unit.” On screen background continues, “Armed with specially reinforced suits and heavy weaponry, they came to be known as ‘Kerberos: Watchdogs of Hell,’ and began their bold challenge against the criminal world. However, their actions were so severe in their hatred toward evil, that their ruthless investigative activities drew public criticism. The organization had no choice, but to be dismantled when a petty criminal was beaten to death by a member of the Special Investigation Unit.”