If You Love ‘Tokyo Vice,’ Check Out This Neo-Noir Crime Series

The Big Picture

• Tokyo Vice
  ‘s second season offers a unique neo-noir experience that stands out from typical crime shows.
• Too Old to Die Young
  , directed by Nicholas Winding Refn, shares a similar stylistic approach.
• Both series feature complex characters navigating morally gray worlds, enhanced by visually engaging storytelling.

While the Max streaming service has been canceling popular shows lately, the streamer has nonetheless succeeded in delivering one of the year’s most exciting projects thus far with the second season of Tokyo Vice. Executive produced by Michael Mann, the gritty noir series has done a great job of examining the infrastructure of the Japanese yakuza whilst offering uniquely stylized filmmaking that makes it feel wholly distinct from procedural crime shows. The series is not currently headlining Max’s lineup due to its more artistic approach, but the success of Tokyo Vice indicates that there’s a strong fanbase for idiosyncratic neo-noir programs. Although shows like this are too far and in between, Prime Video’s underrated crime epic Too Old to Die Young is perfectly suited for Tokyo Vice fans.

What Is ‘Too Old to Die Young’ About?

Like Tokyo Vice, Too Old to Die Young has the benefit of having a brilliant auteur filmmaker shepherding the series, giving it a cinematic quality that distinguishes it from other crime shows. Although Mann was involved in the creative inception of Tokyo Vice and still serves as one of its producers, Too Old to Die Young is written, directed, and run by Nicholas Winding Refn, the crime cinema maestro behind such modern classics as Drive and The Neon Demon. Having a filmmaker behind the scenes certainly helps both shows stand out, as they refrain from falling into television cliches. Refn has certainly helmed some impressive films, but the freedom of the streaming format allows him to tell an epic story that couldn’t have been narrowed down for the big screen.

Set in modern-day Los Angeles, Too Old to Die Young follows the police officer Martin Jones (Miles Teller), who is coping with an unfortunate accident in which a woman was killed. Similar to Tokyo Vice’s Jake Adelstein (Ansel Elgort), Martin is forced to become intertwined within a crime syndicate when his desire to see justice gets the better of him. Though Tokyo Vice and Too Old to Die Young have a very complex understanding of the social and political infrastructure of how a crime organization operates, both shows utilize an “audience avatar” character to indoctrinate the viewers into their worlds. Elgort’s perspective as an ignorant outsider allows Tokyo Vice to explain how different Japanese criminal justice is from what he’s used to in America; similarly, Too Old to Die Young reveals critical pieces of exposition thanks to Teller’s excellent performance.

Having an identifiable protagonist helps both shows streamline their narratives, but both Tokyo Vice and Too Old to Die Young are very gray in their morality. A lingering question throughout Tokyo Vice Season 2 is the ramifications of Jake’s journalistic endeavors; it’s possible that his desire to find the truth will end up causing more problems than it actually solves. Similarly, Martin is forced to compromise his morals when he is forced to work for the Russian gang leader Damian (Babs Olusanmokun). As Martin is forced into an uncomfortable position where he’s not entirely in control of his actions, his darker impulses take root as he flirts with his more malevolent tendencies.

‘Too Old To Die Young’ and ‘Tokyo Vice’ Are Stylistically Unique

Too Old to Die Young or Tokyo Vice can be generally compared to other works of crime fiction, but both shows have a stylized aesthetic quality that makes them more visually dynamic. Tokyo Vice clearly draws inspiration from the neo-noir genre with its dimly lit backgrounds, focus on isolated characters, sharp editing choices, and disorienting use of sound. These qualities are only amplified in Too Old to Die Young; Refn combines the openness of a desert landscape with the isolation of a major metroplex, creating a clever visual contrast that makes the show’s events feel surreal. Both shows use their visual language as a means of keeping the viewers engaged in stories that could otherwise be deemed convoluted.

Music is a key component of both Tokyo Vice and Too Old to Die Young, as both shows combine background tracks and pulse-pumping scores to create singular audio experiences. Tokyo Vice has a great neo-noir score by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans, though the series also utilizes diegetic music that characters listen to in late-’90s/early-aughts Japan; Sato’s (Show Kasamatsu) affinity for the Backstreet Boys becomes a humorous subplot in Tokyo Vice’s second season. While Too Old to Die Young utilizes a score from Refn’s veteran composer Cliff Martinez, it uses unexpected needle drops in order to create an atmosphere of dark humor. The use of Barry Manilow’s infamous love ballad “Mandy” in the episode “Volume 5: The Fool” is a particular standout.

‘Tokyo Vice’ and ‘Too Old to Die Young’ Keep Their Stories Grounded

Crime stories as rich as the ones told in Tokyo Vice and Too Old to Die Young work best on streaming services, as they can deal with more disturbing subject material that may only be suited for a select audience. Both shows are unafraid to show extreme moments of violence; Tokyo Vice gets grim when the Tozawa organization begins to intimidate and torture their victims, and Too Old to Die Young features graphic action sequences that rival the disturbing qualities of Refn’s controversial film Only God Forgives. However, violence is necessary to the story at hand in both shows, and it would be counterintuitive to their intentions to sand down the content in any way.

While neither show is particularly sentimental, Tokyo Vice and Too Old to Die Young feature romantic storylines that keep the viewers engaged emotionally. In Tokyo Vice, Jake’s flirtations with the expatriate Samantha Porter (Rachel Keller) serve as a reminder of the show’s reality; in Too Old to Die Young, Martin’s love for his girlfriend Janey Carter (Nigel Tyler Free) serves as one spot of hope within a very dark series. By keeping the emotionality sincere, Tokyo Vice and Too Old to Die Young become absorbing crime epics that impede on an all-too-familiar version of reality.

Too Old to Die Young is streaming on Prime Video.

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