Patlabor: The Movie

Patlabor: The Movie is a Japanese animated science fiction mystery set in a near-future Tokyo, where police use piloted robots known as labors. When an engineer dies in an apparent suicide and several industrial robots begin running out of control, the authorities grow concerned about the operating system installed across thousands of machines. The investigation involves members of the police labor unit, including Noa Izumi, Asuma Shinohara and Captain Kiichi Goto, and soon points toward a threat that could affect the whole city. The film is based on the Patlabor franchise created by Masami Yuki.

Mamoru Oshii directed, with Koji Sawai co-directing, and the screenplay was written by Kazunori Ito, Masami Yuki and Oshii. The cast includes Mina Tominaga, Toshio Furukawa, Ryusuke Ohbayashi, Yoshiko Sakakibara and Yō Inoue as voice actors. It was Oshii's fourth film as director in chronological order, following Angel's Egg and preceding Patlabor 2: The Movie.

On IMDb the film holds a rating of 7 out of 10 from around 6,200 votes, while on TMDB it has 6.9 out of 10 from roughly 194 votes, indicating a solid audience response. Released in 1989, it runs 100 minutes and blends action, animation and mystery.