- Director : Yudai Yamaguchi
- Actors : Tak Sakaguchi, Kohei Fukuyama, Kanon Narumi, Rumika Fukuda
- Dubbed: : English
- Subtitles: : English
- Language : Japanese (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), English (Stereo)
- Studio : Well Go Usa
- MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
- Country of Origin : Japan
- Number of discs : 1
- Media Format : Blu-ray
- Run time : 1 hour and 25 minutes
- Release date : March 12, 2024
I love action movies.
It’s my guilty pleasure and the genre I would likely choose above all others
when in need of escapist entertainment, but that doesn’t mean I watch them with
an uncritical eye. The biggest misconception I come across when proclaiming my unadulterated
love of the genre is the films I am referring to, with many automatically
lumping the fantasy narratives of the superhero films in the genre merely because
they contain sequences of action spectacle. The reason this false assumption
bothers me so much is because superhero films often rely heavily on CGI in
place of practical stunt work and fight choreography. This is mostly due to the
fact that the casting priority of these blockbusters is movie stars rather than
skilled martial artists, but the opposite is true of the impressively ambitious
One-Percent Warrior.
This Japanese
actioner doesn’t have a massive budget or a complex premise, though there is
room for a bit of meta-manipulation within the plot. What it does have is an
action star in Tak Sakaguchi, who was a literal street fighter before utilizing
his skills onscreen. In One-Percent Warrior (also known as One
Percenter), Sakaguchi stars as a film action star named Toshiro, a character
that feels specifically written with the star’s own background in mind. After creating
a gritty and realistic action film named Birth, Toshiro’s career is
floundering, leaving him playing the villain in a generic samurai film while planning
a comeback. In preparation for his next ambitious film effort, Toshiro travels
to a remote island housing an abandoned industrial factory, unaware that it is
also the location for a yakuza crime syndicate’s unsavory activity.
As any action
fan is likely to predict, Toshiro takes it upon himself to take on the island’s
criminal occupants, battling each without an ounce of fear, or weapons beyond
his own hands and feet. Toshiro’s criticism of modern action films within the narrative
is carried over in the execution of action within One-Percent Warrior,
with much of the fight choreography carried out in long takes and wide shots.
The need for the CGI and excessive editing used in a majority of Hollywood
action films these days is diminished with the performance abilities of Sakaguchi,
not to mention the fight choreography handled by action director Kensuke
Sonomora (Hydra, Bad City, Baby Assassins).
While Sonomora
handled the action sequences, One-Percent Warrior is directed by filmmaker
Yûdai Yamaguchi, who is likely best known for his over-the-top Sushi Typhoon
releases like Deadball and Yakuza Weapon (2011). Given how much
of the run-time is dedicated to action, however, it seems impossible to
over-estimate the significance of Sonomora’s contributions to the film. Although
there are some humorous moments between the fight scenes, there is also an odd
attempt at a twist ending the final moments, which took me out of the
experience more than I had hoped. Leaving this odd narrative decision behind, however,
One-Percent Warrior is one of the more ambitious and impressive action
films I have seen from any country in recent years.
The Blu-ray release
for One-Percent Warrior includes a making-of featurette, which goes even
further is showing how impressive the work done on the film was. I don’t know
if Hollywood is paying attention, but they should be. If nothing else, Sakaguchi
deserves to be brought into one of the spin-offs from the John Wick series. The
extras also include a trailer and an English-language dubbing option, for those
who are too lazy to read subtitles.
Entertainment Value:
9/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7.5/10
Historical
Significance: 6/10
Special Features: 4/10
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