Director: Isao Yukisada
Year: 2026
Country: Japan
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Action
Plot:
Once upon a time, Yuri was one of Japan’s deadliest assassins, but she’s retired now and spends her days running an underground brothel. A news report about a former colleague who has died under mysterious circumstances doesn’t quite sit right. The dead man’s son is now the target of a military manhunt, and Yuri will do whatever it takes to keep him safe.
Review:
This was an enjoyable if somewhat problematic genre effort. The simplistic story, focusing on her mission through the Japanese-occupied part of the country and trying to gather enough intelligence reports to fulfill her duties while trying to protect the dead man’s son from the government troops on her trail, allows this one to move along at a steady but enjoyable clip as it keeps track of the huge cast of characters she encounters along the way as well as detailing their motives for wanting to be involved. This human drama, ranging from the generals in the Army looking to get their hands on the bank account owned by the boy’s father that will help them regain status in the regime to the usual operatives smuggling information to the frontlines, sets up a solidly intricate layer of plotlines to maneuver around in that takes time to spell out. This does highlight the main issue here in how overlong and unnecessary the near two-and-a-half hour runtime really is, trying to placate all these individual plotthreads really are, but the fact that they keep the film moving along is rather fun, given the unconventional period setting this all takes place in.
However, it’s the action here that serves this one well, and the film comes together incredibly well in this regard. The explosive skillset she displays with her guns amounts to a series of thrilling moments, from the first meeting on the train, where she realizes the mission is to protect the kid from the other forces chasing after him, which gets this off to a strong start, showcasing her skillset and the different tactics necessary to keep everything in order. Later scenes, including an ambush at a teahouse where she has to use her wits and a helper to fend off an overwhelming number of enemy soldiers shooting up the building, or the soldiers launching a raid on a potential hideout, there’s a lot to like here with the thrilling action leading the way for the bloody and brutal finale. Working through a major assault on the compound at the end that manages to introduce some bouts of heroism and struggles to overcome everything, setting up a fun setting and high-quality technical standards that the rest of the film has, giving everything some fun factors.
Overview: ****/5
A really solid and likable if overlong spy/thriller, there’s a lot to enjoy with this one, as the positive points manage to hold off the few drawbacks on display that are mostly present in how long the whole thing is. Those with an interest in this style or approach, or who are fans of the creative crew, will be the main audience here, while most others should heed caution.
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