For several years Well Go USA has been one of the best distributors of genre films in the country. But the company finds itself in a bind with One-Percent Warrior (aka One-Percenter), a martial arts adventure starring Tak Sakaguchi.
Sakaguchi has figured in a sexual assault case involving cult director Sion Sono and was accused of assault himself. “Innocent until proven guilty” is a foundation of the US legal system, but I can’t deny misgivings about reviewing One-Percent Warrior.
Another reason is that it’s not very good. Sakaguchi plays Takuma Toshiro, has-been action star shunned by the industry because of his eccentric demands. Now he’s trying to jumpstart a comeback by shooting a “pure action” movie on a remote island at the site of an abandoned zinc mine.
However, rival filmmakers have already arrived, as well as triad gangsters after a fortune in cocaine. At first the fights are just skirmishes, but they quickly escalate to bloody massacres. Toshiro and his underling Akira rescue a gangster’s daughter, only to face waves of relentless killers.
Meta elements keep multiplying. The camera pulls back at one point to reveal that the entire story is actually taking place on a film set. Is Toshiro imagining his battles? If so, why are villains dying?
Action director Kensuke Sonomura (Baby Assassins) offers several set pieces that consist of bad guys waiting in line for Sakaguchi to take them out. The actor usually defeats them with a single blow, sometimes only tapping them on their shoulders.
The fights take place in corridors, stairwells, warehouse spaces and empty offices. Darkness and undercranking hide much of the action. The set pieces are repetitive to the point of monotony, despite the very obvious talents of Sakaguchi and the stunt players.
One well-staged encounter with Jeet Kune Do master Ishii Togo builds considerable suspense, but it’s surrounded by poor, melodramatic plot twists.
The meta elements (including a bit of Fight Club misdirection) aren’t really worth the effort, and Sakaguchi proves a dour, uninteresting lead. Hardcore fans may find enough here to watch; for others, this is a dank, unappealing exercise.
Credits: Written and directed by Yûdai Yamaguchi. Action director: Kensuke Sonomura. Director of photography: Ozawa Hiroyuki. Lighting director: Kimura Akio. Edited by Hori Zensuke. Music composed by Kawai Hidehiro. Cast: Tak Sakaguchi, Sho Aoyagi, Itsuji Itao, Kenjiro Ishimaru, Keisuke Horibe, Ishii Togo.
On Digital and Blu-ray from Well Go USA Entertainment. Streaming on Hi-YAH! starting April 5. Photos courtesy Well Go
