Suzuki Masayuki's "Hero" Review
There aren't that many "talento" in Japan that can genuinely be regarded as superstars but Kimura Takuya is definitely one of them. From J-pop idol (as a member of 90s boy band SMAP) to model, to TV drama hot throb to movie star, "Kimutaku" has done it all. With his boyish good looks, charming charisma and decent acting talents he can easily be compared to Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio and has just as many adoring female Japanese fans. And now he can also add the title of "box office king" to his resume as his recent movie "Hero" (the theatrical follow up to his immensely popular 2001 TV drama) dominated the Japanese box office for six consecutive weeks this past month and earned over $70 million in ticket sales to date.
"Hero: Gekijou Ban/ Movie Version" (not to be confused with the NBC TV series "Heroes" or the Jet Li 2002 movie) is a sequel to the hit Fuji TV series "Hero" which revolved around the character of Kiryu Kohei (Kimura), a former juvenile delinquent in a rural town in Aomori who turned his life around by studying to become a Public Prosecutor. While he didn't have the elite Todai (Tokyo University) degrees of his peers nor their stoic character, he none-the-less distinguished himself as a caring, honest attorney who despite his unconventional quirks (he refuses to wear a suit and tie in court or to cut his hair) was well respected for his dogged determination, sharp intellect and for never giving up on his clients. In further contrast to his partners, he also had a willingness to take whatever case, however small or trivial.
Along with Kimutaku most of the series' stellar cast returns including fellow Ministry of Justice prosecutors Egami (Katsumura Masanobu), Endo (Yashima Norito), Shibayama (Abe Hiroshi), Suetsugu (Kohinata Fumiyo), Nakamura (Otsuka Nene), Ushimaru (Kadono Takuzo) and boss Nabeshima (Kodama Kiyoshi). Popular J-Dorama actress Matsu Takako is also back as conservative Paralegal Amemiya Maiko who pines for Kiryu but is unable to let him know how she feels, even after six years.
Series director Suzuki Masayuki (GTO, Long Vacation, Shomuni) does the directing duties again for the movie and his visual flair and dramatic storytelling style is once again in full effect. I had a hard time however believing in the complex scandal at the center of screenwriter Fukuda Yasushi's story which involved a mugging incident that went horribly wrong and which surprisingly leads up to a political cover-up involving bribery and intimidation.
Kiryu's latest legal opponent comes in the form of the brilliant former Deputy Prosecutor, Harvard Law school graduate and now high priced Defense Attorney Gamo (great character actor Matsumoto Koshiro who is also Matsu Takako's real life father) who is mysteriously hired to defend the mugging suspect. When the true villain is revealed to be a corrupt politician (portrayed by Morita Kazuyoshi AKA the comedian "Tamori") one can't but laugh. With his trademark sunglasses firmly in place, I couldn't believe Tamori to be the villain even with his uncharacteristic serious character's tone and demeanor (it's like asking Jay Leno or David Letterman to appear in a movie as a villain).
The whole side trip to Korea, while interesting seemed also to be out of place with the rest of the movie. Although I liked seeing Byung-hun Lee (J.S.A.-Joint Security Area) in a small cameo role, it would have been nice if he had more to do. Nakai Kiichi is wasted in his cameo as well as a former client who is serving time in a penitentiary.
"Hero" is basically a movie made for Kimutaku fans. With his cool fashion sense and looks, he carries the film and is its main draw and focus. While he is good in his scenes in court, it's his comedic moments that are the most enjoyable, especially the running gags involving all the "junk" he has purchased through a cable TV shopping network (a "Let's Learn Spanish" language set, a torso/stomach exercising gizmo and a balancing exercise device).
Kimura and Matsu have great on-screen chemistry together and their scenes are fun to watch, especially their brief trip to Korea. Their love-hate relationship is reminiscent of Bruce Willis/Cybill Shepherd in "Moonlighting" although not as antagonistic.
Abe, Katsumura, Yashima and Kohinata also supply funny comedic moments but it's Masana Bokuzou's "Barney Fife-like" capitol security guard and Tanaka Yoji's mean-looking but good hearted bartender who are the standouts.
As with other TV shows turned movies "Unfair", "Tokyo Friends", "Bayside Shakedown" and "GTO", fans of the TV series will probably enjoy the movie a bit more than non-fans but "Hero" does what it sets out to do and does it competently but don't expect the film to go beyond what was already done on TV.
