Kensuke Sonomura has proved his mettle as a director in the lesser-known Japanese action gem Hydra. In Bad City, he brings a similar level of kinetic action choreography in a plot about honest cops versus underworld gangs.

The kingpin of the crime world in Kaiko City is Gojo (Lily Franky), who has plans to become the mayor. With knife-wielding assassins hitting rival gangs, the dead bodies of his rivals keep mounting.

Into this mayhem is thrown three cops from the Violent Crimes division, one of whom is a rookie. Leading the team is senior police captain Captain Torada (Hitoshi Ozawa) who was thrown in jail for his alleged involvement in the murder of a Korean mafia member, but released for a mission to take down Gojo.

Overall, the storyline is straightforward. It is all about a conflict between greed and corruption on one hand, with justice and retribution on the other. Balancing the scale is raw violence that can break free at any moment.

The entire mood of the movie is on the darker side with plenty of violence. In terms of plotting, there are a few twists and turns, but nothing unique that will blow your mind. Even so, the first half suffers from a lack of pace as the film takes some time to introduce all the characters. There are some side stories that make the plot denser and take a look into Torada’s past. 

However, Hitoshi Ozawa as the no-nonsense cop keeps the movie moving forward with his charismatic presence. Masanori Mimoto, Akane Sakanoue, Tak Sakaguchi, and others provide solid support as the other main characters. Tak Sakaguchi makes a solid impression as the silent assassin, allowing the action to speak for itself.

Action fans can get impatient with the somewhat slow progress in the first forty minutes or so. One gets the feeling that there are too many characters who do not add much to the overall impact of the plot. Trimming the film down from its current length of 118 minutes could have made it crisper.

Thankfully, the second half picks up the pace and rewards action fans with a brutal climax. Being a former stunt coordinator himself, the director shows his technical skills in staging the fights. Every move is perfectly executed with utmost attention to the details.

Kensuke Shinomura starts with smaller action patches until the climactic showdown where it is a free-for-all extended fight. The brawls are vicious and include the use of a variety of weapons, ranging from bare fists, elbows, and knees, to knives, pipes, and even loudspeakers. Even guns are brought out without diluting the effect of the freehand fights.

Again, Hitoshi Ozawa shows that age is just a number and excels in technical combat scenes. The raw physicality of the legendary actor as the grizzled cop shines whenever he is on screen. Every time the 60-year-old faces the goons in the movie, you know that they are going to get bashed.

Now, directors approach fight scenes in action movies in various ways, especially when it comes to showcasing martial arts. A big plus of Kensuke Sonomura’s fight choreography is how realistic he keeps the brawls. There are no flashy moves or high-flying kicks that many other movies focus on. Instead, the action is grounded and brutal and never feels like staged choreography. You may enjoy flashy fight choreography, but trust me, the action sequences in Bad City are exquisitely crafted.

The camera captures every punch and grapple, never cuts away in the midst of a blink-and-you-miss move, and even lingers on the fighters to focus on their expressions. Overall, it is captivating and makes you feel that you are right in the midst of the mayhem.

Bad City does not have the most thrilling storyline that you have seen in a crime drama, but the showdown rewards you with searing violence. Even so, Kensuke Sonomura shows much more maturity in handling the drama when compared to his first movie, Hydra.

To sum up, Bad City is a solid low-budget action movie, that will please genre fans. It proves that Japanese action cinema can deliver the perfect dose of gritty violence without going over the top. Kensuke Sonomura has set the bar high for action lovers, and I will be eagerly waiting for his next movie. 

By Suvajit Banerjee

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