Tokyo Fist

Director - Shin'ya Tsukamoto (Haze, Killing)
Starring - Kaori Fujii (Ju-on: The Curse, Swallowtail Butterfly), Shin'ya Tsukamoto, and Koji Tsukamoto (Gemini, Bullet Ballet)
Release Date - 1995
Genre - Action/Drama
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     If you want to make a career out of making movies then you have to learn to adapt.  If you continue to give fans the same thing over and over again they will become bored and move on to the next filmmaker they discover that is offering up something different.  Shin'ya Tsukamoto is a very versatile filmmaker that blends genres together creating something very unique.  After watching the first two Tetsuo films along with Adventures of Electric Rod Boy I moved on to the next film in the Solid Metal Nightmares box set which was the 1995 action drama film Tokyo Fist.

     The film follows a young man who encounters an old friend. While talking about their lives he learns that his old friend is a boxer of sorts.  Soon his jealousy over his friend's profession leads him to suspect that his girlfriend is cheating on him with the boxer.  This puts his relationship in a strain and he starts training to become a boxer so he can confront him and settle it in the ring.  

     I knew this one wasn't horror when I was going into this one.  Like the Tetsuo films, Tokyo Fist is another one I had heard about when I was looking for other Japanese horror films to add to my collection.  I skipped over it because I was on the hunt for horror but looking back I feel like this was another bad choice in a long line of bad choices.  I really enjoyed this one.  The acting in this one is great.  Hell, it's probably the best acted Tsukamoto film I've seen yet.  The characters are very enjoyable and they do a fantastic job carrying the film on their back.  The boxing setting worked very well for the characters and their personalities.  The story for this one is very intriguing but it does get rather dry during some of the later scenes.  The film starts out with great pacing but by the third act you find yourself paying less and less attention.  Finally, the film is not one with a body count but you do get some blood and some impressive fight scenes with amazing cinematography.  Honestly, cult cinema fans will really enjoy these fight scenes.  Overall, Tokyo Fist may not be the film that Tsukamoto is remembered for but it is a fantastic watch.  I highly suggest it.