Break Free enjoyed its World Premiere for the 30th edition of Fantasia International Film Festival.
In Yu Nakamoto’s Break Free, the Mikami clan is in dire straits these days with the Anti-Organized Crime Law in full effect. That means an economy in which gigs may be the only for Yakuza to pay the bills, a fact no different for Kunio (Akito Fujii), a fearsome enforcer who’s made a name for himself keeping order in Mikami territory with the help of subordinates Yama (Shigeo Osako) and Kazu (Atomu Mizuishi).
Unable to resort to business-as-usual tactics, however, it’s not until Kunio gets egged-on by a passerby that he decides to take a different strategy for intimidation purposes. Little does he know that he’s been recorded and posted in a video that’s gone viral, compelling him to take up dancing as a means of helping his organization pull itself back into financial stability. As Break Free charts course into the unknown for Kunio, the move will also be a testament in a number of ways.
How so? Firstly, none of the people he’s acquainted himself with in the dance community, including his newfound teacher, Marie (Mai Fukagawa) know that he’s a gangster, and such inclinations could make him a pariah at any given moment. This leads to the second factor of the story as Kunio’s crime family becomes the target of two haphazard pseudo-gangsters looking to take Mikami’s territory for their own. For Kunio, there’s a very fine line between taking the dancer out of a Yakuza, and taking the Yakuza out of the dancer – an impasse that may not only upend his chances at internet fame, but also curtail any hopes of liberating himself in pursuit of a greater passion.
Break Free feels like another hint at certain themes this summer in during my film coverage. I’d just wrapped up another review of a film playing at the festival and that post will go up in a few weeks, actually. In the meantime, it’s an admirable addendum in the scheme of things, and it also finally puts Yu Nakamoto’s work in my purview, one that puts influencer culture squarely in the hot seat with an adjacent focus on self-discovery with a tangent study on internet fame.
The movie also brings lead actor Fujii front-and-center for a ubiquitous fish-out-of-water gangster romp that doles out its shares of brutality, laughs and introspective drama for a substantive comeback tale that doesn’t hold back on some interesting, even daunting character moments while getting the job done. Fujii brings substance and pathos to the role of Kunio, accompanied by his size and gait which make him a viable contender for a film of this caliber, with Fukagawa making good in the promising role of our big-hearted Marie as she and guides him through a crash course on social media performance with the help of friend and big creator, Ririka (Ui Mihara).
Kunio’s development also underscores a few flashbacks, including with a tragic moment that doesn’t make its reasons quite obvious, so you’re kind of left with taking it at face value while the story moves forward. It also sharply highlights a key setback in his personality that finds our lead character in a real sticky situation midway into the film that ultimately works out as well as it could. There are a few of these moments and it can be jaw-dropping for sure.
The good news is that most of the film is on point with its intentions, carried firmly by co-stars Osako and Mizuishi and Fukagawa, as well as Kenta Kiritani who plays Yakuza lieutentant and Kunio’s big brother, Goto. I also enjoyed seeing Wataru Ichinose who’s been on my radar for close to a decade now as a recurring character in a franchise favorite of mine, here now in a supporting capacity that only reaffirms how awesome and hilarious he is as a character actor with great screen caliber and comedic timing.
Co-stars Takuya Negishi and Ryo Ichinose provide ample villainy with enough gruesome imagery to warrant their place in the film as the antagonists of choice. Fans of EXILE TRIBE will also get to see Shogo Iwaya in action, recurring in the film’s dance battle arc opposite our lead for a feasible thrill of movement and showmanship.
Action and stunt sequences come courtesy of Minoru Tomita whose credits partly include coordinating stunts on The Fable and Hell Dogs. The action also bodes pretty well with fight scenes that are plentiful when they arise and create enough excitement to warrant the attention of action fans. Nakamoto pairs this aspect well with the dancing which makes for a serviceable feat in modifying the stakes for our protagonist as the final act nears, and the result is a bittersweet finish that nonetheless keeps you rooting for the bad guy.
There’s a climatic moment in the finale that feels like a missed opportunity for a re-enactment of “Bad,” which I think would have made for a fascinating spectacle provided the licensing was there. It would have definitely suited the moment as well, particularly with the success of Antoine Fuqua’s latest biopic in the background of this year in accordance with the viral surge of all things Michael Jackson on the internet. This is neither here nor there, but it’s fun to wonder these things. All in all, I had a blast with Break Free, and soon as it comes out next year, I think other moviegoers will too.