Fantasia XXVIII: Fifteen Titles You Don’t Wanna Miss For The 28th Edition!
It’s time, friends – time to raise the curtain on this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival now that the full line-up is here in all it’s glory. You’re welcome to tap here, here, and here for all the waves of the last few months. In the meantime, I’m throwing my hat in for at least fifteen of these films I think folks coming to the festival should check out.
Some of these titles were spotted throughout the markets in the past year. I think a few of them were reviewed outside of the ones I know were. Xu Haofeng and Xu Junfeng’s 100 Yards is an obvious one which I know our own Shaun Williams is pining to see this year following its U.S. acquisition last year. I’m also curious to see director Junichi Yasuda’s A Samurai In Time which was shot at Toei Studios and hands actor Makiya Yamaguchi some screentime for its World Premiere.
Lowell Dean’s Dark Match is another eye catcher with Chris Jericho starring in a story of a small time wrestling company fending off a mysterious cult leader in a backwoods town. Director Shinji Araki’s Penalty Loop is another thriller I caught wind of last year about a man whose act of vengenace throws him into a hellish Groundhog Day event.
For totally self-aware B-movie action and cheese, there’s The Old Man And The Demon Sword from director Fabio Powers, and the trailer will give you an ample idea of what you’ll be in for at that. I’m especially keen on Shimako Sato’s Yin Yang Master Zero which I’ve profiled a few times earlier this year, director Park Jin-pyo’s webtoon-based Brave Citizen, and director Keizo Murase’s long-awaited and crowdfunded love letter to OG kaiju fandom, Brush Of The God.
There’s more to this list, and I’ve provided festival programmers’ notes beneath each image below. Most of these are my primary picks with a mix of others for consideration, but check out my selects in the list below, and for all else, head to the official website right now for details and ticketing info!
100 Yards
In the courtyard of a respected martial arts school in 1920s Tianjin, China, the venerable master observes a formal, barehanded duel between his most prized student, Qi Quan (Andy On, TRUE LEGEND, SPECIAL ID) and his own son, Shen An (Jacky Heung, THE WARLORDS, CHASING DREAM). The confrontation concludes with Qi’s victory—and the master’s last breath. Qi will thus step up to assume leadership of the academy, but Shen won’t take that sitting down. Though his father wished for him to take a respectable banking job, beyond the constraints of the wushu world, Shen is too sure of his own talent to turn his back on what he feels is rightfully his. It’s a rivalry that won’t be settled easily, especially not when family secrets, demimonde politics, and romantic entanglements (with women far wiser than they) further complicate matters for the stubborn twosome.
Through four previous feature films beginning with the brilliant THE SWORD IDENTITY, and of course his admired screenplay for THE GRANDMASTER, writer, academic, and film director Xu Haofeng has proven unmatched in his understanding of the techniques, history, and lore of Chinese martial arts. His scholarly knowledge alone would elevate his efforts above the majority of kung-fu movies, and the combat choreography in 100 YARDS (care of Sifu Duncan Leung, a student of the great Ip Man) is indeed impeccable. It is however Xu’s subtlety, precision, sly wit, and striking visual sense (augmented here by Dao Shan’s bravura camerawork) place him among the finest of contemporary filmmakers. The masterful genre auteur’s latest, co-directed by his own brother Junfeng, once again reconciles authenticity and inventiveness, and rewards the attentive audience a hundred times over. – Rupert Bottenberg
Out Of The Shadows
Look out for the Karate Girl! Injustice has reigned over the quiet town of Shek O in Hong Kong. Chu Po is a young masked vigilante out to help those in need and kick a baddie’s ass. Just as her social-media popularity increases, so do her frequent injuries, as she learns that her beginner’s skills may be no match for those of more experienced fighters. Fate draws her to a local church infested with illicit drug-dealing activities. She soon realizes her connection to that church is more personal than expected as there’s a link to her family’s past. Should she simply stay in the shadows and pray for a miracle, or put her karate chops to good use?
An rejuvenated ode to both THE KARATE KID and the action heroines of Hong Kong’s Golden Age, the latest from director Ricky Ko after his award-winning TIME (Fantasia 2021) once again nicely combines nostalgia and modernity with a potent mix of martial arts, humour, sweetness, and compelling characters, OUT OF THE SHADOW offers a guaranteed good time, a reminder of why we love HK movies so much in the first place. Starring several rising stars from Hong Kong, including two actors reunited after Fantasia favourite PORT OF CALL (2015), OUT OF THE SHADOW is fresh off several Asian festivals, and makes its first stopover in the West at Fantasia before it hits its home territory this fall. – King-Wei Chu
Penalty Loop
When his girlfriend was murdered, part of Jun’s soul died with her. Since then, his only thought has been to take justice into his own hands. Having tracked down the murderer, Mizoguchi, and prepared a meticulous plan to achieve his aims discreetly, the time has come to take action. Jun slips in among his target’s colleagues, spices his coffee with poison and finishes him off out of sight. The perfect crime. The problem is that the next morning, he’s plagued by a feeling of déjà-vu. Worse still, Mizoguchi is back at work as if nothing had happened. Jun resumes his Machiavellian plan, but something goes wrong as his target seems far more suspicious than the day before. He succeeds, but in a much more muddled and imprecise fashion. When the routine is repeated yet again, Jun has to face up to the fact that he is trapped in a hellish time loop in which every day, he will have to kill Mizoguchi, who is also well aware of the situation he finds himself in, and is becoming increasingly difficult to kill.
It would be a big mistake to reduce this gripping black-comedy thriller to its simple time-loop concept, because PENALTY LOOP is full of stunning twists and turns, and ingenious ideas that border on the fantastic, to keep its audience on the edge of their seats throughout. Inspired by a real series of murders during the pandemic, director and screenwriter Shinji Araki (THE TOWN OF HEADCOUNTS) uses his unflinching storytelling style to offer a deep reflection on the notion of justice, grafting on a host of purely enjoyable moments, all with impeccable direction and mindblowing visuals. The complicity between actors Ryuya Wakaba (ICHIKO) and Yusuke Iseya (FLY ME TO THE SAITAMA) is palpable, helping to develop an engaging relationship between the film’s protagonists. With this second work that is as entertaining as it is ⁵innovative, we’ll be keeping a close eye on auteur Shinji Araki. – Translation: Rupert Bottenberg
A Samurai In Time
In a quiet lane in Kyoto, as the Edo period draws to its dramatic close, two pro-shogunate swordsmen ambush a political foe. The ringing of clashing steel is interrupted by a flash of lightning, heralding a bizarre paranormal event. Aizu clansman Kosaka Shinzaemon awakes to find himself… in a quiet lane in Kyoto. His mild confusion becomes outright alarm, however, when among the busy locals clad in the robes of old Japan, he sees some wearing blue jeans, running shoes, and headphones. Even the folks who seem ordinary to him are behaving in odd ways. Shinzaemon has been flung a century and half into the future, landing right in the middle of a jidaigeki (period drama) television production. Fleeing the set, he finds himself adrift in a modern city where nothing makes sense. As the truth of his circumstances dawn on him, Shinzaemon is devastated. What place is there, here and now, for an honourable, old-fashioned samurai? Well, for starters, authenticity and skill with a sword are highly prized by the jidaigeki production team…
The medieval warrior transported to modern times is a variant of the time-travel subgenre that has been explored many times around the world—remember Jean Reno in THE VISITORS? Award-winning writer/director Junichi Yasuda (GOHAN), however, offers a take on that theme that’s not only clever, funny, and distinctly Japanese, but remarkably poignant. Shot on location at Toei Studios Kyoto, A SAMURAI IN TIME is nailed down by the subtle and convincing performance of lead actor Makiya Yamaguchi, whose diverse resume includes a number of jidaigeki titles. In fact, the film is more than a fun fish-out-of-water fantasy, it’s an homage to samurai cinema as it wanes as surely as the shogunate once did. Dedicated to the late Seizo Fukumoto (UZUMASA LIMELIGHT), a jidaigeki regular for decades who is said to have been killed tens of thousands of times of on screen, Yasuda’s A SAMURAI IN TIME is a cinematic destination absolutely worth the time and travel to experience. – Rupert Bottenberg
The Count Of Monte-Cristo
It’s 1815 in Marseille, and young Edmond Dantès has just been promoted to captain, and is preparing to marry his sweet Mercedes. Unfortunately for him, the treachery of certain jealous peers leaves him to rot in the dismal dungeon of the Château d’If for 14 years. There he meets Abbé Faria, who schools him in languages, history, sciences,and weaponry, as well as divulging the location of a lost Pharaonic treasure, so that one day he can even the scrore for the affront he has suffered. Dantès manages to escape and seize the Templars’ fortune before returning home to orchestrate his ruthless revenge.
Created by the great Alexandre Dumas in the mid-19th century, Edmond Dantès is one of the most celebrated characters in French literature, and the story of his revenge has left its mark on popular culture around the world through countless works. Consider Batman, for instance, and the similarities between Bruce Wayne and Dantès are obvious. This new film adaptation by Alexandre de la Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte, the screenwriters of the recent diptych LES TROIS MOUSQUETAIRES who now share the director’s chair, takes the brilliant gamble of subtly reappropriating MONTE-CRISTO’s pop-culture influence for its own benefit, hinting at the tropes and trappings of the modern superhero film while retaining the classicism of the work through grandiose art direction. Pierre Niney shines in the title role as he expresses the stages of Dantès’s evolution into Monte-Cristo with exemplary sobriety and spellbinding charisma. If you’re looking for a truly magnificent piece of cinema that respects its original source material while adding welcome contemporary elements, as evidenced by the triumphant reception of LE COMTE DE MONTE-CRISTO at the recent Cannes Film Festival, this is the place to go. – Translation: Rupert Bottenberg
The G
Neglect, abuse, and devastating fraud are all too frequent fates in store for so many as they pass through the final years of their lives. A callous bureaucracy offers little comfort to the elderly, and all too many opportunities to those who would take advantage of them. Harsh-tongued septuagenarian Ann Hunter is nobody’s fool, but she and her ill husband Chip are nonetheless easy marks for a treacherous legal guardian and his accomplices, plotting to swindle the pair. Soon enough, Ann finds herself with no husband, no money, and no home other than the miserable facility she’s been locked up in. But as her tormentors are about to find out, someone who’s had everything taken away from her is someone with nothing left to lose—and a dark secret of her own.
After decades as a character actor in countless films and TV series (winning numerous awards in the process), Dale Dickey takes centre stage in THE G, delivering a performance fierce and flinty enough to give Eastwood or Bronson pause (and certainly more subtle than either). Like Dickey’s turn as Ann, Montreal director Karl R. Hearne’s second feature film, a favourite on the festival circuit, bristles with quiet, carefully calibrated intensity. Inspired by his own grandmother, apparently one tough cookie, as well as outrage at the frequency of elder abuse right under our noses, Hearne has crafted a gritty revenge thriller laced with shards of bitter humour and anchored by an unconventional yet entirely convincing protagonist—a different shade of noir, with a touch of grey. – Rupert Bottenberg
Wake Up
After recording a cell-phone-camera message warning, “The world is changing,” a group of young people enter the expansive House Idea store, hiding until it closes for the night. Their goal is to use spray paint and butcher-shop blood to vandalize the place as a protest against its exploitation of the Amazon rainforest’s flora and fauna. The minimal security doesn’t concern them—but they don’t know that Kevin (Turlough Convery) is on duty. He’s a mountain of a man with a fragile, dangerous mental state whose hobby of choice is “primitive hunting.” Once he gets wind of the intruders on his turf, these environmental activists find themselves becoming an endangered species.
RKSS, the Fantasia-favourite filmmaking collective consisting of Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell and François Simard (TURBO KID, SUMMER OF 84, WE ARE ZOMBIES), returns to the fest with their first slasher film. This is no typical killer-vs.-kids flick, though; with a savage, uncompromising screenplay by Alberto Marini (SLEEP TIGHT), it puts Gen Z through a violent reckoning. The sextet of wannabe reformers wear animal masks as part of their protest of House Idea’s crimes against nature, before Kevin turns these adopted protective identities against them, targeting them in his own personal hunt. The youths mean to show House Idea that corporate actions have consequences, without ever considering the repercussions their own activities might bring down on them. Beyond WAKE UP’s ideological interest, the filmmakers make fine, tense and frequently bloody use of the labyrinthine store setting and the many potential weapons found on its shelves—with one especially impressive sequence involving UV paint. – Michael Gingold
Killer Constable
Leng, nicknamed the Killer Constable, is a righteous upholder of the law, but takes no prisoners. Armed with his powerful blade and a loyal legion, he has carried out the deeds of the empress without fail, and with extreme prejudice. Now, a great treasure belonging to the royal palace has been stolen. Leng and his best mena are tasked with recovering the loot and uncovering the culprits. But this simple mission is laced with sinister intentions, as fighters on both sides slowly get picked off one by one, with a mysterious army lurking in the background. With his blind faith in the system, Leng is too stubborn to realize that the real mastermind who orchestrated everything could be someone closer to home. Will he accomplish the mission in time?
Kuei Chih-Hung, the controversial director of BOXER’S OMEN (Fantasia 2019) and a master of Hong Kong horror and exploitation, unleashes his only wuxia film, widely considered a profound martial-arts masterpiece for brilliantly subverting the genre with its unique, dark horror look with bleak undertones, while offering incredible action set pieces involving dangerous weapons, including the infamous fight-in-the-rain-and-mud scene. Imagine a wuxia version of Robocop, or John Wick in Old China. Headlined by true martial artist Chen Kuan-Tai (Fantasia classics FINAL MASTER, EXECUTIONERS FROM SHAOLIN) in one of his signature roles, and the lead baddie from this year’s other Shaw classic, AVENGING EAGLE, a bloody journey lies ahead. Be among the first group to witness the killer new restoration from the original camera negative that will chop away at all your expectations of a martial-arts film. – King-Wei Chu
The Avenging Eagle
Brutal and highly specialized in lethal weapons, the 13 Eagles of the Iron Boat Clan show no remorse or pity, and leave no survivors, not even children nor pregnant women. Black Eagle, adopted son of the band’s ruthless leader, has a reputation for being one of the most vicious. But a change of conscience forces him to escape. In the desert, he randomly meets a mysterious, nameless stranger with impeccable fashion and martial skills. The duo fight his former brothers, killing them in the process. Why is this stranger helping him and what’s the deal with his mysterious bladed weapons up his sleeve? Can Black Eagle confront and defeat his father and his infamous eagle-claw gloves alone?
An astonishing classic that moves at a relentless speed and grace while maintaining an enriching back story, AVENGING EAGLE is a certified favourite of Quentin Tarantino! A signature film of director Sun Chung (HUMAN LANTERNS, TO KILL A MASTERMIND), known for his brilliant combination of eloquent action and brutality, is now fully restored with eagle-eyed precision in beautiful Shaw Scope. The breathtaking, dynamic uses of weapons are coordinated by Tang Chai (OPIUM AND THE KUNG FU MASTER), who rejuvenated the wuxia style during the golden age of the 1960s and ’70s. Two of the biggest stars of the studio, Ti Lung (DRUNKEN MASTER 2, A BETTER TOMORROW) and Alexander Fu Sheng (8 DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER), square off against Shaw Bros.’ best character actor, Ku Feng (also in this year’s KILLER CONSTABLE and CHINESE GHOST STORY II). AVENGING EAGLE was nominated for two Golden Horse Award including Best Feature in 1978, winning for Best Editing. – King-Wei Chu
Dark Match
Lowell Dean, who made the cult hit WOLFCOP and came to Fantasia with WOLFCOP 2 in 2017, is back with the World Premiere of DARK MATCH, starring wrestling legend Chris Jericho!
Indie wrestling can be tough. Despite the hardcore fanbase, there’s little money to be made. That’s where Rusty Bean’s (Jonathan Cherry, SUPER GRID, WOLFCOP 1 and 2) gaggle of small-time wrestlers come in. Amid fighters duking it out over chances with talent scouts, Rusty gets a mysterious call offering $50K to bring headliners Miss Behave, aka Nick (Ayshia Issa, TRANSPLANT, UNITÉ 9), Kate the Great (Sarah Canning, SUPERHOST, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES), and Mean Joe Lean (Steven Ogg, THE WALKING DEAD, WESTWORLD) to a private event called “The Dark Match.” It’s too good to pass up, so, along with their rival fighters, they arrive at a secluded compound to a scene of bacchanalia, or as they learn, “Lupercalia,” headed by a mysterious leader called The Prophet (WWF/WWE eight-time champion, Chris Jericho). It’s Party Central as the athletes indulge in drinks and drugs, leaving them guiltily disoriented and uneasy the morning after. Things get stranger leading up to the match, and Nick knows something’s amiss. Armed guards spark alarm bells, and the team learns they’ll fight for more than a big payday.
Dean goes in for demonic fun with his latest offering, enlisting Jericho and a fantastic cast. Along with Issa (a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World champion), Ogg, and Canning, you’ll see genre fave Michael Eklund (THE DIVIDE, CONTINUUM) and Leo Fafard of WOLFCOP fame. This edge-of-your-seat horror set in the late ’80s wrestling heyday puts you ringside with a demonic cult and battles on the ropes to stay alive. Dean’s return to Montreal with Jericho will conjure rabid fans and a devil of a good time! – Carolyn Mauricette
Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In
At one time the most densely populated place on Earth, Hong Kong’s fabled anarchic enclave Kowloon Walled City remained an astounding urban anomaly until its overdue demolition in 1994. Its numbers swelled in the wake of the Chinese civil war, yet it remained in practice ungoverned, and by the 1950s, criminal gangs filled the void left by the absence of any municipal authority. Points of contention were settled with blades, not ballots, and none could challenge the power of gang lord Mr. Big (Sammo Hung)—until Cyclone (Louis Koo) arrived.
Fast-forward to the neon-soaked 1980s, and Cyclone, a brilliant administrator as much as a brutal martial artist, is the de facto mayor of the crumbling concrete labyrinth, while the treacherous Mr. Big nurses his resentments from his dockyard fortress. A desperate Chinese refugee, Chan (Raymond Lam), becomes a problem for both of them, but it is Cyclone who shows mercy to the capable fighter, gradually insinuating him into Kowloon’s tight community. Lifelong loner Chan has finally found a family of sorts, but what will this family demand of him—and how long will this place he now calls home remain standing?
An enormous hit on its home turf, with a constellation of Hong Kong silver-screen stars in its cast, award-winning director Soi Cheang’s grand gangster opera recalls not just the gritty history of its famous setting but also the glory days of the great Hong Kong triad flicks, full of larger-than-life performances, unrelenting energy, intense drama, and of course ferocious, concussive combat. Recreating Kowloon’s ramshackle, claustrophobic majesty most convincingly, Cheang makes it his canvas for a searing portrait of a way of life—and death—now long gone. – Rupert Bottenberg
Brave Citizen
Mooyoung High looks like a nice, peaceful secondary school — but it isn’t. The truth is that bullying is a major issue there, as merciless violence takes over the whole institution. So Si-min, a former professional boxer, is now a part-time high school teacher and has witnessed some brutal bullying at her workplace. The most dangerous bully of them all, Han Su-kang has, been harassing and beating up an innocent student non-stop. Taking matters into her own hands, Si-min decides to don a mask and deal with Su-kang herself, to teach him a lesson and deliver proper justice. It’s up to Si-min to put an end to his violent acts once and for all.
Based on the popular webtoon of the same name, BRAVE CITIZEN is one of the most stylishly entertaining Korean action flicks ever made! The theme of school violence is prominent throughout, and explored in a very interesting way. Directed by Park Jin-pyo (VOICE OF A MURDERER, YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE), it has everything you want in a film like this, especially great characters and intense action sequences. Shin Hye-sun is absolutely fantastic in the lead role—you’ll be rooting for her from start to finish. She’s clearly put in a lot of hard work and dedication into the fight choreography, and you can tell she was born to play this character. Korean movie fans, take note! If you’re in the mood for a ridiculously fun flick, you certainly do not want to miss this! – Steven Lee
Tatsumi
Tatsumi works as a fisherman in a small coastal town, but he also has a side job—he’s a “cleaner” for a local drug gang, disposing of the bodies of their victims. After the murder of his ex-girlfriend, her young sister, defiant car mechanic Aoi, seeks revenge and asks Tatsumi for his help. He initially refuses, but he then realizes that he has no choice, and that there is no turning back. Dangerous men are now coming after them, so they must fight for their survival and find redemption within themselves.
After making his debut with the gritty, award-winning feature KEN AND KAZU, director Hiroshi Shoji doesn’t hold anything back in his follow-up TATSUMI. As an independent filmmaker, he was able to make it the movie he always intended it to be. It’s gritty, violent, and brutal, but most importantly, it’s enthralling. His cinematic portrayal of gang life paints a grim and realistic portrait of suffering and cruelty. You know exactly what you’re getting into with a movie like this, and Shoji delivers one of the best and most compelling crime thrillers in a very long time! It’s a riveting, action-packed revenge tale of betrayal and injustice in organized crime, and also reflects on finding true purpose and destiny. Everyone in the cast does a great job, especially Yuya Endo (GODZILLA MINUS ONE) as the titular protagonist and Kokoro Morita (Fantasia 2020’s LIFE: UNTITLED) as Aoi. They both bring depth to their characters, and the bond they have with one another is palpable. After its world premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival last fall, TATSUMI is now ready to unleash itself on the Fantasia audience! – Steven Lee
Brush Of The God
Lonely teenager Akari is feeling rather ambivalent at the memorial for her late grandfather, whose work as a modelmaker for monster movies means a lot less to her than it does to his surviving colleagues, and to Akari’s nerdy classmate Takuya. A mysterious person appears at the event, and presents the two kids with a simple prop from an unfinished film. It’s a handmade ink brush, and the stranger explains that it’s the key to the task that now falls to Akari — to stop the world from ending! With that, the two are transported to a fantastical island inhabited by strange and wonderful creatures, as well as a pair of all too human miscreants. These bungling bandits are however nowhere near as dangerous as the many-headed, mythological dragon that now threatens the world — and our young heroes!
In the wake of the spectacular success of Oscar-winner GODZILLA MINUS ONE, 2024 is the year to rediscover kaiju eiga, the amazing world of Japanese giant-monster cinema. The subgenre has delighted audiences worldwide for seven decades now, and for almost all that time, master artisan Keizo Murase has been deeply involved. Known mainly as a suit designer and creature sculptor, Murase has crafted memorable monster costumes for many titles in the GODZILLA, GAMERA, DAIMAJIN, KAMEN RIDER and ULTRAMAN franchises. His efforts were however limited to the special-effects department — until now. At the age of 88, Murase has completed his first feature film as a director, BRUSH OF THE GOD, and it’s truly something special. The kaiju scenes are of course a joy, done in the classic style that Murase himself was vital in defining. More than that, however, BRUSH OF THE GOD is generously self-referential, a venerable master’s reflection on his extensive legacy, and his expression of hope that the magic of kaiju eiga will live on, today and in the years to come. – Rupert Bottenberg
The Roundup: Punishment
Brawny detective Ma Seok-do is back and ready for another adventure! After the death of a drug-trafficking app’s developer, Ma joins forces with the Cyber Investigation Team and goes on a mission to take down the sinister Baek Chang-gi, who runs an illegal gambling market. He’s the one responsible for the murder, and he will not hesitate to kill people by any means necessary. However, Seok-do not only has to face against Chang-gi, but also his partner Chang Dong-cheol, who’s preparating his own selfish plan. It’s up to our hero to pursue proper justice and stop these criminals from achieving their goals.
Are you ready for the latest installment of THE ROUNDUP franchise?! Since the Fantasia premiere of THE OUTLAWS in 2018, the festival is tremendously proud to see it evolve as one of the best Korean action series of all time! This is already the fourth movie, so you know exactly what you’re getting into. Director Heo Myeong-haeng, the series’ longstanding fight choreographer, has been involved in lots of stunt work in the past, including the legendary hallway scene in OLDBOY. Lead actor Don Lee is here to stay, and there’s no stopping him. All the things you love from the previous instalments are in THE ROUNDUP: PUNISHMENT, especially the badass, beautifully executed action sequences! This is yet again an incredibly dynamic, insanely entertaining and crowd-pleasing popcorn blockbuster that both Korean cinema fans and action movie aficionadoes will absolutely love. – Steven Lee
