hitoshi ozawa

BAD CITY Takes Over The U.S. This August From Well Go USA. Catch The Trailer!

The official trailer and keyart have finally arrived for Kensuke Sonomura‘s latest pulse-pounding thriller, Bad City, following its acquisition by the company last year. The film stars V-Cinema screen legend Hitoshi Ozawa who wears hats on both sides of the lens, including starring in the film to celebrate his 60th birthday last year. Sonomura directed the film from his own script, succeeding his 2019 assassin thriller debut, Hydra, also a Well Go USA release. Bad City also stars Lily Franky, Hideto Katsuya, Akane Sakanoue and Masanori Mimoto, along with Mitsu Dan, Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi, Masaya Kato, Tak Sakaguchi, Rino Katase, Kazuki Namioka, Taro Suwa and Arisa Matsunaga. Long plagued by poverty and crime, Kaiko City has been torn apart by rampant corruption and growing violence between the local Yakuza faction and a notorious Korean crime boss. But when a mafia-connected businessman runs for mayor and begins systematically eliminating his opponents, a […]

Take A Brutal Trip Through BAD CITY In The Newest Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

The long and patient road grows ever closer to its end with the newest trailer above to signal the forthcoming release of crime thriller Bad City, the sophomore feature from Hydra director, stunt multi-hyphenate and filmmaker Kensuke Sonomura. Tickets are currently on sale for advance screenings at select locations in Japan according to Comic Natalie, with the film’s nationwide release in Japan on January 20, 2023. Bad City marks the latest pairing between Sonomura and V-Cinema legend Hitoshi Ozawa (Shoot, My Darlin’, Score, High & Low: The Worst) who shot the film to celebrate his 60th birthday. Ozawa, credited as OZAWA in the film, also penned and executive produced the film in addition to opting to perform all his stunts, as noted by Sonomura in my interview with him back in September. Ozawa plays tough, grisled ex-cop Torada, who gets furloughed by the crime-plagued Kaiko City’s beleaguered top prosecutor to […]

BAD CITY: Well Go USA Acquires ‘Hydra’ Director’s Latest Crime Thriller For Q4 2022 Release

Lee B. Golden III

It may have seemed pretty likely at some point that anything stunt multi-hyphenate and filmmaker Kensuke Sonomura did would immediately be welcome by North American distributor Well Go USA, given the reception for his 2019 feature debut, Hydra. Fast forward to this week’s launch of the 17th installment of Fantastic Fest, where attendees can finally catch what Sonomura had been up to last year with the production of his sophomore debut, Bad City. Neuchâtel premiered the pic earlier this summer while slowly rolling out its promotional campaign, and now, with a trio of screenings at Fantastic set from this Saturday through the 28th, trade news on Friday is making it official with Well Go USA’s acquisition of the Yakuza crime thriller as a Hi-YAH! Original release, followed by theatrical and wider VOD releases later this year. I can assure you there’s plenty to dive into this year at Fantastic Fest, […]

“WE BUILT THIS CITY…”: A Word With ‘BAD CITY’ Director, Action Stylist And Filmmaker Kensuke Sonomura

Lee B. Golden III

November 2019 was like catching lightning in a bottle for me, personally. For as long as I’d been a fan of cult Japanese action cinema, I never thought I would get the chance to share space at a diner in New York City with a few of today’s best stunt professionals, namely burgeoning filmmaker Kensuke Sonomura who comes freshly out of U’den Flame Works, the prominently-owned Tokyo-based stunt and action wheelhouse headed-up by stunt maestro, Yuji Shimomura. For that matter, it’s also a welcome feat that I finally get to share a formal interview with Sonomura for the first time, as our latest dialogue comes on the precipice of a new campaign currently circulating the global festival scene to promote Bad City, his sophomore follow-up to freshman action thriller, Hydra. Bad City pairs Sonomura for the first time with V-Cinema veteran, legendary actor Hitoshi Ozawa who wears several hats on […]

BAD CITY Review: A Taut, Thrilling Yakuza Crime Procedural Signals Kensuke Sonomura’s Best Film Yet

Lee B. Golden III

Stunt and action multi-hyphenate and filmmaker, Kensuke Sonomura, came down the straightaway and into global festival circuitry earlier this summer, lending first eyes to audiences at Neuchâtel earlier this year for his newest crime pic, Bad City. Signing off on Sonomura’s second feature action film following 2019’s pulsating assassin thriller, Hydra, is renowned actor Hitoshi Ozawa, whose favor with moviegoers extends as far back as the early 1990s with the birth of the V-Cinema era. Ozawa (credited as OZAWA accordingly) also gets top billing here as writer and executive producer on the new film, which also weighs heavily with a cast of notable actors, including a few fan favorites. To that end, Sonomura smartly foregoes some of the visual martial arts stylings as seen in Hydra, constructing action sequences that are much more grittier to suit Ozawa’s screen caliber, albeit peppered with equally impressive stunt coordination and fight choreography throughout […]

BAD CITY: The Official Poster Arrives Along With The Latest Trailer For Kensuke Sonomura’s New Action Crime Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Japanese action continues its stride this year with Bad City, the long-awaited sophomore feature from stunt multi-hyphenate and filmmaker Kensuke Sonomura, best known for clinching the fandom in recent memory with 2019 freshman hitman thriller, Hydra. Bad City had its premiere for Neuchâtel earlier this summer and is now setting sights on Fantastic Fest next month following the line-up announcement last week. The film stars V-Cinema veteran Hitoshi Ozawa and centers on a covert team of detectives, assembled by a dauntless prosecutor and led by a grisled veteran cop to investigate the city’s criminal underbelly and its connections to a seemingly untouchable corrupt corporate magnate seeking political power. The star himself, credited as OZAWA, also produced the film which was also made in celebration of the actor’s 60th birthday. The cast also includes Hideto Katsuya, Masanori Mimoto, Akane Sakanoue, Masaya Kato, Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi, Lily Franky, Tak Sakaguchi, Yasukaze Motomiya, Mitsu […]

NIFFF 2022: V-Cinema Legend Hitoshi Ozawa Cuts And Kills His Way Through BAD CITY In The First Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

The 21st edition of the Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival is around the corner with a stellar line-up of titles for its worldly presentation. It’s Asian Competition is jam-packed as well, and with none other than Bad City, the long-awaited sophomore entry from stunt multi-hyphenate Kensuke Sonomura who broke ground in 2019 with his feature debut, Hydra. For Bad City, there’s no question Sonomura is leading the way for the brutal, slice-and-dice action once more, and time he’s joined by lead actor and V-Cinema legend Hitoshi Ozawa (billed as OZAWA as the film’s writer and executive producer) who turns 60 this weekend. To further commemorate this latest career milestone is the official trailer for the film’s premiere for Neuchatel, which will run from July 1 to July 9. Corruption and violence reign supreme in a city torn apart by a private conglomerate, the yakuza, and even the authorities. Former police […]

Screenshot_20211208-152243_Samsung Internet

BAD CITY: ‘Hydra’ Director Returns For Second Feature With V-Cinema Legend Hitoshi Ozawa

Lee B. Golden III

If you’ve been following this site for the last few years, you’ll notice the gargantuan fuss I’ve been making about Japanese stunt professional-turned-director Kensuke Sonomura, whose well-earned ceremony with his hit directorial debut Hydra, starring actor Masanori Mimoto, continues to this day. Thankfully, there’s more to report as film production in Japan gracefully ramped up a little more in the past year, and so the aforementioned duo have certainly been keeping busy. This especially goes for the latest reports out of the region on Sonomura’s sophomore feature, Bad City, which kicked off production in November and was officially announced to the press just several days ago in Nakama City, Fukuoka Prefecture. The film’s release in 2022 is set to mark the 60th birthday celebration for V-Cinema legend Hitoshi Ozawa, whose career of thirty four years includes credits films like Beat Takeshi’s Boiling Point, Takashi Miike’s Dead Or Alive, Hajime Gonno’s […]