sakaguchi tak

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RED BLADE: Ishihara Takahiro Stimulates With Kunoichi Action And Sakaguchi Tak In The Official Trailer

While portions of the world resistant to torrenting still wait to see Sakaguchi Tak‘s Re:Born and the long-awaited Crazy Musashi, the clear and present fact remains that Sakaguchi’s retirement is all but nil. His latest appearance in a few facets for director Ishihara Takahiro’s new ninja action thriller, Red Blade, is proof of that which sees both actor and director reuniting since Ishihara’s 2013 film, Snake Of Violence. Enter gravure idol, actress Ogura Yuka for her own debut feature role, birthed originally by celebrated auteur Sono Sion. From what I’ve gathered, this one centers on Ogura in the role of Mako, a school girl whose parents were once taken away by Yakuza. A victim of bullying by her peers, her escape into ninja-centric graphic novels manifests into reality as she finds herself in the throes of a ninja clan where she’s recruited to eventually face off with the villainous Harada, […]

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CRAZY MUSASHI: Sakaguchi Tak’s Long-Awaited ‘Super Genre’ Samurai Actioner Comes Back To Life After Five Years In Limbo

Action star Sakaguchi Tak’s Re:Born still stands as important subject matter of late. His forthcoming appearance at the Iron Dragon TV Action Fest this August is still a headturner and with none other than helmer longtime film partner, stunt multi-hyphenate and film director Shimomura Yuji joining him for the impeding festivities in Austin. Many topics are sure to come up for curious onlookers as the film marks a stellar return to cinema for the cult favorite who shook the fandom with talk of retirement back in 2013. As it stands, that sudden pivot arose as a result of a dissolving toxic fallout with previous management which apparently forced Sakaguchi’s career nearly into obscurity at the time, which makes Re:Born a more than welcome reception at home and overseas. Moreover, fans can now possibly look toward the talk of Shimomura’s latest acquisition, Crazy Musashi, designated as a 77-minute one-take film previously […]

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FAN COLUMN: Yuji Shimomura’s RE:BORN Is A Masterful Evolution Of Modern Action Filmmaking

Re:Born is a new Japanese martial arts action thriller film by Yuji Shimomura, probably one of the greatest action coordinators, stuntmen and directors in the small, but entertaining action scene of Japan, re-uniting with Tak Sakaguchi of Versus fame and Shimomura’s previous and only other feature Death Trance, the legendary martial artist and the underrated filmmaker have made not only their second and best film to date, but also one of the best action films of the year, whichever year you saw it in, because of its screenings in numerous film festivals starting from 2016. The story centers on Toshiro Kuroda (played by Tak) who runs a small convenience store in a quiet town in Japan and looking after his adopted daughter, Sachi. When his blood-soaked, military past catches up to him however, it brings back an old comrade (played by Akio Otsuka, the voice of Solid Snake from MGS […]

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A Case For Better Action Movies: Shimomura Yuji’s RE:BORN (2018)

It’s been nearly sixteen years actor Sakaguchi Tak appeared before me in a lovely action horror indie called Versus. Having fondly grown favorable toward Sakaguchi’s work over the years, I can certainly attest now along with others who have been fortunate to spot his latest and long-awaited return to film and reunion with Death Trance director, longtime friend and film cohort, stunt professional and filmmaker Shimomura Yuji for the new CQC action thriller, Re:Born, in which Sakaguchi (billed in the film as TAK∴) plays Toshiro, a reclusive store clerk whose past life as a clandestined killer soldier comes back to haunt him and the young girl in his care. I won’t go too into detail for this post, but I will assert, at the forefront of it all, that Re:Born services its target fanbase with some of the best, fleshed out action sequencing ever put together by a stunt team […]

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RE:BORN: Hero Musings Set The Tone For The Breakneck New U.K. Trailer

Four years since stirring talk of sequels and a retirement, it wasn’t until the last few years we finally started learning what to make of all that noise with the announcement of the new movie, Re:Born. The messaging on that film’s development then slowly seuged from talk of his final film endeavor to something much more ceremonial in the cult action star’s return, which is understandably confusing. Forgiveable? Well, why not? A legendary soldier with a mysterious past decides to unleash his inner beast to stand up for what he cares about.  RE:BORN marks the comeback of Tak Sakaguchi (Versus, Alive, Shinobi:Heart Under Blade), often described as one of the most under-rated actors in the action movie scene, and this film highlights him at his very best. Director Yuji Shimomura (Flash Point, Warriors Way, Gantz:Perfect Wars) teamed up with fight choreographyer Yoshitaka Inagawa, a former close combat instructor for U.S. […]

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RE:BORN: It’s All-Out Guerilla Warfare In The Brand New Trailer

Having had a stellar festival run throughout Asia, Europe and the U.S. with last year’s Fantastic Fest premiere, director Shimomura Yuji’s new film, Re:Born, has seen quite the journey to its praise. The same can amply be applied to the resurgence of its star, actor Sakaguchi Tak who, given personal career circumstances, essentially had to keep off radar and thankfully, that dry patch is now over and done. How so? Well, despite intial speculations of Re:Born being his last film, it has instead been noticeably buzzed as his return and one that stands deservedly on ceremony. Together with WAVE innovator, close quarters fighting expert Inagawa Yoshitaka and host to a story sampling from the inspired dark, reclusive tales of real-life commandos, Sakaguchi stars as a small town clerk forced to adhere to his bloodlust once again following a string of military murders and the emergence of a squad of clandestined soldiers […]

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Sakaguchi Tak Returns To Brutal Form In The New International Trailer For RE:BORN

The growth and notoriety of action star Sakaguchi Tak is an absolute hallmark for me as an action having followed him for more than a decade. He’s survived quite a few stumbles in his time, caused no less by a few people who have threatened his career in the years leading up to talk of retirement and initially masking his latest action-packed return to the screen, Re:Born, as a celebratory departure from film. Since then and with the film’s completion and subsequent world premiere and reception at Fantastic Fest and Kaga City late last year, the talk has somewhat turned into buzz of Sakaguchi’s return. I could be wrong in the sense that he was never going to leave, or then again he was and merely made a choice to stay, although I frankly hope that he stays. Hands down, he’s been one of the best, most enteraining contributors to […]

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Sakaguchi's Bloodlust Takes Over New Photos From Shimomura's RE:BORN

Actor Sakaguchi Tak’s exit from (or re-entry into) film has been a hard one to pin-point. Though the actor himself has previously pointed out finishing his cult celebrity status with his latest starring role in Re:Born, some are discussing it as his “return”. It’s not exactly something I would argue against either. I’ve been a fan of Sakaguchi since college when he was just a budding young badass in a pair of early performances, including Yamaguchi Yudai’s Battlefield Baseball and Kitamura Ryuhei’s Versus. Needless to say though and as far as I’m concerned, Sakaguchi’s career trajectory remains uncertain, especially in the wake of his latest action-packed effort, Re:Born which just hit screens at Bucheon and is now readying a star-studded event screening on September 18 in Japan. Sakaguchi reunites with longtime friend, stuntman and prolific stunt coordinator Shimomura Yuji in this, their second pairing since Shimomura’s 2006 directorial debut, Death […]

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The New Teaser Poster For RE:BORN Is Armed And Ready!

It’s 2016, and that means it’s only a matter of time before we’re fully immersed into the world of hurt ready to be displayed in director Shimomura Yuji’s newest, Re:Born. A teaser was unveiled last month finally cluing us in on what’s-what in footage, and it is nothing short of exciting in many ways. The film is set to be action star Sakaguchi Tak’s last following more than fifteen years of putting out some of the best independent Japanese cult action slashers to date, including Versus and Death Trance. We still have a ways to go, but it’s safe to say that the ball is rolling. Alas, leer over to the latest teaser poster that says all you need to know about Shimomura’s latest nod to close-quarters combat fight choreography – as indicated clearly by the camouflage gear and sizable knife on the right. Yes, damage shall be done in […]

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