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 head up a covert task force to investigate the underhanded dealings of a corrupt tycoon. What unfolds is an escalating bodycount, topped by unraveling loyalties and shocking twists, all of which culminate into a massive final mano-e-mano showdown between Torada, a lightning-fast hitman, and a cold-blooded Korean/Japanese gangster.
Also starring are Lily Franky, Hideto Katsuya, Masanori Mimoto and Akane Sakanoue, along with Masaya Kato, Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi, Mitsu Dan, Rino Katase, Tak Sakaguchi, Kazuki Namioka, Arisa Matsunaga, Yasukaze Motomiya and Kentarô Shimazu, with action sequences by Sonomura and coordinator Naohiro Kawamoto, and grand pop troupe Crazy Ken Band behind the film’s theme song.
Click here to read my review, and stay tuned for more news on its U.S. release following Well Go USA’s acquisition of the film a few months ago.
