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| WASABI. Starring - Jean Reno - Ryoko Hirosue - Michael Muller. Director - Gerard Krawczyk. 2001. Wasabi focuses on the fortunes of Hubert Fiorentini, a French cop bordering on the edge of insanity. On the one hand he is a tough uncompromising and sadistically ruthless policeman and the other, a manic obsessive trapped in his own past. His obsession being Miko. But Huberts life is about to be turned upside down after learning that the woman who deserted him 19 years ago without a word has been found in Tokyo. Alas poor Hubert, the next time he visits her she will be wearing a very nice line in Mahogany, for she has died from Cancer. Can things get any tougher for Hubert? Oh yes they can, for Miko has left Hubert as her sole beneficiary and bequeathed him the tidy little sum of $200,000,000. Whats wrong with that I hear you ask little ones, well this 200 mill comes with it’s very own Yakuza lynch mob desperate to get their hands on it. And what a smart bunch they are too. I don’t know much about the Yakuza but I can’t possibly imagine them all wearing identical designer black HenchmenRus© suits topped off with some Gucci shades and hanging round shopping malls together. The thought baffles me and it is one that I must investigate further. Did I mention that Miko has left Hubert with one more surprise? Yumi. This rebellious 19-year old girl just happens to be his daughter and one he never even knew existed. His mind already a quiver he decides not to tell Yumi who or what he is just yet. Especially considering she holds a deep rooted hatred for both her father who had allegedly raped her mother and the bastard police who locked her up. I could go on forever with the little subplots and back-stories, I could entertain you with tales of intrigue, murder and mystery. But I wont! Wasabi concentrates mainly on the relationship between Hubert and Yumi. Both their lives change dramatically through the movie and it is these scenes which stand out the most for me. Ryoko Hirosue is a relative new comer to film and she is certain to become a big star outside of Japan. I thought she was incredible, she really knows how to turn the emotions on and off. I found myself watching her intently out of pure admiration. Her captivating performance combined with a thoroughly enjoyable outing from Jean Reno make this film a must see. Now we get to the downside, more than a passing nod is made to the US buddy cop movies. With clichés straight out of the ‘Big book of Buddy’. I personally rate Luc Besson as amongst the top 3 directors/producers in the world and alongside Taxi 2 director Gerard Krawczyk (try saying that when drunk) I expected this to be so much better. I have no idea why so many elements of this tired genre are brought to life. Off the rail detectives and inanely irritating sidekicks for fucks sake. Now how many times has that been done before? Nevertheless this still feels like a Luc Besson movie, with a fast pace and expert direction from Krawczyk. The comedy is subtle enough to be funny without being annoying and the action is always first class. If you can get beyond the minor indiscretions then you will find a great movie here and definitely one worth buying. On a side note Wasabi is basically a pungent condiment served with raw fish. Apart from two passing references to the stuff it has bugger all to do with the film. 7*******stars. |
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