Saori Izawa proves once again that she should star in more action movies.
The 2024 edition of the New York Asian Festival It will take place from July 12 to 28. Follow our coverage here. YTThe 28th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival It will take place from July 18th to August 4th in the beautiful city of Montreal, Quebec. Follow our coverage here.
Action fans have been eating pretty well these past few years, and those open to subtitled thrills have been eating even better. More than half of our The best action movies of 2023 They are not in English, and the same goes for our Top stock picks for 2022. The first two Baby killers The films secured spots on their respective lists, and now it looks like the third film in the franchise, Baby killers: nice daysis going to do the same. The entire team is back together, both in front of and behind the camera, and the result is undoubtedly the highlight of the series, with stellar fights, genuinely emotional moments, silly humor and an unexpectedly darker tone.
Mahiro (Saori Izawa) and Chisato (Akari Takaishi) are used to slacking off between jobs, whether they be minimum wage jobs or their assassination assignments, but for the first time, the pair find themselves on a real vacation. However, assassin contracts wait for no one, so when a nearby opportunity arises, they reluctantly head to the small seaside town of Miyazaki to kill a guy. They arrive just in time to find their target facing imminent death at the hands of a freelance assassin named Kaede (Sosuke Ikematsu) who is counting up to one hundred and fifty murders. Let’s hope Mahiro and Chisato don’t end up with each other.
Arriving just one year after 2023 Baby killers: two babiesThis third film in the franchise (soon to be a TV series, too!) could be its high point. Writer/director Yugo Sakamoto Once again, it combines a fun story of friendship with some very entertaining and beautifully crafted action moments. Baby killers: nice days It’s a more serious film, from the more violently inclined antagonist to the themes of impending maturity and “adulting,” but that darker tone allows our heroes to see their own mortality in some poignant ways and then shoot it in their dumb face.
In a move that might either annoy fans of the series or make some new ones gravitate toward it, Sakamoto noticeably tones down the slacker comedy that was a major part of the first two films. Speaking only for myself and as one of those slacker comedy fans, this shift works precisely because we’ve been watching Mahiro and Chisato grow throughout the films. They’ve found strength in each other, found interests that drive them, and are now realizing that there’s a cost associated with investing so much of yourself into your work. Kaede is a brutal force to be reckoned with, but she’s also a cautionary tale for young women.
Of course, none of this means that Baby killers: nice days It’s not a funny moment with its own share of laughs. Mahiro and Chisato are still goofballs, and Izawa and Takaishi are still having a blast bringing these two to life. Their chemistry is still off the charts, and they’re just as comfortable trading jokes and casual comments as they are moving in perfect sync while working. The cleaning crew from the last film also returns, this time without any real romance, but Tomo Nakai and Mizuishi Atom It still makes us smile. We are also joined on the journey by a couple of older assassins in Iruka (Atsuko Maeda) and Riku (Otani World), who balance a more seasoned professionalism with some humorous verbal disagreements about how to do things.
After our two “babies,” though, it’s Ikematsu who steals the show. The character is a fierce but uncomfortably charismatic foe, and while we perhaps get a little more time than necessary to talk about his background, it all serves to inform his unwavering obsession and arguable lack of empathy. It’s also what makes his clashes with Mahiro so strong: he’s an unstoppable force, but she might just be the immovable object.
To that point—and really, action is ultimately the point of all this—Sakamoto and legendary fight choreographer Kensuke Sonomura They improved their already impressive game from the first two films to make Baby killers: nice days really stands out from the rest. Whereas in previous installments the fights were mostly limited to more light-hearted comedy moments, here the action is more frequent and ultimately more serious. Mahiro and Kaede face off more than once, and both are forced to realize that they may have met their match.
All of the action here shines, and even Takaishi’s Chisato gets to try more of the kinetic thrills this time around, but it’s Izawa and Ikematsu who raise the bar time and time again with their fights. The pair feel perfectly matched and effortlessly synchronized as they trade blows, and that makes their fights entertaining and suspenseful. Sonomura choreographs the action like great artists paint, sing, etc., and that’s because Sonomura is a great artist. Check out any of the films he’s served as action director on, and be sure to look up his two directorial efforts (twoHydra2019; Bad city2022), two huge hits that showcase him as one of the most exciting voices in action cinema today. Here he crafts fights, chase scenes and gunfights with an eye for clarity, style and excitement, and while he’s open to a certain degree of playfulness regarding the physics of it all, a real awareness of mortality looms over the fighters. It’s a beautiful thing.
Baby killers: nice days It may lose some fans for its restraint between lighthearted comedy and playful moments of leisure, but honestly, it may gain some for the same reason. The important thing is that it’s another fantastic example of true craftsmen working hand in hand to keep these characters and this world going with fun, love, and exciting moments of action. When can I watch the damn TV show?!
The 2024 edition of the New York Asian Festival It will take place from July 12 to 28. Follow our coverage here. YTThe 28th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival It will take place from July 18 to August 4 in the beautiful city of Montreal, Quebec. Follow our coverage here.
Related topics: Action, Fantastic Film Festival, New York Film Festival
