K-20 The Fiend With Twenty Faces DVD Review
K-20 The Fiend With Twenty Faces DVD Review
Synopsis: Director Shimako Sato assembled a strong cast and used cutting edge special effects to bring K-20 to life. The movie is set in the fictional city of Teito in the late 1940s, in a world where World War II never happened and the nobility system established during the Meiji Era still exists. An extreme divide exists between the upper and lower classes, with 90 percent of the country’s wealth being held by the upper class. The capital of Teito is in crisis with the emergence of a menacing phantom thief known as "The Fiend (Kaijin) With Twenty Faces" or simply "K-20." The film is based on The Story of Nijyumenso, a novel written by Soh Kitamura, and also features the mesmerizing theme song, Shock of the Lightning, by the British band OASIS.
Heikichi Endo (played by Takeshi Kaneshiro) is a circus acrobat who is deceived by K-20 and framed to take the fall for the phantom thief. Using his incredible physical dexterity, Heikichi wages war against K-20 in order to clear his name and fights alongside K-20's next wealthy target, Duchess Yoko Hashiba (Takako Matsu) and her fiancée, the brilliant detective Kogoro Akechi (Toru Nakamura). But what is the ultimate decision Heikichi has to make?
Actor Takeshi Kaneshiro is internationally renowned and made his screen debut in the film Executioners (1993) followed by the critically acclaimed Wong Kar-Wai film Chungking Express (1994). More recently he has starred in films including House of Flying Daggers (2004) and The Battle of Red Cliff (2008).
Review: I have seen some very odd Japanese movies, but K-20 is definately on the top of the list. It takes place in this alternate reality where WWII never occured. Takeshi Keneshiro stars in this trippy film about a man named Endo that is framed as the masked thief K-20.
This film was really interesting. Its nice, because its such a departure from the usual cinema we see here in America. Its fun to see the way they do things different over there. Actor Kaneshiro is really dynamic and definately has a great screen presence. The film is full of suspense and action and was most certainly entertaining.
We recommend this film to anyone interested in Japanese or foreign cinema. Its a great watch.
This film was really interesting. Its nice, because its such a departure from the usual cinema we see here in America. Its fun to see the way they do things different over there. Actor Kaneshiro is really dynamic and definately has a great screen presence. The film is full of suspense and action and was most certainly entertaining.
We recommend this film to anyone interested in Japanese or foreign cinema. Its a great watch.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars