Blazing Fists review by Bobby Blakey
Legendary director Takashi Miike has been hitting audiences with the intense and often insane violence for years in films like Ichi the killer, Audition and 13 Assassins to name very few. His latest film Blazing Fists is a bit different and inspired by the autobiography of MMA star Mikuru Asakura who also executive produces and makes a cameo appearance in the film. The film stars Danhi Kinoshita, Kaname Yoshizawa, Mariko Shinoda, Anna Tsuchiya, Chikashi Kuon, Kyosuke Yabe, Wataru Ichinose, Konatsu Kato, On Nakano, Karuma, Shoki Nakayama, Seya, Riki Sanada, Shuzo Ohira, Miku Tanaka, Nobuaki Kaneko, Susumu Terajima, Katsunori Takahashi, and Gackt, but does it do justice to both the story of Asakura and the legacy of Miike or will it be down for the count?
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Blazing Fists follows the story of Ikuto and Ryoma, troubled teens who meet in juvenile detention and make a plan to fight their way to freedom. Inspired by MMA fighter and Breaking Down founder Mikuru Asakura, the two boys make a plan to compete in Asakura’s popular tournament. When released, they discover that they’ll have to defeat their past outside the ring, before they can be champions inside of it.
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From the poster art, the involvement of Miike and Asakura I had a different vision to what this film was going to be. I expected some high-octane fights, but this is a totally different experience that still works but in wholly unexpected way. The story plays out like an inspiration sports film meets the idea of the Outsiders filled with redemption, legacy and heart. On the surface it feels like it’s straightforward in their journey but is in fact a tale focusing on three different characters and their path to their own destiny, good and bad.
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The film follows the two friends and their journey from juvenile detention into their dreams of being fighters, but they cross paths with another rival and it takes the story down his story as well. It manages to balance all three of them very well without it feeling like a forced cliché. One is clearly meant to be the villain of the story while the others have their own dark pasts, but as it all unfolds you connect with them all in different ways making a story that has more heft than you might think.
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Despite not being the heavy action feature I was expecting it still manages to keep you engaged in the story itself. That doesn’t mean there is no action since it is dealing with the world of fighting. It’s not the fancy choreographed fights you are used to and instead just gritty and dirty bringing a real-life element to the story. There aren’t any fancy jump kicks or tricks, but some messy fights of brutality and survival. The final act is pure chaos that might not be the best action sequence we have seen in a martial arts flick, but it works and fits the narrative to the film Miike has delivered.
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This is a toned down Miike and I think works in an unexpected way. It’s not all that original in the context of the story elements, but the appearance of Askura and some of the real fighters elevate it to mirror some of his own journey that inspired the film itself.
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Decide for yourself and grab your copy of Blazing Fists available now on digital, Blu-ray and DVD from Well Go USA.