Arguably the best script that Besson has written in years.
Wasabi (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:43
Fresh:19
Rotten:24
Average Rating:5.1/10
Theatrical Release:Sep 27, 2002 Limited
Synopsis: This boisterous crime-cop dramedy is written and produced by Luc Besson and stars Jean Reno. Like THE PROFESSIONAL (the 1994 Besson-Reno film), it is the story of a man with a grim, lonely life and... This boisterous crime-cop dramedy is written and produced by Luc Besson and stars Jean Reno. Like THE PROFESSIONAL (the 1994 Besson-Reno film), it is the story of a man with a grim, lonely life and a penchant for violence who finds redemption in a needy, spirited young girl who forces him to have heart and save her from an ugly group of thugs. This time around, with WASABI, Reno plays Hubert, a Parisian cop who is handed a forced sabbatical when he accidentally beats up the chief's son. Simultaneously Hubert learns that his one true love, Miko, has died, leaving him her inheritance. He quickly travels to Tokyo to sign the papers, and learns that he has inherited Yumi (Ryoko Hirosue), his exuberant 19-year-old daughter, who is perpetually shopping, dancing, and laughing. Unfortunately, Yumi is being trailed by a tough bunch of Japanese mobsters who want access to her sizeable bank account. With the help of Maurice (Michel Muller) and an immense cache of weapons--grenades, rocket launchers, giant pistols, and golf clubs--Hubert uses some fancy footwork to bring Yumi to safety. Directed by Gerard Krawczyk with a thumping musical score from Eric Serra, WASABI is a bright, loud, fast-moving film. [More]
Starring: Jean Reno, Michel Muller, Ryoko Hirosue, Carole Bouquet
Starring: Jean Reno, Michel Muller, Ryoko Hirosue, Carole Bouquet, Ludovic Berthillot, Yann Epstein, Michel Scourneau, Christian Sinniger, Jean-Marc Montalto, Alexandre Brik, Veronique Balme
Director: Gerard Krawczyk
Director: Gerard Krawczyk
Screenwriter: Luc Besson
Producer: Luc Besson
Composer: Eric Serra
Studio: Columbia Pictures
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Reviews for Wasabi
[Tries] to parody a genre that's already a joke in the United States. The movie is the equivalent of French hip-hop, which also seems to play on a 10-year delay.
Dawdles and drags when it should pop; it doesn't even have the virtue of enough mindless violence to break up the tedium of all its generational bonding.
Despite Besson's high-profile name being Wasabi's big selling point, there is no doubt that Krawczyk deserves a huge amount of the credit for the film's thoroughly winning tone.
The film lapses too often into sugary sentiment and withholds delivery on the pell-mell pyrotechnics its punchy style promises.
The real charm of this trifle is the deadpan comic face of its star, Jean Reno, who resembles Sly Stallone in a hot sake half-sleep.
Latest News for Wasabi
September 01, 2005:
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