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Jean Reno, Ryoko Hirosue, Michel Muller, Carole Bouquet, Ludovic Berthillot ... see more see more... , Yan Epstein , Michel Scourneau

A cop from the city of lights finds adventure and romance in the Land of the Rising sun in this thriller. Hubert (Jean Reno) is a detective with the French police force who's the kind of cop who doesn... read more read more...'t let little details get in the way of catching crooks -- and isn't afraid to speak with his fists if talking doesn't do the job. When Hubert gets in a dust-up with an innocent bystander while trying to apprehend a group of bank robbers, he learns the passerby was the son of the Chief of Police -- and Hubert is put on suspension for two months. Just as Hubert wonders what to do for the next 60 days, he learns that an old flame has died; 19 years ago, he was sent to Tokyo on assignment, and fell in love with a woman named Miko. Even though Hubert hadn't seen Miko in years, he was the sole beneficiary named in her will, and Hubert goes to Tokyo to sort out her effects. Once in Japan, Hubert meets Miko's daughter Yumi (Ryoko Hirosue), who doesn't think much of Hubert and appears to be unaware that he is her biological father. As Hubert tries to bond with Yumi, he examines the facts behind Miko's death and begins to suspect her death was no accident, and with the help of his buddy Momo (Michel Muller), he tries to find out the truth about her death. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

68% liked it

12,111 ratings

Critics

43% liked it

42 critics

R, 1 hr. 34 min.

Directed by: Gérard Krawczyk

Release Date: September 27, 2001

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DVD Release Date: February 11, 2003

Stats: 719 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (719)

  • allan913
    February 20, 2011
    allan913
    A fresh, dazzling, cool, original and wickedly fun film. A outrageously funny and action-packed comedy. It has great laughs for everybody, wild action and terrific characters. Writer/producer, Luc Besson creates a wonderfully tasteful and energetic flick filled with lots of actio... read moren, plenty of comedy and tremendous excitement. A full-throttle joy-ride from start to finish that dose not let up. Jean Reno and Michel Muller are terrific, they are a wacky and lovable buddy team. A classic action-comedy that you will love to watch again and again.
  • bbcfloridabound
    October 14, 2009
    bbcfloridabound
    Jean Reno and Ryoko Hirosue are a Pair made for this movie. I'm becoming more and more an Jean Reno Fan with each movie I see him in. A great actor and plays the roll of a crooked cop to the T. This one is exciting and has a number of funny parts and the sound track would be enjo... read moreyable. Action throughout the film. Need to see Reno play more of these type parts and need a sequel to this one. 5 Stars
  • matertenebraum
    January 31, 2009
    matertenebraum
    Well, first off, it's got Luc Besson associated with it. That gives it promise. Then it's got one of my favourite actors in it, Jean Reno. That helps it deliver.

    Jean Reno is a retired French commando who has become a Paris policeman. Unfortunately, he still tends to use Dirty... read more Harry techniques. This gets him suspended. Then he finds out the lost love of his life has passed away, and he is the sole person mentioned in her will, so he goes to Tokyo for the funeral. There he finds out why she left him, and... other things, about her past that he did not know.

    From there the movie heads off into typical Luc Besson territory, as something which should have been simple turns into something complicated. Not a film for someone looking for a brooding, deeply thoughtful flick, just a nice, fun, roller coaster.

    Well-cast, well-written, well-produced, and well-directed. With a stronger comic touch, it's probably the weakest of his action flicks, but, with Luc Besson, that's still better than the best of most others.

    If you liked The Transporter, you should enjoy this one, too.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    June 7, 2008
    DragonEyeMorrison
    Trying to reproduce the Leon formula "team up Jean reno with a cute little girl and make him kill people" It should work right? but here it doesn't. Way too corny and cheesy, and the girl was actually quite annoying.
  • skactopus
    October 11, 2007
    skactopus
    A great combination of French and Japanese rolled into one. Not as professional as Leon: The Professional, but just as entertaining.

    The story turns out to be pretty good and actually drives the film, with the minimal action taking a back seat. The story moves at a p

    ... read moreretty quick pace as well, so there is never a dull moment. In fact, this film is only 90 minutes and I think it could have done just as good if it were longer. What really surprised me in this film is the speaking of the French language. The first 20 minutes or so takes place in Paris, before moving into Japan. Once the movie shifts to Japan the characters that interact with Jean Reno need to speak French so he can understand them. The Japanese actors that do the French speaking do it well. Especially, the lovely, Ryoko Hirosue who sounded almost fluent.

    This film also adds in some great humor, but just enough to keep if from becoming an over the top comedy. The mall scene when Hubert (Reno) is taking out the bad guys, but keeping it secret from his daughter Yumi (Hirosue) is just hilarious.

    The acting is superb. Ryoko Hirosue shows me once again that she can steal the show with her acting chops. Even away from Jean Reno. As mentioned earlier, her French was well done, and it is a smooth transition when she switches to Japanese. Jean Reno, once again pulls off a great cop/hitman character. He was born for these rolls.

    Once again, there isn't a whole lot of action in here, but the few sequences they do have are nicely choreographed. Just don't expect a lot of bloodshed in this film.

    If you are expecting an action packed shootout stay away from this. If you are looking for a good story with some great acting, good humor, and only a dash of action, then this may be your dish of wasabi.
  • DrZeek
    August 1, 2006
    DrZeek
    Over-the-top on purpose with Reno in full cool mode throughout.
  • bcavros
    September 11, 2010
    bcavros
    Really like Reno as an action star, but this movie crumbles around him. This movie does have an English audio track, which does not load by default. Except for Reno who voices is own part all the other voice don?t quite match the characters. The piece meal quality of the English ... read moredub actually adds to the lackluster comedy in the movie. The movie joint venture between a French and Japanese production company.
  • alanjayh
    April 10, 2008
    alanjayh
    great soundtrack, jean reno acting enjoyable..ryoko is soo cute..sentimental story with timely humor as well
  • omnisentinel
    March 30, 2009
    omnisentinel
    Another great movie by Jean Reno. I almost over looked this comedy action.. It's a hidden gem if you find it. Add it to your collection if you come across it.
  • shellygurl347
    January 18, 2009
    shellygurl347
    Was a bit unsure about this film, I ended up loving it. so its not really an action film like used to in America but had some awsome fights and great french sense of humor

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Critic Reviews

Judith Prescott
February 5, 2003
Judith Prescott, Hollywood Reporter

The movie fails to live up to the sum of its parts.

Matt Weitz
November 14, 2002
Matt Weitz, Dallas Morning News

The film is a contrivance, as artificial as the video games Japanese teens play in a nightclub sequence, but it's an enjoyable one. Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 20, 2002
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Reno does what he can in a thankless situation, the film ricochets from humor to violence and back again, and Ryoko Hirosue makes us wonder if she is always like that. Full Review

Michael Wilmington
October 17, 2002
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

Like being trapped inside a huge video game, where exciting, inane images keep popping past your head and the same illogical things keep happening over and over again. Full Review

Richard Roeper
October 7, 2002
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

One scarcely needs the subtitles to enjoy this colorful action farce. Full Review

Jonathan Curiel
October 4, 2002
Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle

A silly, cross-cultural shoot-'em-up -- the sort of movie that will work for those with some time to kill. Full Review

John Monaghan
October 4, 2002
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press

Don't let the subtitles fool you; the movie only proves that Hollywood no longer has a monopoly on mindless action. Full Review

Andrew Sarris
October 2, 2002
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

The funny thing is, I didn't mind all this contrived nonsense a bit. Full Review

Gene Seymour
September 27, 2002
Gene Seymour, Newsday

Sleek, shallow, but frequently amusing. Full Review

Megan Turner
September 27, 2002
Megan Turner, New York Post

The spaniel-eyed Jean Reno infuses Hubert with a mixture of deadpan cool, wry humor and just the measure of tenderness required to give this comic slugfest some heart.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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  • What movie was named after a japanese condiment traditionally served with raw fish?  Answer »
  • I am the producer of "Wasabi", directed "Taxi" and did the screenplay for "The Transporter" Who am I?  Answer »
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