A retired covert operative is drawn out of retirement by the reappearance of his longtime enemy, reverting to his old violent ways in order to protect the only thing he loves, in Re:Born.
In the wake of John Wick’s runaway success, the market was flooded with imposters and attempts at capitalizing on the renewed interest in ultra violent martial arts movies. Most weren’t great, but some managed to rise above their obvious inspiration and make for something unique and new on its own, and that’s what Re:Born managed to do. Though the shadow of Wick looms large, and you can feel the obvious influences in the base story, Re:Born still manages to stand apart and craft itself as something all its own. With plenty of bloody flight sequences involving bladed weapons and a story that draws you in to what it has to say, it’s quite possibly the best knockoff to come out of the era.
Yûji Shimomura takes a script written in part by lead actor Tak Sakaguchi and turns it into a wild and raucous thrill ride with pretty non-stop action, but enough narrative story to make you give a damn about what’s happening. Instead of giving us mindless violence (even though there’s plenty of that on display here) we’re given glimpses into the life of lead character Toshiro, making us feel for him in every step of his plight, and by the end, you’re truly rooting for him, regardless of how morally gray he may be. While some sequences do tend to run a little too long, specifically a scene set within a wooded area, and dialogue can sometimes lean expository and cheesy, it never detracts from the overall charm of the film.
And a good reason for that charm is Tak Sakaguchi, who does a fabulous job as not only an actor, but writer and fighter. The film feels like it’s his vehicle, and he definitely knows how to drive it right. His bloody violent attacks are compounded perfectly with his inner turmoil and emotion during deeper scenes, and you simply can’t keep your eyes off of him. But it’s Yura Kondo who helps to bookend his violence, giving such a sweet and innocent performance that you absolutely must see the film through to the end. Everyone in the film is wonderful, and it feels like they were all right at home on set, too, which is a wonderful feeling to translate into the film.
My only complaints are from a behind the scenes standpoint. Some of the CGI is a little off, giving things a weird uncanny feeling, and on occasion the choreographed fights feel a bit like a retread, with certain moves being reused from time to time. That’s not to say it fully takes away from the film as a whole, I just think a little more attention to detail would’ve gone a long way. But for those who are interested in a bloody good time, these things aren’t going to stand in your way.
All in all, despite being a very obvious John Wick knockoff, with touches of Metal Gear Solid, Re:Born does a lot to stand on its own, and does so very well. It’s entertaining and solid, and a great way to spend 100 minutes of your time.