Karate genre earns its ‘Black Belt’

Critics have been calling it the thinking person’s martial arts movie. BLACK BELT (KURO-OBI), a period karate film from director Shunichi Nagasaki, held its world premiere at the Montreal World Film Festival back in August prior to its October release in Japan. It has since picked up highly favorable buzz from early viewers and the American karate community, notably for what is being hailed as one of the most authentic and powerful depictions of karate ever put to feature film.

As a prominent force in Japan’s independent film movement, Nagasaki’s previous films are noted for their disdain of fashionable trends in cinema and for their treatment of themes illuminating the complexity of the heart. This is his first foray into the nearly extinct karate film, a sub-genre of martial arts cinema highlighting Japan’s famed fighting art that never gained the enduring momentum that chambara, kung fu and wuxia movies have despite its growing popularity worldwide since the end of World War II.

Akira Kurosawa first brought international attention to another one of Japan’s modern fighting arts in 1943 with the Judo biopic SUGATA SANSHIRO. But it wasn’t until the early 1970s that Japanese filmmakers began to seriously turn their attention to karate. In particular, it was the popularity of Bruce Lee and his brand of Chinese kung fu that propelled Kyokushin Karate student and action star Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba into the limelight. For a number of years, Chiba’s Japan Action Club (JAC) provided the screen-fighting talent for a host of campy karate-themed movies such as THE STREET FIGHTER and KARATE WARRIORS, all crafted to compete with the grindhouse-friendly fair coming out of Hong Kong and Taiwan throughout the ’70s. This trend was short-lived as the genre faded away by the end of the decade.

Flash forward to 2007 and martial arts movies, including chambara are far and few between in Japan. However, the country’s true warrior spirit isn’t dead yet. Nagasaki’s fresh take on the karate film is far removed from past exploitive conventions and instead taps into the understated authenticity and stately poeticism of recent socially aware jidai geki hits like Yoji Yamada’s THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI and THE HIDDEN BLADE. As Japanese film expert Tom Mes points out in his review of the film, its theme of pitting the militarism of Imperialist Japan against the higher ideals of a non-violent martial philosophy is particularly relevant today as the country’s younger generation is increasingly embracing revisionist thinking towards their self-destructive past.

Set in the early years of the Showa Era in Japan, the story revolves around three men who aspire to receive the “kuro-obi” that can go only to the rightful successor.

The year is 1932. Three men are zealously engaged in karate training at the dojo of Eiken Shibahara. Their names are Taikan (Tatsuya Naka), Choei (Yuji Suzuki) and Giryu (Akihito Yagi). Eiken suddenly dies, but the “kuro-obi” black belt that will designate his successor has not yet been passed on.

“Karate is not about fighting.” Who will be the one to heed Eiken’s words of wisdom and receive the coveted “kuro-obi” to carry on as his successor?

In a related development, the Military Police Headquarters takes note of the exceptional skill of these martial art practitioners and the three men are commanded to join their forces. Then, the three that have left the dojo are thrust into a terrible and fateful encounter.

In opposition to modern martial arts film trends where wires, CGI or stylized filmmaking techniques are employed to dazzle audiences with frivolous action, Nagasaki has combined a character-driven story from screenwriter George Iida with the talents of real black belt karate masters Akihito Yagi, Tatsuya Naka and Yuji Suzuki. Yet it was more than just the fighting skills of these non-actors that attracted the director, particularly in regard to Yagi who is the son of famed Goju-ryu master Meitoku Yagi.

“I have been looking at karate and other martial arts for more than 20 years, but when I first saw Akihito’s moves, I saw something that I had never seen. It was fascinating,” said Nagasaki. “There are many martial artists with long careers but seeing Akihito’s kata, I saw not only the kata performed by a real martial artist but a real aura that was captivating. This is a factor that first-class actors have, like a natural talent and Akihito had it. That’s why in my mind he was the perfect person for the role of Giryu.”

BLACK BELT opened in Japan’s theaters on October 13th, 2007. The film has also screened at the Montreal World Film Festival and Hawaii International Film Festival.

Official Site (Japanese)
http://kuro-obi.cinemacafe.net/

The Klock Worx (Japanese)
http://www.klockworx.com/

The Midnight Eye Review
http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/black-belt.shtml

Variety Review
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117934572.html

I.M.G.K.A.
http://www.imgka.com/

Tags: Black Belt (2007), karate