Shamo (2007)After serving time for the murder of his parents, a fighter with a taste for violence enters the world of kickboxing. Director:Pou-Soi Cheang |
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Shamo (2007)After serving time for the murder of his parents, a fighter with a taste for violence enters the world of kickboxing. Director:Pou-Soi Cheang |
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
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Shawn Yue | ... |
Ryo Narushima
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Annie Liu | ... |
Megumi
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Francis Ng | ... |
Kenji Kurokawa
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Masato | ... |
Sugawara Naoto
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Dylan Kuo | ... |
Ryuichi Yamazaki
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| Siu-Lung Leung | ... |
Kensuke Mochizuki
(as Bruce Leung)
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| Ryo Ishibashi | ... |
Principal Saeki
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Weiying Pei | ... |
Natsumi Narushima
(as Pei Pei)
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Terri Kwan | ... |
Moemi Funato
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Hiromi Nakajima | ... |
Yoko Kamio
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Takuji Suzuki | ... |
Kawakami
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Ka Sing Chau | ... |
Kouhei Fujiyoshi
(as Chau Ka Sing)
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Syria Leung | ... |
The Rich Madam
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Agnes Pang | ... |
Manageress
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Apple Chau | ... |
Floor Show Dancer
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Based on the Japanese Manga about Ryo Narushima, a talented, college-bound student who murders both of his parents in cold blood. He is sent to a reformatory where he trains in karate under Kenji Kurokawa, a man imprisoned after trying to assassinate the Japanese Prime Minister. Two years after his conviction, Ryo is released and begins a new life as an ultra-violent professional fighter. Written by Sam Sung-Sang
Well, the son wrote a first draft; writing is rewriting, after all.
It's a pity because had someone competent worked on this project, it could have been a pretty fine film. Instead, we're treated to terrible writing the actors can't disguise and fights which will eventually prompt the viewer to switch to x2 or x4 forward speed as opposed to turning this otherwise steaming pile of turd off.
Plot holes and cartoon-like characters aside (someone else mentioned it was based on a comic, which I suppose explains that aspect at least), there exists the potential for a good, brutal action-drama, but unfortunately, the utterly juvenile and painfully unwatchable delivery of the final output makes it easy to over-look this.
Actually, I'd be surprised if most viewers managed to get through this even at x16 speed. A very bad film indeed.