As far as low budget independent Japanese action films go, it doesn't get much better than this. This little gem is the directorial debut of stuntman/actor Kensuke Sonomura. Sure it wasn't perfect, but rookie filmmaker mistakes aside, it was a really well put together film. The mere 77 min runtime flew by even with the slow pacing, mostly due to the fact that each scene was relevant to the narrative, and just the right length to fill in the necessary back, current and upcoming sub-plots. I actually would've wanted more runtime to fill in some backstories more, and better character development in some of the characters. As an action film, there's really only two action scenes, but man are they choreographed and filmed exceptionally well, and are executed lightning-fast. I sure hope this little gem has some sequels in the works, because I do want more.
Review of Hydra
