I Am a Hero (2015)

One day, after returning from work late in the evening, Hideo witnesses a traffic accident in which a car crashes into a nearby pedestrian, killing the victim instantly. However, despite ... See full summary »

Director:

Shinsuke Sato

Writers:

Kengo Hanazawa (manga), Akiko Nogi (screenplay)

Stars:

Masami Nagasawa, Kasumi Arimura, Yô Ôizumi

8 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Masami Nagasawa	...	Tsugumi Oda
Kasumi Arimura	...	Hiromi
Yô Ôizumi	...	Hideo Suzuki
Miho Suzuki	...	Zombie - Tekko
Nana Katase	...	Tekko
Yoshinori Okada	...	Sango
Tôru Kazama	...	Chikura
Hisashi Yoshizawa	...	Iura
Yu Tokui	...	Abe
Kazunori Kaneko
Muga Tsukaji	...	Mitani
Toshifumi Muramatsu
Jin Katagiri	...	Korori Nakada
Makita Sports	...	Matsuo
Natsu Andô

Storyline

One day, after returning from work late in the evening, Hideo witnesses a traffic accident in which a car crashes into a nearby pedestrian, killing the victim instantly. However, despite severe injuries including a broken neck, the victim's body stands up and walks away. Hideo questions whether this is another one of his hallucinations, but strange events begin happening around him.

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Plot Keywords:

based on manga | zombie | undead | japanese girl | shot gun | 

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Genres:

Action | Horror

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

23 April 2016 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Soy hèroe

Company Credits

Production Co:

Avex Pictures, Dentsu, East Japan Marketing & Communications Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Outlet Mall scene was filmed entirely at the mall in South Korea that went out of busisness few years ago. Due to the strict gun law of Japan, the goverment did not allow producers to use the gun for the movie.

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Soundtracks

Home on the Range
Music by Daniel E. Kelley and lyrics by Brewster M. Higley
Performed by Allie Goertz

User Reviews

The shotgun is mightier than the pen.

Struggling manga artist Hideo Suzuki (Yô Ôizumi) finds himself fighting for survival during a zombie outbreak.

For those who felt that Korean zombie flick Train to Busan was just a little too tame when it came to the blood and guts, here is another recent Asian zombie film (this one hailing from Japan) that should more than satisfy any viewer's blood-lust. The middle third might be a tad dry, as protagonist Hideo and schoolgirl Hiromi (Kasumi Arimura) attempt to integrate with a group of survivors at a shopping outlet, but the rest of the film is gloriously gory, the finale in particular featuring more exploding heads than I could keep track of, the titular hero more than proving his worth with a shotgun. However, it's not just the gore that makes this one so much fun…

The basic structure of I Am A Hero is much like any other regular zombie film: first there is the chaotic outbreak, then there is the desperate struggle for survival, and finally the all-out onslaught of the undead as barriers fall and the zombies wreak havoc. But the familiarity of the basic set-up matters not: director Shinsuke Sato keeps things moving along at a cracking pace, the cast is perfect, and the editing stylish without being too showy. The zombies are also very memorable, looking suitable yucky with their cloudy eyes and nasty complexion, and repeatedly speaking phrases that they would have said before death. CGI is used for much of the carnage, but it's good CGI, which makes all the difference.

Like Train to Busan, the film is perhaps a little longer than necessary, but even at just over two hours, I highly recommend I Am A Hero to fans of the genre. This is one of the good ones! 8.5 out of 10, rounded up to 9 for IMDb.