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Damn, the action in HiGH&LOW: THE WORST (Sigeaki Kubo, 2019) delivers.
If you& #39;re unfamiliar with the franchise, it& #39;s a story of rival gangs, Japanese boys bands, cool one-takes, and ambitiously revitalising Crows-Zero-like set pieces.
Buckle up, it& #39;s action thread time!
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If you& #39;re unfamiliar with the franchise, it& #39;s a story of rival gangs, Japanese boys bands, cool one-takes, and ambitiously revitalising Crows-Zero-like set pieces.
Buckle up, it& #39;s action thread time!
The scene above comes from the latest film in the series, which is a spin-off of the main storyline explored in the TV show and the main movies. The franchise was created by a collective of Japanese boys bands called the Exile Tribe.
The 2-season TV show sprung various media entries (mangas, anime, concerts, game), and of course a few movies. The main trilogy is what I& #39;m most familiar with, and let me tell you: they& #39;re among the most generous action films of recent years. Each features a third act almost...
...entirely devoted to action, with other fight scenes sprinkled throughout their runtime. Each also features logistically inconceivable tracking shots. See for example this one from HiGH&LOW: THE MOVIE (Sigeaki Kubo, 2016), and its delightful use of vertical camera movements.
I know enough about the show to know that those tracking shots were already a staple of the franchise from its beginnings, but the movies refined and amplified them. It& #39;s far from the series& #39; only trick though. Check out this badass car chase from HiGH&LOW 2: END OF SKY:
Here& #39;s another one of those killer Steadicam takes from part 2 as well. All 3 films in the trilogy have the same director (Sigeaki Kubo), but also the same action director: Takahito Ôuchi, who was the stunt coordinator on the Rurouni Kenshin trilogy, as well as a part of...
…the stunt team in films such as FLASH POINT, BODYGUARDS & ASSASSINS, and CROWS ZERO. I really like what& #39;s been done in HiGH&LOW. While some hits lack impact (bound to happen with such chaotic, sprawling brawls), the ones that count don& #39;t, and most of the stunts are impressive.
HiGH&LOW 3: FINAL MISSION takes the play on vertical camera movements to extremes during its one-take show-off scene, switching floors, climbing walls and jumping off them. There is better energy, scenography, diversity in action in these films than most competitors in the genre.
Because here& #39;s the thing with action one-takes: you have to create the editing without cutting. What I mean is that if you have two people fist-fighting with no change in setting, lighting, situations, or camera movement, then it becomes very boring very fast. The HiGH&LOW...
…series understands this, and strives for ever more varied ways of making its one-takes more dynamic, more attention-grabbing, more involving on a sensory level while refining the "invisible" digital transitions. Results aren& #39;t perfect, but they& #39;re ambitious and exciting.
Plus, as I said, the franchise doesn& #39;t rely entirely on this one trick to impress, far from it. I think it has a lot to offer to action fans. I like this scene from FINAL MISSION, which highlights both team work and personal physical prowess.
Now, it& #39;s easy to get lost in the storylines because there are tons of characters and factions, but I don& #39;t mind that very much, I& #39;m more interested in taking in the films visually. Now, for the tricky part: how to watch those movies...
Unless you live in Asia, you have to import them, which can be costly. I don& #39;t think they& #39;re streaming anywhere, and I& #39;m not aware of any western release. I got my DVDs on YesAsia. Japanese editions for THE MOVIE/THE WORST (no subs), Taiwanese editions for 2 & 3 (English subs).
You can also try CDJapan (Japanese editions only). I have not seen THE RED RAIN, another spin-off movie, or the original TV show yet, aside from a few videos online, so it& #39;s not impossible that I will expand this thread in the future.
OK friends, all of the movies are now on Netflix. Who knows for how long, so get on it! I myself caught up with the only one I didn& #39;t buy on DVD: THE RED RAIN, a spin-off about the Amamiya brothers. Pretty solid stuff overall, although less action-oriented. Still: https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇" title="Rückhand Zeigefinger nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Rückhand Zeigefinger nach unten">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😎" title="Lächelndes Gesicht mit Sonnenbrille" aria-label="Emoji: Lächelndes Gesicht mit Sonnenbrille">
