One-Percent Warrior is a 2023 Japanese action thriller film in which two yakuza gangs interrupt the shooting of an action flick at an abandoned factory. The action star isn’t too pleased. Also known as One Percenter and 1%Er
Written and directed by Yûdai Yamaguchi (Meatball Machine, Tamami: The Baby’s Curse, Elite Yankee Saburo, Yakuza Weapon, Deadball, Men’s Egg Drummers, Abducte). Produced by Tak Sakaguchi and Ota Takayuki.
The WiiBER production stars Tak Sakaguchi, Itsuji Itao, Shô Aoyagi, Keisuke Horibe, Rumika Fukuda, Norihisa Hiranuma, Kenjirô Ishimaru, Tarô Suruga, Togo Ishii, Kôhei Fukuyama, Ohji Hiroi and Kanon Harumi.
Plot:
Action film actor Takuma Toshiro is a man with one goal: the perfection of action film acting. But when his samurai approach to the profession clashes with an industry addicted to wires, CGI and quick edits, Toshiro and his trusty apprentice Akira decide to make their dream film themselves.
When actual violence finds its way onto their movie set in the form of yakuza mobsters looking for a hidden cache of drugs, Toshiro and Akira are suddenly thrust into action. Is this the ideal opportunity to take his “Real Action” to the next level? As lives are lost and chaos ensues, Toshiro finds that the gap between action “fantasy” and “reality” isn’t quite what he thought!
Reviews:
” …action director Kensuke Sonomora (Hydra, Bad City, Baby Assassins), one of the best in the world at what he does, and on a hot streak to boot, is part of the reason this film sings as pitch perfectly as it does. One Percenter is coming at you from an elite team of world class action filmmakers and they’ve got something to say. It’s pure action filmmaking confidence executed on a level most in the world could only hope to achieve.” Cinapse
“If something like John Wick: Chapter Four excited you earlier this year when it dropped, this is just as well thought out in terms of space and character arc, and everything is executed in a fraction of the total run-time with just as many “holy shit” moments. It’s a testament to Sonomura’s gift as an action director and Tak’s abilities as a performer with a long career of whipping ass on screen.” ★★★★ Elements of Madness
“Sakaguchi’s Takuma comes comprised with a combination of samurai and martial philosophy that bolsters the film’s dark, scintillating psychological twist to a point that will have you assessing nods to any film comparisons you might be minding at the moment. I’m thinking somewhere along the lines of David Fincher and a bit of Musashi lore, and not for nothing with respect to the latter.” Film Combat Syndicate
Buy Blu-ray from Amazon.com
Release:
In the US, Well Go will release One-Percent Warrior on VOD and Blu-ray on March 12, 2024.
Teaser:
Trailer 1:
Trailer 2:
Technical specs:
1 hour 25 minutes
