Wasabi

"For those who take their action raw."

2001 1h 34m FR

👍

6.7

SOLID

🥫

44%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.6

IMDB

★6.7TMDB · 1,492🥫44%Rotten Tomatoes●53Metacritic★6.6IMDB · 45,094

DramaActionComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Hubert is a French policeman with very sharp methods. After being forced to take 2 months off by his boss, who doesn't share his view on working methods, he goes back to Japan, where he used to work 19 years ago, to settle the probate of his girlfriend who left him shortly after marriage without a trace.

“For those who take their action raw.”

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Cast

Jean Reno
Hubert Fiorentini
Ryoko Hirosue
Yumi Yoshimido
Michel Muller
Maurice 'Momo'
Carole Bouquet
Sofia
Yoshi Oida
Takanawa 'Zébra'
Christian Sinniger
'Le Squale'
Alexandre Brik
Irène
Jean-Marc Montalto
Olivier

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gérard Krawczyk
Writers: Luc Besson
Languages: French, Japanese
Countries: France, Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 68% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

25 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, Japanese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Japan.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Gérard Krawczyk, shot by Gérard Sterin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Julien Schultheis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Yann Hervé shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jean Reno and Ryoko Hirosue and Michel Muller carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gérard Krawczyk directs. Gérard Sterin behind the camera. Julien Schultheis scores. Yann Hervé cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in France, Japan. Dialogue in French, Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 68% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
225 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, Japanese.
4International production across 2 countries: France, Japan.
5Directed by Gérard Krawczyk, shot by Gérard Sterin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Julien Schultheis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Yann Hervé shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Jean Reno and Ryoko Hirosue and Michel Muller carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "For those who take their action raw.".
10IMDB entry: tt0281364 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 10 themes, including "police brutality", "hitman", "handcuffs", "yakuza".