**Disclaimer: The following home release review was written before additional allegations came out regarding a larger issue with lead actor Tak Sakaguchi, detailed in a March 3rd thread by Tom Mes. We feel it’s important to note that this is a Yūdai Yamaguchi film whose work with action director Kensuke Sonomura should be explored. As such, we’ve decided to run this to support their work and that of the rest of the cast.**
In the world of cinema, there are action stars and there are martial arts. Arnold Schwarzenegger (True Lies), Sylvester Stallone (Tango & Cash), and Dwayne Johnson (The Rundown) — these are action stars. Michael Jai White (Black Dynamite), Donnie Yen (Hero), and Sammo Hung (Wheels on Meals) — these are martial artists. A martial artist can become an action star, but, typically, it doesn’t go the other way, though it can happen and Keanu Reeves (started studying karate in the ‘80s) is a great example. From the perspective of audiences, there may be little difference between the two as great choreography, knowledgeable direction, and proper editing can effectively create the illusion necessary to sell the performer. This conversation is a key component of the meta-crime actioner One-Percent Warrior (originally released as 1%er) from writer/director Yūdai Yamaguchi (Rokuroku: The Promise of the Witch), led by Tak Sakaguchi (Re:Born; Prisoners of the Ghostland) and featuring Jeet Kune Do practitioner Ishii Togo. Yūdai, via Tak, explores the complex nature of filmmaking and the struggle to be authentic and wraps it within a martial arts action package.
If you’re interested in learning about One-Percent Warrior in a spoiler-free capacity, head over the initial Fantastic Fest 2023 review. Moving forward, I will not hesitate to dive into spoiler territory.
Tak Sakaguchi as Takuma Toshiro in ONE-PERCENTER. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA & Hi-YAH!.
A decade since his last major release Re:Birth, action star Takuma Toshiro (Tak) is singularly focused on making his own film featuring what he calls “real action.” Defining it as sans-stunt people and cheap tricks, Toshiro is tired of the wire-work and CG that replaces the craft of martial arts and seeks to bring to audiences something not only new and fresh, but that only a few can deliver. While on a scouting trip with his disciple Akira (Fukuyama Kohei) on a remote island, the pair comes across a battle between in-fighting yakuza that threatens the life of the gang’s former leader’s daughter, Maria (Fukuda Rumika). Rather than run, Toshiro sees this as an opportunity for them to capture raw footage of him in action that can be used to construct a film, with Toshiro acting as protector and Akira as cameraman. However, by making this choice, Toshiro will be challenged in ways he didn’t expect which will force him to question the lines he’s willing to cross in the name of “real action.”
L-R: Narumi Kanon as Ami, Togo Ishii as Sensei, and Hiranuma Norihisa as Shishido in ONE-PERCENT WARRIOR. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.
On a first watch, one can easily roll with what’s going on. This is one of those “last chance” type stories mixed with “wrong place/wrong time” with a slightly stoic protagonist going up against a series of faceless adversaries until an ultimately badass confrontation. This is the setup and delivery for Yamaguchi’s film and it can be enjoyed as simply as this. However, once you’ve gotten through it a first time, going back through means seeing the layers of the narrative and how that shapes the choices moving forward. For instance, one might notice that several of the names of characters or code names are references to either Japanese cinema or action cinema in general. The easy reference being the nickname given to Toshiro by the bad guys, “Jackie Chan,” and, when given it, Toshiro says he’d much prefer “Bruce Lee” as the nickname, a way to name drop two prolific figures in martial arts action cinema. It’s important to note that Toshiro and his opponent played by Togo each utilize the style of Jeet Kune Do, which was made popular by Lee, thereby making the choice of nickname telling about how Toshiro sees himself. Then there’s the bad guy, Shishido (Hiranuma Norihisa), who’s likely named for Joe Shishido of Branded to Kill (1967) and who has a regiment of fighters he dubs “Team Wesley,” which conjures an image of Wesley Snipes (Blade), who is, himself, trained in Shotokan Karate. These are all little pieces that play into the larger meta concept wherein reality and fiction collide.
L: Tak Sakaguchi as Takuma Toshiro in ONE-PERCENTER. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA & Hi-YAH!.
In no place, though, does this collision occur stronger than in the relationship between Toshiro and Akira. Akira is the cameraman, clearly named for Akira Kurosawa (Rashomon; Seven Samurai; Dreams), while Toshiro as the action star is named for Toshiro Mifune, who worked with Kurosawa on films such as Throne of Blood, Seven Samurai, Rashomon, and many others. These two are a connected pair in cinema history, but Yamaguchi takes it a step further by making them one and the same, with Akira being a figment of Toshiro’s fractured reality, having lost much of his career and his disciplines in the downtime since Re:Birth (itself a reference to Tak’s own Re:Born). The two are inseparable, with Akira able to say things that Toshiro is not and, ultimately, trying to push Toshiro to do things that the action star isn’t necessarily prepared to do. Through the film, we observe Toshiro talk about his technique, his desire to reach the title of one-percenter, to become the highest level of martial artist there is, yet he constantly pulls back when fighting the bad guys. His reluctance to go all the way is shown by the way that Toshiro incapacitates everyone from punching a bullet into someone’s spine, using a wrench to clamp and break both a clavicle and Achilles heel, and generally beating and breaking all the bones he can get his hands on without actually killing someone. He’s an actor, after all, not a killer, and that’s the distinction that prevents Toshiro from unleashing the kinds of violence that audiences are used to seeing on screen. Therefore, when Akira is killed, shot in the head by Shishido’s twisted daughter Ami (Narumi Kanon), what we expect is for Toshiro to take that next step. What we don’t expect is to have the whole set come to a halt, for us to be shown that Toshiro is actually working on a movie, and then be told that Akira isn’t real. In truth, though, this is just another trick by Yamaguchi to demonstrate that Toshiro is mentally broken as Akira is just a part of himself that he created to keep going and that everything Toshiro’s done on the island, while very real and not a movie, has all happened without Akira. Therefore, a question arises as to whether Toshiro was in the right to deal any of the violence all? Should he have pushed it further? What do we, the audience, expect from our action stars? And should we be ok with the methods Toshiro used on his opponents?
Togo Ishii as Sensei in ONE-PERCENT WARRIOR. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.
One-Percent is full of excellent fight sequences, the highlight being the one-on-one between Tak and Togo, not just because it includes a few cinematic references, but because it’s the best kind of fight where the opponents have respect for each other as fighters. It also provides a great moment in which Shishido interrupts, decrying how these two are not in a movie, and pulls out his gun to shoot Toshiro, only for Togo to jump in front of the bullet. It’s comical in the execution, another smart use of meta commentary, and reminds the audience that there’re actual stakes at hand. Now, if you enjoyed this sequence, as well as all the others, on the home release, there’s only one real feature and it’s a 25-minute featurette titled “The Making of 1%er” which features, first, Tak, and, second, Togo talking about the process of the film. From Tak, we learn about his belief in “real action” vs. “combat action” and how one is a conversation between the actors who listen and respond while shooting versus traditional heavily-choreographed performances. He also talks about the line Toshiro doesn’t cross and what Tak thinks about the cruelty involved by not stepping over. In talking about some of the influences on the film, such as Chan and Lee, he begins talking about bringing Togo onto the project and their specific fight. Soon after, Togo is featured, at which point he talks about his experience shooting his first-ever film, what his expectations were, what it was like to work with Tak, and far more. Amid both of the actors’ insights, we’re shown various clips from the film that reference what they’re speaking on or behind-the-scenes footage. So, when Tak talks about shooting the fight with Togo and using the drone, we actually get to see some of that blocking. Amusingly, even though the featurette is set up so that one person is the focus in their talking head interview, music constantly plays in the background, giving the conversation more emotion than just a typical interview. More than anything, we get a sense of the work both put into making One-Percent Warrior, and any martial arts fan is going to dig this.
L-R: Tak Sakaguchi as Takuma Toshiro and Togo Ishii as Sensei in ONE-PERCENTER. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA & Hi-YAH!.
One doesn’t typically expect their action films to come with any kind of depth, which is partially what makes One-Percent Warrior stand out. The general narrative is simple in execution, but there’s incredible style utilized to make it real. It certainly helps that the action direction is handled by the marvelous Kensuke Sonomura of HYDRA (2021), Bad City (2022), and both Baby Assassins films and that Tak is surrounded by other capable martial arts like Togo and second-time on-screen partner Masanori Mimoto (Baby Assassins/Bad City). All of this comes together in an action crime tale that’s hardly forgettable and is easily rewatchable.
One-Percent Warrior Special Features:
- English Language Dub
- The Making of 1%er (25:23)
- Trailer (2:01)
- Three (3) Well Go USA Previews
Available on Blu-ray and digital March 12th, 2024.
Available on Hi-YAH! April 5th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Well Go USA One-Percent Warrior webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
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