Mixing genres is a frequent and sometimes dangerous proposition. We’re not talking about mixing romance with comedy or horror with thriller elements (though there is a science to this, as well), but films which incorporate seemingly desperate genres like yakuza crime with comedy. Director Eiji Uchida (TOKYO BURST: Crime City) tackles such a volatile mixture with his The Specials, having its Canadian premiere in the Horizon 2026 section of Fantasia International Film Festival 2026, as this yakuza crime tale incorporates comedy, drama, and action — plus dancing! Outrageous as these genres can be on their own, the incorporation of each one results in a concoction that absolutely charms, somehow managing to find harmony amid the rhythm Uchida conducts through a cast of game performers that creates an amusing amnesia over the audience as we mostly forget what kind of adventure we’re going on until we arrive at its narrative precipice. But as the characters themselves discover, it’s such a fun ride, it almost doesn’t matter how you get there or whether or not you go over into the abyss.
Daisuke Sakuma as Daiya in THE SPECIALS. Photo courtesy of Fantasia International Film Festival.
After the most recent failed attempt to assassinate yakuza boss Honjo (Renji Ishibashi), Kumashiro (Kippei Shiina) comes up with a new plan that is so outrageous it just might work. Tracking down assassins with dance experience, Kumashiro forms a dance troupe to use as cover to join a dance competition so that they can finally get their target. Unfortunately, none of these pros understand the value of working as a team and their rhythm is extraordinarily rusty; however, with the help of budding dancer Asuka (Urara), these killers might just have a shot at their goal, if the rhythm doesn’t get them first.
Flat out, The Specials is a ridiculous movie. It’s a yakuza film in that it’s dealing with power moves to take control of Tokyo and, when all attempts have failed, extreme measures are to be expected. Except, instead of developing another head-on plan, subterfuge by way of a dance competition is cultivated. This subversion is the first step toward comedy and we’re all the richer for it. Screenwriters Uchida (Night Flower) and Santa Ikegame open the film with a bombastic touch, establishing the stakes from the jump while using the action set piece to illustrate that The Specials isn’t a gentle, family-friendly comedy piece. It’s a romp, for sure, but not one that’s without consequences. Even after the plan is crafted and the assassins introduced, the three killers don’t come to make friends, immediately going after each other in a brief display of machismo that illustrates their respective talents and how far the unit will have to go to form a real team. It’s important that, for the duration, we never forget that each of the killers are good at what they do, even as the bulk of the film shifts over to one assassin in particular, the retired Daiya (Daisuke Sakuma). Part of why it matters that we remember is because their volatility can have consequences, sure; however, the primary reason is because their difficulty in finding their rhythm — literally and figuratively — creates a beautiful tension and hilarity. Pushing things further, the script introduces young Asuka, a member of the facility for orphans where Diaya works as an assistant, who is able to boss around this deadly group with total authority — not because she has no awareness of the threat any of them poses, but because there’s a general rule that yakuza don’t harm children (an extension of the ninkyo code). So they treat her with care and respect her guidance as their teacher. One doesn’t find it all that surprising that any of the group might not bring their A-game to an adult teacher’s class, but if any of them dared slack off with Asuka, they immediately shape up. One can be a killer and still possess a code, something which helps separate those who kill because they can from those who kill because there’s a reason.
L-R: Sho Aoyagi as Shin, Yuta as Kiryu, Urara as Asuka, Daisuke Sakuma as Daiya, Kippei Shiina as Kumashiro, Hitoshi Ozawa as Murasame in THE SPECIALS. Photo courtesy of Fantasia International Film Festival.
All of this might seem silly (and not in the funny ha-ha way), but it’s an important distinction and one which is illustrated through the storyline introduced by Daiya. Despite his skills, he’s retired for a reason and that reason creates an interesting push-pull for the mission and not the way one might expect. What can be stated clearly is that what we learn from this subplot is the difference between those who kill for gain versus those who aspire to something else. One is not going to split hairs over whether or not killing is good and moral (Grosse Point Blank (1997) this film is not), but one can acknowledge the film does a clever bit of delineation for its characters by establishing why, though outlawed in Japan specifically through yakuza exclusion ordinances put into effect in 2011, the yakuza served a purpose of providing protections whereas general criminals might not enact such policies. As Daiya’s past arrives to make its presence known, the audience not only learns something important about the characters that shifts the tension the audience experiences moving forward, it also shows us what the absence of a code looks like and the dangers it enflames. One example that can be provided without concern of spoiling the fun comes from the introduction of fifth group member Murasame (Bad City’s Hitoshi Ozawa), a former yakuza working to clean a car for a young adult, one who constantly derides Murasame without concern, even openly mocking Murasame despite paying him to do a menial job. While it’s fair to say that there are always good and bad characters in any group, the absence of respect showed to Murasame simply as an elder doing a job is reason enough to dislike the asshole berating him. Now imagine it’s something with power behind them and the ability to cause people to die, suddenly that’s the sort of enemy that makes our group of killers upright citizens by comparison.
Something else that couldn’t escape my thinking while watching The Specials is the continued sharing of community and culture. Specifically, while a few of the dance competitors are localized to different styles or cultures (one specifically seems Polynesian based on their music choice and costumes), much of the dancing that’s featured within the film has its roots in the Black community. It’s not just jazz and tap that gets featured, but hip-hop, as well. Yes, it’s as funny as you think it will be to see out-of-practice and/or aged characters attempting hip-hop moves, but the point is how widespread and popularized this aspect of Black influence is on the global community. It’s not the style that this group goes with for their qualifying performance, but Asuka is a skilled dancer in this style, as are many of the younger dancers and groups we see. Considering that folks love Korean fried chicken and not as many are aware that it was born from the influence of the Black soldiers stationed in Korea in the 1950s, and considering that the Black community has absorbed quite a few pieces of Chinese and Japanese entertainment and cultural elements (Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks explores this cross-collaboration well), this feels like a fascinating handshake as the two communities exchange aspects that the other cultivates and expands upon through their own specific lens. In each case, what walks the line between appropriation and appreciation is slim; however, viewed through an optimistic lens, as is utilized throughout The Specials, a sensation of collective hope and community arises that demonstrates there is more that binds us than separates. As we watch the group of killers transform themselves into a harmonious dance troupe with a singular vision moving in time with each other, that notion becomes all the more real. Or, at the very least, an illusion we can buy into for 110 minutes.
L-R: Sho Aoyagi as Shin, Kippei Shiina as Kumashiro, Daisuke Sakuma as Daiya, Yuta as Kiryu, Hitoshi Ozawa as Murasame in THE SPECIALS. Photo courtesy of Fantasia International Film Festival.
Vastly different from TOKYO BURST, also screening during Fantasia 2026, one might describe The Specials as The Full Monty (1997) meets Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards (2024) with a dash of ye old “save the community center” energy those of us from the ‘80s grew up with. It’s silly and sweet, solid action when the story requires it, and, most of all, the characters are ones we start to root for. The overall arc for the film is predictable, but where it throws in surprises (especially amid the genre tonal shifts that need to be interlaced) helps offset this to an effective degree. A growing motif in the film is that skill matters less than passion and, frankly, this film has that and that’s what makes it feel special.
Screening during Fantasia International Film Festival 2026.
For more information, head either to the official The Specials Fantasia International Film Festival webpage or Japanese theatrical website.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
Share this:
Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
Leave a Reply