The Fable

Known as 'The Fable' an assassin has been trained since childhood to be the perfect assassin; now he has been told that he must take a year off. He must live as 'Akira Sato', an ordinary man. This means no guns and definitely no killing... if he kills anybody, for whatever reason, he will be killed. It won't be that easy though. He moves to Osaka where he gets an ordinary job. Unfortunately for him he keeps running into people who want trouble or want his unique services. Ultimately, when a new friend is kidnapped, he must try to rescue her from a large number of yakuza without killing any of them.

This film may not be the sort that is likely to compete for any major awards but it is a lot of fun. The action begins in the opening scene as we see just how efficient an assassin 'The Fable' is. This action is far from bloodless. The story could have been played straight but it is full of humour. Some of this, such as our protagonist finding a particularly silly comedian hilarious, does wear a bit thin at times but not enough to spoil my enjoyment. The cast is solid; frequently hamming it up in a way that suits the material. Overall I'd definitely recommend fans of action films give this a go. I'll definitely be watching the sequel.

These comments are based on watching the Film in Japanese with English subtitles.

It started quite strong but lost focus a bit afterwards. Its trying to be a comedy/action movie but on both elements there was more potential.

But overall a fun movie to pass the time.

Very seldom I watch Japanese movies. I gave this a shot, never heard of any actors or director and didn't know about the manga. It was a pleasant surprise. Very engaging characters, odd stories, very sweet fun humor.

The story is a about an mythical assasin "The Fable" - his real name Sato. He is taking a sabbatical year in another town together with his companion Yoko. He is struggling to live a normal life, but of course other criminals and assasins cannot leave him alone.

The pace of the movie is perfect. The story is bound in the everyday life they are trying to live. This gives them so much more character and depth than a typical action movie. The action is also very well done with some nice unique moments, and it is always mixed with their personal traits and interactions.

This is a light movie in many ways, both visually with much of the shots done during daytime, when it comes to the motives and actions of the warm hearted characters and with some very sweet humor. I strongly recommend it.

Deliciously funny, action packed flick with comments on what's considered relevant I'm social behavior. Sarcastic and very efficient!

The Fable has some really nice shots throughout the film as the central character, a professional assassin, goes on a hideout to live a normal life for a few months but is unable to and is instead driven to a world of crime again to save the lives of people he's not related with, but this time without killing a single soul. It is surprisingly funny, has a lot of action sequences, and is solidly clever in some parts, making it a fabulous experience for me. TN.

(Watched and reviewed at its India premiere at the 3rd Japanese Film Festival of India in Mumbai.)