Masûru hîto

Although the title sounds like it came from an '80s dance movie or a low-budget porn, "Muscle Heat" is actually a fairly decent action movie. Starring Kane Kosugi as Joe (son of Sho Kosugi), it takes place in Tokyo in 2009, although isn't really far out enough to be considered sci-fi. Joe is a US marine who is courtmartialed for refusing to follow orders (revolving around shooting kids), and he is set free by Aikawa Show, who plays Japanese detective Aguri Katsuragi, and given "amnesty" (for reasons that are unclear) to go to Japan (which is in a severe depression and has pretty much gone to hell) to work with Aguri in stopping the illegal drug trade in "blood heat", a powerful and addictive drug, and stopping the lead dealer, Rai (played by Masayo Kato, from Beat Takeshi's "Brother", and Takashi Miike's "Araburu Tamashitachi"). Even though Kane's acting ability consists of a permanent scowl, the actions scenes are good, solid martial arts fighting, and good gunfight action, reminiscent of "Returner". The Sledgehammer fight scene at the end is something new, and worth a look. Not much in the way of complicated plot, but Aikawa Show is always worth a look when he is shooting people, and even though Kane Kosugi isn't much of an actor, he knows how to throw an impressive kick. And keep an eye out for Takenaka Naoto, who plays a greasy street bookie - I swear that guy is in every Japanese movie ever made...

MUSCLE HEAT was dead on arrival. The film offers up one of those cheap tournament fighting storylines popular in the late '80s and '90s, but really does nothing for the moviegoing public nowadays. The film's biggest draw is its star, Kane Shosugi, who is quite a good martial artist. His action scenes outside the ring are impressive, but once he enters the tournament, all the fighting becomes tedious and repetitive. More action sequences in the real world would have been a better way to go.

As it stands, MUSCLE HEAT isn't a complete failure. I'd like to see more from Shosugi, preferably in a better environment, with a better story. Action films are fine, but there's something to be said for falling back on tiresome genres like the whole tournament thing.

5 out of 10

(go to www.nixflix.com for a more detailed review of this movie and reviews of other foreign films)

Take care not to be misguided by the other comments on this movie! The action in this movie does not amount to "good" and it hardly even qualifies as mediocre. With a bad plot and too much bad storytelling instead of action, there is very little to entertain an experienced and/or demanding observer.

Kane Kosugi is good in his movie-display of martial arts, but worthwhile action is presented only in 2 and a half minutes of the entire movie.

The other fights have choreography, the quality of a bad Van Damme movie. ("I will block your kicks with my face until your feet start bleeding!") The showdown disappoints the most. It made me wonder if the action choreographer had left the crew, by that time. Cut-scenes, in no particular order, and devoid of any tension, are supposed to excite the audience. You may be familiar with that if you have seen the showdown of "Naked Weapon".

I am very proud to have been able to participate in this film. The story and characters (cast) were very gorgeous, and the soundtrack was also moving. During filming, I had the opportunity to communicate with Kane Kosugi and other cast members, which was a great experience for me at the time. And most of all, the photo I took with the wrestler Shinya Hashimoto, who I loved as a wrestler and who has since passed away, has become a priceless treasure for me.

I was very moved when I saw this movie. Since I was just starting out as an actor, I had little experience, so I was able to learn a lot during filming.

PLOT: An American soldier, locked up for disobeying orders, gets sprung from prison by a Japanese detective looking for help to fight a new drug. They go to Japan, where the detective is subsequently killed, leaving the American to battle the druglord himself.

"Muscle Heat" is an awful title, but the movie itself isn't so bad. There's a lot of awful stuff in-between the action scenes, but it's the action scenes that sell the movie. Kane Kosugi, whose father I consider something of a perseonal God, does all right as the Japanese-American lost in Japan. Although Kane seems more comfortable punching and kicking someone in the face then doing dramatic scenes, he's still a much more natural actor than his fellow action brethrens like, say, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jean Claude Van Damme-I-Can't-Act.

So go in "Muscle Heat" for the action, because nothing else is fleshed out enough to really care about. And although the drug is supposed to be this big bad drug, how is it possible that it's such a plague if the Japanese cops don't even bother to crack down on it? I mean, there's this big industrial place where the drugload hangs out, sends people to their death in his Muscle Dome on a nightly basis, and the cops don't seem to give a hoot. ANd yet we see all this poster and news reporters about how bad the drug, Blood Heat, is, but the only people I ever see taking it are the people who fight in the Muscle Dome!

Anyways. Good action, and Kane Kosugi is something to look out for. He just needs a better script and to, from now on, avoid this whole Tournament Fighting thing. Tournament Fighting movies are just so...Van Damme-ish.