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The majority of the work that Oda Yuji has been a part of in the last decade continue to capture my attention. Kitano Takeshi will always be known for his movies around the world but thanks to DVD's, many people are starting to catch a glimpse of the Oda Yuji.

Around the world, Oda Yuji has caught the attention of many fans through his Japanese doramas and the movie "Odoru Daisousasen" (aka Bayside Shakedown). The other actress that I'm sure brought in the audience to watch this movie is Matsushima Nanako who is regarded as the top actress in Japanese entertainment today.

In the many years of watching Japanese movies, I don't think I have ever watched a Japanese big-budget movie in the scale of "WHITEOUT". Fuji and TOHO went all out in making this movie that you literally don't want to leave your seat for a minute.

According to the production notes, fans camped out to watch this movie. You take Japan's two big name actors, put them in a movie with a very large budget. The studios took a risk and won as evident with the box office returns.

Fans will definitely enjoy his latest blockbuster "WHITEOUT". A movie that can be compared to "Die Hard" meets "Cliffhanger". Oda's character as Togashi Teruo is unlike the hero's in both of those movies. From beginning to end, he doesn't have a Gung Ho attitude nor the "yippy kai yay - I'm going to kick some ass" look. The man is driven to make things right after the death of his colleague. Matsushima's Hirakawa Chiaki is a character that has nothing but anger for Togashi. As a man that escaped and let her fiance die. To watch Togashi's motivation into the end will make you appreciate this movie.

From beginning to end you will be captivated by "WHITEOUT". One can only hope that we see more big budgeted action movies come from Japan.

I enjoyed "WHITEOUT" a lot. Maybe not as much as I enjoyed Oda's "Odoru Daisousasen: The Movie" but it's still a movie worth checking out.

This is an astounding action movie. Similar to Die Hard, but in some ways better (if you like Japan films). The lead character is more likable, for one thing. He is just an ordinary guy- not heroic nor an ex-cop. He gets injured and is placed in an extraordinary situation- as a lone fighter against a ruthless gang of terrorists who have seized HIS dam. The only things he has going for him are his intricate knowledge of the dam, plus a deep-seated fear of not being a coward (as he was misunderstood during a past failed rescue where his co-worker froze to death). This combination brings out a desperation that drives him beyond his pain and beyond his normal abilities. The terrorists are lead by a genius who has everything well planned, his gang is loaded with big guns, and the odds are overwhelming against the dam worker turned hero. This is a real classic action movie- one of the best ever made (if you like Japan films).

Though this was very obviously influenced by those two above movies, I didn't mind that fact - after all, it's a very entertaining formula. To it's credit, it does bring some originality to the formula - the hero is more an ordinary joe instead of some pseudo-commando, and the reason for his fighting is actually so he can redeem himself, instead of just being the standard "it's the right thing to do." As well, the movie is shot on location in some very eye-catching locations.

Unfortunately, that's about all that's positive that I can say about this movie. Though this was big-budget for a Japanese movie, the polish of the movie is very inconsistant - it often looks cheaper and cheesier than many direct-to-video actioners. The action sequences aren't that plentiful and elaborate for the most part, and they are often directed in the most boring way possible - a lot of simply pointing and shooting the camera. There's no feeling of tension or excitement in or around those action sequences. And you can't help but feel the frustration of the hero slogging through the snow, since the dull tone (even the characters act bored) and the running time going on MUCH past its point of welcome. And despite the overlength, there are some awkward jumps in the narrative that make it appear that some scenes are missing, or were never filmed in the first place.

Efficient 'terrorists take over a building' thriller from Japan.

The building in this case is the largest dam in Japan, high in the mountains. A terrorist group seize control of the facility, threatening to open the dam and flood the surrounding countryside if they aren't given a suitably huge wedge of cash.

The spanner in the works is Togashi (Yuji Oda), an earnest employee who finds himself hip deep in randomly coiffured baddies.

Yes, there are big slabs of 'Cliffhanger' and 'Die Hard' here, and the flick outstays it's welcome by at least twenty minutes. However, this is a good solid thriller, buoyed in no small part by Togashi being an everyman rather than a typical action hero. He thinks on his feet and dispatches the terrorists in some neat ways, but at no point devolves into a dead-panning stereotype. In fact, his actions are in recompense for being unable to save the life of his best friend during a mountaintop snowstorm, several months previous. His friend's fiancé Chiaki (Nanako Matsushima) is visiting the dam and becomes one of the hostages, and she firmly believes Togashi will simply escape rather than help them. But Togashi has a debt to pay to his friend, and he'll do whatever it takes to save Chiaki!

Oda is a believable and spirited hero, and Matsushima a lovely and talented actress. The chief villain, mad haired and wheelchair-bound, is also good fun. The secondary characters, especially the cops, overact to a ridiculous degree, so much so that their scenes are almost comical. If this was deliberate, I didn't get what they were referencing or paying homage to.

The Ocean Shores DVD offers good, if unspectacular picture quality, and subtitles that are mostly fine.

Rumor has it that if they ever got around to making a Cliffhanger 2 it was going to take place at a dam. Suffice it to say, the idea obviously had some merit and the Japanese film industry has turned out a fine effort. When terrorists seize control of the largest dam in all of Japan, a controller at the dam is forced to become an unwillingly hero. It is not for the sake of his fellow workers held hostage or his dead friend's fiancee who happens to be visiting that he does this, but rather for the dam itself. The action is so-so, but this guy is also an expert mountain climber so it allows the action to move outdoors and create some interesting situations. Overall, the film was something different and I would recommend it if you like action cinema from another source.