Black Belt

It's hardly that there's no worth here, but it's a picture torn in different directions. How much of it can be attributed to screenwriter George Iida and how much to director Nagasaki Shunichi I do not know, but I believe they both share responsibility in various degrees for how this was shaped. We have, in turn, a wartime drama of the Japanese Imperial Army requisitioning dojo across the nation, speaking to a conflict of values and world views, and otherwise domestic turmoil of the time. We have the sensei wishing to impart certain values to his pupils, suggesting a quiet drama examining what karate truly means to its practitioners and the culture from which it derives. And we have the connoted premise of that sensei's top three pupils, Taikan, Giryu, and Choei, squaring up against each other to determine their sensei's rightful successor - a fighting movie, and ostensibly one reduced to its core components as actual martial arts practitioners fill the primary roles. These are all worthy ideas for cinematic storytelling, and they could possibly fit together, but I think they do so gawkily in 'Black belt,' and not entirely convincingly; I'm inclined to believe the concept could have been boiled down to a more streamlined form.

The more ideas that the feature tries to weave together, the more unwieldy it becomes, exemplified before even one-third of the runtime has elapsed when Giryu is targeted for revenge, and seen a bit later with Taikan's inner conflict, and General Goda's plans. These ungainly narrative problems are exacerbated by measured, deliberate scene writing, somewhat stilted dialogue, and probably most of all by the unnatural pacing, movement, and acting brought out out through Nagasaki's direction. The man has enjoyed an established career in the industry, so he's clearly no slouch. I don't know what happened here, but the film as we see it feels thin, wanting, and too often curiously restrained. Many moments in the direction, dialogue, scenes, acting, or even cinematography or editing are very clearly included for dramatic effect, and instead feel all the more false or even hokey. All that this needed to do was to tell a story, but choices were made throughout, in various ways, that place considerable upper limits on the title's longevity.

'Black belt' is beautifully shot, a credit to both Nagasaki and cinematographer Kaneko Masato. Even thusly impacted by the direction, the cast tends to give commendable performances, not least stars like Yagi Akihito, Naka Tatsuya, and Suzuki Yuji, who are not professional actors. The filming locations are beautiful, and the production design and art direction no less so. The fight choreography is outstanding - the most consistent highlight, and surely the best - and the action is all the sharper for the fact that the editing and cinematography do not chop up these sequences to hide pulled punches as too often happens in modern fare as a substitute for, you know, actual combat. Employed somewhat sparingly and judiciously, where Sato Naoki's music rears its head (more notably at some points more than others), it's a terrific and enticing complement to the proceedings. There really are superb ideas in Iida's screenplay. I actually do like this movie, and as the length draws on it arguably gels more, and finds more strength. All this just makes it all the more unfortunate that the strength is rather variable in the first place, and continues to be so. Even at its best, all the plot elements do not necessarily come together with flawless cohesiveness.

Stupendously dramatic and genuinely impactful at its best, I want to like it more than I do. At its worst this raises a quizzical eyebrow - even at the promised climax, honestly - and maybe I'm being too generous in my assessment. There is lasting with here, but I'm of the mind that in its writing and direction alike it needed to be tightened, more focused, and much more mindful. 'Black belt' is worth watching on its own merits if you have the opportunity to check it out, but don't go out of your way for it; save it for a quiet day, and sit for it with tempered expectations, and that may be the best way to get the most out of your viewing experience.

If you like a decent story line with realistic fight scenes like in Twilight Samurai, The Hidden Blade and Love and Honour you might like this movie as well.

But if you like lots of wire work and long fighting scenes with lots of unrealistic moves then watch your typical mainstream HK movies such as Legend of the Fist, Once Upon a Time in China and Iron Monkey.

Simple.

Just because it's a martial arts films doesn't mean we have to throw them all into one category. They are completely different types of movies. It all depends what you prefer or what you're in the mood of.

Personally, I wish they made more movies like this.

Disregard kobushi's review. His years of experience practicing karate have apparently clouded his judgment considerably. No one save perhaps himself and a handful of others cares a hoot about the true to life mechanics of real-world karate. Suffice to say his approach to the film is laughable in its narrow-mindedness.

The film presents a deceptively simple and elegantly told martial arts fable, set against a backdrop of an increasingly militarized japan. The fight scenes , tho admirably staged and completely credible (and shocking in their immediacy), are merely the seasoning on a powerful tale of good vs. evil. The stylistic flourishes and acrobatic excesses which plague most other martial arts movies are completely absent, and that is a welcome and long overdue development. The script seamlessly fuses the protagonists' journeys of self-discovery with the setting in which the story unfolds. The director's calm, measured approach is refreshing in its economy, a rare thing in a martial arts film. There is a charming honesty about the whole project that makes it difficult to resist..

As the two protagonists wrestle with their own diametrically opposed natures and strive to discover the secret of their training, the inevitable standoff between them is subdued but satisfying, like the film itself. The supporting characters (and I'm thinking mainly of the evil army general), though two-dimensional, are well-written and performed. The acting is uniformly excellent, a laudable accomplishment since apparently many of the martial artists are non-actors..

More than likely the film will be derided by the ADD generation, but i thought it was a welcome return to the style of old Japanese classic films (Reminiscent also of early Bruce Lee movies, in content as well as in spirit). It isn't pretentious or abstruse enough to be labelled an art film, and it shuns the spectacle of mainstream schlock. Kuro-Obi is a humble, poetic film both funny and moving.. and is adorned with a beautiful musical score.

a resounding 8/10

The lead actors are real-life Karate masters - Tatsuya Naka (7th Dan JKA Shotokan karate, Akihito Yagi (7th Dan Meibukan Goju-ru Karate), and Yuji Suzuki (1st Dan Kyokushin karate) and action consists of authentic karate techniques.

The acting and plot are engaging on their own - but if you're done some karate in your life, it's even more satisfying.

Awesome flick. I have nothing to add to the other reviewers comments, except that with 40 years of studying Goju Ryu Karate (the martial art depicted in the film) - I LOVE IT! No, the ending fight scene isn't the most realistic, but I think we're dealing here with an artistic representation. This I a piece of cinema, not MMA. Kuroobi joined After the Rain as one of my favorite Japanese films, and favorite films, overall. Great spirit in the film and it poses a number of philosophical questions that we, as karateka, daily struggle with as we try to make karate an integral part of our lives. Karate is life, life is karate. This is part of the struggle depicted in the film. While this definitely isn't a kid's night movie (the themes are a bit too mature for that), it does lend itself to peer discussion or use as a teaching tool with adult students.