Truth be told, the sequel of one of the best action movies of the decade was not exactly something I expected, despite the fact that manga/anime adaptations tend to repeat their recipe, particularly if the initial one was as successful as “The Fable”. The surprise, however, was a pleasant one, particularly because the second movie was equally entertaining.
“The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn't Kill” is screening at Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival
Expert assassin disguised as an ordinary citizen Akira Sato continues to live in Osaka with colleague Yoko, who is tasked with forbidding him from killing any more. Akira works as a graphic designer in a small film, where his rather childish drawings have found some appeal among customers, even if his boss, CEO Takoda and employee Misaki, frequently laugh with both their quality and the amount of effort he puts into them. Eventually though, Akira reunites with Hinako, a girl in a wheelchair who has a connection to some of his past work, while a target he never came to terminate, Utsubo, also reemerges, as a rather intelligent con-man who also acts as the caretaker of the girl. Akira finds himself unable to keep his past from harming the people around him.
The combination of intense action and absurd humor that were the main source of success of the initial title are here once more, although the comedy is quite toned down, as is Jackal Tomioka, who was the main source of slapstick in the first, having given his place to Takoda and Misaki, who are much tamer however. In its stead, there is a fair amount of drama, with Hinako being the main source of it, and Utsubo coming next as both the perpetrator and the main source of revenge. Furthermore, the level of perversion seems to have grown significantly, both due to the incident in Akira's company, the whole “hidden camera” trick Utsubo and his colleague, Isaki implement to con their victims, the general attitude of the two of them towards Hinako, and the fact that Akira is immediately perceived as a pervert when he tries to help her.
This aspect benefits the most from the acting, with Shinichi Tsutsumi giving another great performance as the despicable Utsubo and Yurina Hirate being great as both the victim and the spoiled child. Junichi Okada is great as the alwaye seeming perplexed Akira, but also the utterly decisive and capable The Fable. Lastly. Fumino Kimura as Yoko adds a level of sensualism and comedy in the film, while her duel with Suzuki is one of the most memorable scenes in the movie.
And talking about memorable action sequences, the truth is that this movie will mostly be remembered for those, with the aforementioned, the initial, rather brutal one, the final one, but most of all, the one in the block apartment and particularly its ending, being among the best we have seen during the latest years. Junichi Okada's stunt coordination and Makoto Yokoyama's action direction find their apogee in this sequence, as much as Koji Naoi's cinematography and the overall editing, which are on a very high level throughout the movie.
In general, “The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn't Kill” is on a level lower than its predecessor, particularly in the amount of fun it includes, but remains a rather entertaining, easy to watch film that will leave its audience both laughing and impressed by its action scenes.
