Sabu director
2003 year
Japan country

The story follows three pairs of characters, all of whom are fleeing an illegal Thai boxing match.
The first characters shown are two restaurant workers. One persuades the other to take part in the boxing match, in place of an absent boxer. Although the bout was rigged to end in his defeat in the second round, he knocks his opponent out within seconds of the start. The pair are soon involved in a high-speech car chase with angered members of the yakuza.
The second pair of characters are two young businessmen who choose to eat at the restaurant where the boxing match is takes place, unaware of its yakuza connections. They flee the after a police raid and are involved in a high-speed car-chase with a patrol car.
The third pair of characters are in need of money to pay for damage they caused to a yakuza’s expensive car. They attend the bout to steal the takings but one of them is shot and his friend drives him around in search of a hospital.
The three cars containing the six main characters crash and the postscript shows them sometime later, apparently enjoying successful lives.

Directed by Sabu
Produced by Tarō Nagamatsuya
Satoru Ogura
Arishige Shimomura
Masahiko Tan
Koji Yoshizawa
Written by Sabu
Starring Sakamoto Masayuki
Nagano Hiroshi
Inohara Yoshihiko
Morita Go
Miyake Ken
Okada Junichi
Music by Yasuhisa Murase
Cinematography Masao Nakabori
Editing by Nobuyuki Ito
Distributed by Avex Inc.
Release date(s) Flag of Japan November 27, 2003
Running time 79 min

One response to “Hard Luck Hero”

  1. Rees says:

    Good black comedy a little bit like Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction the way the stores tie in but far less complicated and less dialog. The humour translates well no matter what’s you’re culture.
    It’s a fast pace movie and has you’re full attention although the last 15 minutes are an exception as it was a bit too Hollywood happy happy ending for me. I would give it 6/10 it lost 1 because the end did not sit well with me but I would still recommend you watch it.

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