Wasabi

2001 · Japan, France · 94 min

Director: Gérard Krawczyk
Screenplay: Luc Besson
Producer: Luc Besson
Music: Éric Serra
Production company: EuropaCorp

What the critics say

44 % Rotten Tomatoes positive reviews53 Metacritic /100

Cast

Yoshi Oida

Ludovic Berthillot

Christian Sinniger

Élodie Frenck

Fabio Zenoni

Michel Scourneau

What it is about

Commissaire Hubert Florentini, a French police officer, is put on leave after a violent arrest that causes a scandal. His comfortable life of golf and attention from a devoted woman is clouded by a memory: Miko, a Japanese spy he met almost two decades earlier. When she dies, he travels to Japan, where her lawyer informs him that he has inherited guardianship of Yumi, a teenager of French and Japanese background. What seems like a formality becomes a personal investigation and a clash with the yakuza, as Florentini tries to protect the girl without fully revealing his connection to her. The film mixes chases, fights and humour with moments of family drama.

How it was made

The project grew out of a wish by Jean Reno and Luc Besson to shoot in Japan, a country that appreciates their films; neither had worked there since Nikita in 1990. Besson wrote and produced, and Gérard Krawczyk directed. It is a French-Japanese co-production with actors from both countries, with Ryōko Hirosue, a singer and actress, playing Yumi, and Carole Bouquet and Michel Muller in the main cast. Filming took place mainly in Tokyo, with many scenes in recognisable city locations. Although it is a French-style action film, critics point to clear American influences. The score is by Éric Serra, a frequent Besson collaborator.

Reception and legacy

The film received mixed reviews. It holds a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of about 44% from 41 reviews, and a Metacritic score of 53 out of 100. Critics praised Reno's effort but felt that the shifts between humour and violence weakened the story. It opened in France in 2001 in second place at the box office, behind American Pie 2, but reached number one in its second week. It grossed about $10.4 million worldwide. In Spain it was not released until 2003.