It is visceral, exhausting, and genuinely moving. When Kenji finally executes a perfect uwatenage (overarm throw), you may find yourself standing up in your living room. It is one of the best-acted sports sequences of the year. Rating: ★★★½ (3.5/5)
Sumo Movie doesn’t reinvent the ring, but it dominates it with grace, humor, and a whole lot of chanko-nabe . Go for the body slams; stay for the quiet moment where a broken man finally bows to his master with genuine respect. sumo movie
There’s a blooper reel showing the actors attempting to cook chanko-nabe for real. It’s funnier than half the film’s actual script. It is visceral, exhausting, and genuinely moving
Director: Masayuki Kurosawa (fictionalized for this review) Starring: Ryohei Otani, Ken Watanabe, Mieko Harada Genre: Sports Comedy / Drama Runtime: 118 minutes Rating: ★★★½ (3
The training montages are refreshingly anti-glamorous. Instead of pumping rock music, we hear the grunts, the slap of flesh, and the heavy breathing of men pushing a 400-pound wrestler into a sand pit. Otani, who reportedly gained 60 pounds for the role, is a revelation. He plays Kenji with a perfect mix of shame and stubborn pride. His transformation from a whiny millennial into a focused athlete feels earned, not magical.