When I bought "K20: The Legend of the Black Mask" I believed it to be a Japanese superhero movie, but usually Takeshi Kaneshiro is great in movies, and that was the main reason for buying it, plus it was a live-action Manga movie, so what could possibly go wrong here?
"K20: The Legend of the Black Mask" is not a superhero movie, not by a long shot. And the black masked person known as K20 wasn't even the actual main character. The movie is about Heikichi Endo (played by Takeshi Kaneshiro) who is a circus performer getting framed for the crimes done by K20. Out to prove his innocence, Endo teams up with the police in order to take down K20 and clear his name. The story takes place in Japan, and World War II haven't taken place, which was an unusual approach to the story, but in overall, that fact actually didn't reflect much in the story. There were German words seen here and there, such as Polizei and the writings on the Tesla contraption, and they had changed the atomic bombs exploding to another disaster (though still an atomic disaster).
The story is actually quite good, and it is well written and well directed. And the people cast for the various roles really did great jobs in fleshing out their characters and making the story come to life on the screen. And the way the story is told is in a manner that keeps you riveted to the chair wanting to see what happens next. There is a lot of action in the movie, but also a lot of character development, which is really nice.
"K20: The Legend of the Black Mask" really surprised me, and it turned out to be much better than I had initially anticipated. And it was a great thing that it wasn't a superhero movie.
The effects used in the movie were really great, believable and in your face. That worked well for the movie. And the props and costumes were also nicely made, lots of nice touches and details, which I like.
"K20: The Legend of the Black Mask" is a great action movie, and it has a lot of entertainment value right from the very beginning. If you like Japanese movies with lots of action, then this movie is well worth checking out. And it is one of those types of movies that actually have enough entertainment value to be seen more than once.
Thumbs up for this movie! Great fun! Great entertainment!
