GETTING AROUND TO IT // A FILM REVIEW OF "BABY ASSASSINS"

BY MATEO MORENO

BABY ASSASSINS is the kind of film that mixes two very different genres and often doesn't work. But low and behold, this one does, and it's a great deal of fun, filled with oddball humor and spectacular fight sequences that masterfully blends slacker humor with a wild martial arts action film. Chisato (Akari Takaishi) and Mahiro (Saori Izawa) are two high school students on the verge of graduating. They love slacking off, hate having a survival job and would rather do anything but school work. Typical high schoolers. However, they aren't typical at all, because they're also highly skilled assassins, fighting and shooting their way through mark after mark.

Their boss wants them to "blend in," so he requires them to move in together and get "day jobs." This doesn't go great, especially because Mahiro truly doesn't know how to connect with other humans. It also doesn't help that both of them are distracted easily, like when both of them assume the other is listening to instructions on an upcoming assassin job, only to realize neither of them got the information. What's surprising and works so well in BABY ASSASSINS is how leisurely it's paced. Instead of diving into action (which it still does have plenty of), it often meanders into weird little side quests of the two main characters, showing off their quirky and oddball personalities.

Chisato is highly excitable and Mahiro moves like a blank slate that seems to hate everything, except Chisato and killing. Together they have great chemistry and really add a fun flavor to the film. When it does steep deep into action, it involves the Yakuza, two demented sibling rival assassins and a whole lot of fast paced martial arts action. It's an exhilarating joy to watch, grounded in Takaishi and Izawa's great performances. Unlike any other action film you've likely seen, BABY ASSASSINS will charm you and puzzle you and then knock you off your feet.

GRADE: A

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Yugo Sakamoto STARRING Akari Takaishi, Saori Izawa, Yasukaze Motomiya, Akitani Mone, Satoshi Uekiya. NOW STREAMING ON Hi-YAH! AND AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL, BLU-RAY & DVD