AKA: Kuro-obi

Languages: Japanese
Subtitles: ENGLISH
Director(s): Shunichi Nagasaki
Producer(s):
Released: 2007
Country: Japan

Genre(s): Action; Martial Arts; Drama; Sport

Plot: Real Fight, Real Karate, Real Japan. The main "actors" are real karate masters of 1st, 5th and 6th dan. Synopsis: Since the time of the Bruce Lee Mania of the 70’s, kung-fu movies have dominated the action movie genre throughout the world. the Thai kickboxing movie, Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, has become a huge international hit. Given that Japan is well known for martial arts such as karate, judo, aikido and three were no such martial arts movies until now.
The year is 1932. Three men are zealously engaged in karate training at the dojo of Eiken Shibahara. Their names are Taikan, Choei and Giryu. Eiken suddenly dies, but the "Kuro-Obi" black belt that will designate his successor has not yet been passed on.
"Karate is not about fighting."
Who will be the one to heed Eiken’s words of wisdom and receive the coveted "Kuro-Obi" to carry on as his successor?
In a related development, the Military Police Headquarters takes note of the exceptional skill of these martial art practitioners, and the three men are commanded to join their forces.
The actors in these leading roles are all actual holders of karate Black Belt rank, and siplay this true masculine strength in a way that mere acting could not achieve. In the main cast, the role of Giryu, is played by AKIHITO YAGI (Fifth Dan), instructor in International Meibukan Goju Ryu Karate. The role of Taikan is played by TATSUYA NAKA (Sixth Dan), instructor at the Japan Karate Association General Headquarters (Corp.), and Choei is played by YUJI SUZUKI, an actor who holds the rank of First Dan.
Cast: Akihito Yagi, Tatsuya Naka, Yuji Suzuki
Running Time: 95 min (approx)
Description:
Region Coding: All-Region
Format: NTSC (playable in USA)
Rating: 15+
Aspect Ratio:
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1