Review: What started as a music video collaboration between Avex Inc. and Japanese director Sabu, ended up as a full motion picture with more than just simple commercial appeal for fans of J-pop band V6. In fact, it shares the same brilliant quality with other Sabu classics such as Monday, and Drive. While singer-turned-actor films are quite common place, these types of films usually end up flopping due to the studio’s desire for an extremely commercial product, and the generally poor acting ability of an inexperienced cast. Despite that usual misfortune, Hard Luck Hero doesn’t fail to impress by unfolding a great story and memorable characters.

It is surprising to see how well Sabu managed to keep control of this movie, as it easily finds itself at home amongst any other film in the director’s filmography. It manages to be very clever and intriguing until the last frame while still possessing the ability to always keep the viewer entertained. When you think about it, it is plain to see that the original idea stemmed from something much smaller, as the underdevelopment can be felt throughout the story. However, when Sabu works his magic, something miraculous occurs.

The story is separate in three parts, with each part featuring a duo from the group V6. In each segment we learn more about the whole story until all things comes together in the finale. Not only does the movie hook you from the start, but it also manages to leave you with a subtle “don’t give up on your dreams” message for his conclusion. Like most Sabu films, there is not much to say about the plot without spoiling anything, so I will leave it up to you to have fun discovering the fate of each character.

The most surprising aspect of the film was indeed V6’s acting. I was seriously expecting something terrible, but they really did a great job at portraying each character. The most impressive and funny one was Okada Junichi in the role of Asai. It was very easy to sympathize with the character and Okada’s performance before the boxing fight was totally hilarious! Inohara Yoshihiko and Nagano Hiroshi were also excellent as a duo of salary men. In general, V6’s acting abilities might not permit them to play in more serious productions, but their respective style fit perfectly in this production. Another cool thing was the inclusion in minor role of famous actors such as Susumu Terajima, who also appears in many Sabu, Kitano, and Miike productions.

The tone of the movie has a great mixture of humour and action, which in most Sabu movies consist of people getting chased by police or Yakuza. The humour is also very well balanced, as there are a few great laughs here and there. As for the dramatic elements, they are present but very subtle.