Sushi Girl (2012) [Review]

"One little thing can come along and ruin everything."

PLOT SYNOPSIS

An old gang of thieves gets together for dinner in order to discuss what happened to their take from a previous job. Suspicions abound and tempers flare as the tale is recounted from various points of view.

REVIEW

Managing to be both predictable and surprising, Sushi Girl is essentially like the Japanese food in its title: a delectable treat that tickles your senses during ingestion, but ends up leaving you hungry for something more filling by the time all is said and done.

I initially missed this baby when it played at the 2012 Fantasia Film Festival here in Montreal, so I was glad when I finally got the chance to check it out. I mean, with a cast like this one, you know it's going to be something special, right?

Well, half right. See, half of the stars listed in the credits are nothing more than glorified cameos. So hyping yourself up from the get-go is a recipe for disappointment. But hey, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Tony Todd is top-billed here, and deservedly so. As is to be expected from Candyman himself, he manages to single-handedly lend a sinister air to the proceedings, delivering his lines with such venom that a chill down the spine is a natural side effect of watching this film.

Even with such a powerful central figure, though, it's Mark Hamill's amazing performance as a brilliant-yet-homicidal thief that shines the brightest. Mr. Skywalker tends to relish these kinds of roles, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he steals the show. No scenery is too thick for his maw, in other words. Whenever he isn't on-screen, you wish he was. That's how good he is.

The rest of the main players were adequate, and delivered proportionally adequate performances. However, special mention should go to Andy Mackenzie. He'll forever be typecast as a though biker dude, but damn if he isn't perfect for it. He really helped balance things out at the dinner table, and I can only hope we get more of him as a leading man in the future. He's wasted on throwaway, secondary roles.

Now, let's talk cameos. Yes, I know it isn't really a cameo if an actor is credited, but if you're a big name and you're on-screen for less than three minutes, it's a cameo in my book.

It was great to see Michael Biehn, Danny Trejo and Sonny Chiba walkin' and talkin', but damn what a waste. They did and said very little. We get a few memorable lines from them, but that's about it. I felt tricked and robbed, something a film should never do. I mean, they were credited at the beginning, man! Give them something more to do!

Luckily, Jeff Fahey has a meaty bit, and it's great because we get to see him squirm! He's at his best when he's squirming! So, yeah.

In the end, Sushi Girl is a good "one location" crime film, chock full of colorful characters and gratuitous violence (keep your eyes open for the sock bit; you'll want to take in every glorious second of it). It doesn't trump other classics of the genre such as Reservoir Dogs, and it can feel a little hollow at times, but it still manages to be a fun ride that's worth 100 minutes of your time.

SUMMARY

If you've got a hankering for sashimi, grab a cold bottle of Asahi and make an evening out of Sushi Girl.

VERDICT

GOOD

PROS