K-20: Legend of the Mask
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K-20: Legend of the Mask | |
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![]() Official Japanese film poster | |
Directed by | Shimako Satō |
Screenplay by | Shimako Satō |
Based on | Kaijin Nijū Mensō Den and Kaijin Nijū Mensō Den: Seidō no Majin by |
Produced by | Shūji Abe Seiji Okuda |
Starring | Takeshi Kaneshiro Takako Matsu Tōru Nakamura |
Cinematography | Kōzō Shibazaki |
Edited by | Ryūji Miyajima |
Music by | Naoki Satō |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Toho |
Release date |
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Running time | 137 minutes[1] |
Country | Japan |
Language | Japanese |
Box office | JP¥21,017,206 (US$21,443,265)[2] |
K-20: Legend of the Mask (K-20 怪人二十面相・伝, Kē-Tuentī: Kaijin Nijū Mensō Den, literally "Legend of the Twenty-Faced Mysterious Person") at film festivals, The Fiend with Twenty Faces on home video in the United States and The Legend of the Black Mask in the United Kingdom) is a 2008 Japanese action film written and directed by Shimako Satō and based on a novel by and its sequel. The film released worldwide on December 20, 2008. Takeshi Kaneshiro and Takako Matsu portray a fictional roles in the film. Tōru Nakamura and Kanata Hongo also starred in the film, just as Takeshi Kaga, Fumiyo Kohinata, Reiko Takashima, Toru Masuoka and Yuki Imai.
Plot[]
The story takes place in an alternate history in 1948–49, in an imaginary alternative Tokyo which has taken a different history and in which World War II never happened. In this fictional capital Teito, aristocrats continue to thrive as they have since the 19th century. There is a wide gap between rich and the poor with aristocrats owning 90% of the wealth. The right-wing military industrial complex have in fact developed a Tesla-style energy beam with the ability to cause Tunguska-style devastation. However, in the city there are rumors about a mysterious thief, who only steals from the rich, a part Robin Hood, part Spider-Man, part the Shadow character with magical powers, Nicknamed K-20 (short for "Kaijin Nijū-Mensō" - the Phantom Thief with 20 faces).
Endo Heikichi (Kaneshiro Takeshi) is a circus acrobat. One day, he is deceived by a mysterious old man, and arrested as K-20. In fact the old man turns out to be K-20 himself. Heikichi escapes from jail, and decides to hunt down the real K-20 to prove his innocence.
Meanwhile, K-20 sets his eyes on a rich lady, Hashiba Yoko (Matsu Takako), whose fiancé is Akechi Kogoro (Nakamura Toru), who is a famous detective and once arrested Heikichi. Heikichi happens to help Yoko, who is chased by K-20. He somehow convinces Yoko and Kogoro that he is not the real K-20. He begins to fight against K-20 with Yoko and Kogoro, with his courageousness and incredible physical dexterity.
Cast[]
- Takeshi Kaneshiro
- Takako Matsu
- Tōru Nakamura
- Kyusaku Shimada
- Jun Kunimura
- Takeshi Kaga
- Kanata Hongō
- Jun Kaname
- Yutaka Matsushige
- Fumiyo Kohinata
- Reiko Takashima
- Toru Masuoka
- Hideji Otaki
- Hana Kino
- Kazuyoshi Kushida
- Yuki Imai
- Kisuke Iida
Music[]
Although a Japanese film, the final credits roll to the sound of "The Shock of the Lightning" by British band Oasis.
Poster[]
Japan's K-20 film poster
Hong Kong's K-20 film poster
References[]
- ^ "Kē-Tuentī: Kaijin Nijū Mensō Den". allcinema (in Japanese). Stingray. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- ^ https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/intl/?page=&id=_fK201
External links[]
- Film's official Web site (in Japanese)
- K-20: Legend of the Mask at IMDb
- 2008 films
- Japanese-language films
- 2000s action films
- Japanese films
- Japanese alternate history films
- Japanese action films
- Films based on Japanese novels
- Films directed by Shimako Satō
- Nippon TV films
- Films set in 1949
- Films set in Tokyo
- New People films
- Toho films