I'm not sure how to characterize this film. It's not a traditional action/comedy where the characters and plot are somewhat in keeping with reality. This is more a farce, with cartoon-like bad-guys (all the Yakuza baddies where black suits and dark sunglasses) and a ridiculous plot. There's some merit in seeing Jean Reno in lighter fare and there's chemistry between his character and the old colleague he meets up with again in Japan, where Reno has come to bury his long lost love and discovers he has a 19 year-old daughter. But the daughter is one of the most annoying screen characters ever, with her childish antics, ADD-personality, and goofy clothes. Her being such an unlikable character hurts the film. We're supposed to be emotionally involved in Reno's character having to save the girl from the evil Yakuza boss, but we aren't because we could't care less about the girl. Overall this was an odd movie and can't be recommended.

Wasabi is an ambitious, mindless action-comedy, written by Luc Besson, starring Jean Reno and a bunch of unknown actors, most of which are pretty annoying.The story revolves around a French cop, Hubert, who finds out he has a daughter and goes to Japan to take care of her. Shortly after, Hubert, his daughter Yumi and his colleague Maurice are being chased by angry mobs, without knowing why.The high budget doesn't repair any bad part of the storyline. Thankfully, Wasabi is fast paced which is the thing that saves it from being a complete disaster and quite possibly, the worst action film of the 00s. All characters are dull and simply, do not fit into the whole thing. Reno's supposed "hilarious" lines are often a waste of time. The "good guy" is too boring this time. Apart from the first scene, the rest of his on screen presence is pail and highly forgettable. Reno is a good actor, but the character he plays is simply uninteresting and childish.Wasabi, for my surprise, is violent and impudent for such an ordinary action flick, appreciated only by kids, tired of Adam Sandler and Eddie Murphy. Lots of action scenes, blood, dead bodies - completely unbalanced plot following. The comedy element is noticeable, only because of the lack of dramatic themes. Terrible humor, terrible dialog.However, Wasabi is a modernized action, with impressive special effects, entertaining stunts and big name under the "Screnwritter" column. It deserves some points for that. As I said, the acting is horrid. The Asian girl, who plays Reno's daughter is almost unbearable. The so called villains are unintentionally funny, completely separated from character individuality that some viewers still expect, even from action films.Besson himself said "Jean Reno is an incredible actor. I have watched him in great roles, but I also have seen him in pretty bad roles". Too bad, that great director didn't know that right there, he was reviewing one of his own creations since the script and the dialog are two of Wasabi's biggest flaws.

I never know how to rate these types of films. OK it's no masterpiece to bring some sort of existential meaning to your life and yes it is deeply flawed in many ways even by the standard at which it aims for but nonetheless, I found some endearing quality in its light hearted humour and entertaining style.Any film with Jean Reno in the lead and Luc Besson behind the script is going to entertain and this does just that. Thankfully the film is kept short enough for none of the flaws to start to irritate and the kick ass French cop goes to Japan theme is done well enough to warrant a viewing.My DVD had the option for French with English subtitles or English dubbed. Even though Jean Reno does his own over dubbing in the English version, I found the overall effect was a little stale. I restarted the film in French with subtitles and the energy and humour of the performances just shone through a lot better.

Well, first off, it's got Luc Besson associated with it. That gives it promise. Then it's got one of his favorite actors in it, Jean Reno. That helps it deliver.Jean Reno is a retired French commando who has become a Paris policeman. Unfortunately, he still tends to use Dirty Harry techniques. This gets him suspended. Then he finds out the lost love of his life has passed away, and he is the sole person mentioned in her will, so he goes to Tokyo for the funeral. There he finds out why she left him, and... other things, about her past that he did not know.From there the movie heads off into typical Luc Besson territory, as something which should have been simple turns into something complicated. Not a film for someone looking for a brooding, deeply thoughtful flick, just a nice, fun, roller coaster.Well-cast, well-written, well-produced, and well-directed. With a stronger comic touch, it's probably the weakest of his action flicks, but, with Luc Besson, that's still better than the best of most others.If you liked The Transporter, you should enjoy this one, too.