| Muscle Heat | |
|---|---|
U.S. DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Ten Shomiyama |
| Written by | Story: Ushio Higushi Screenplay: Kongoh Tetsuya Oishi |
| Starring | Kane Kosugi Show Aikawa Masaya Kato Naoto Takenaka Ikkei Watanabe |
| Music by | Kōji Endō |
| Distributed by | Toho TBS |
| Release date(s) | October 26, 2002 |
| Running time | 93 min. |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese, English |
Muscle Heat (released in North America as Blood Heat) is a 2002 Japanese action film starring Kane Kosugi and directed by Ten Shimoyama.
Contents |
In the year 2009 , Joe Jinno, a Navy SEAL who is court-martialed for disobeying orders, is sent to Tokyo to assist Det. Aguri Katsuragi stop the distribution of the illegal drug known as Blood Heat. After an attempt to stop the drug lord Rai Kenjin fails, Katsuragi ends up in Kenjin's arena of death, the Muscle Dome, and loses against Kenjin's #1 fighter, Lee. Joe wants to seek revenge and needs the help of Katsuragi's sister Akane and Ken, a young underground rebel whose father was one a victim of Kenjin and the Muscle Dome, to exact revenge for Aguri and stop the circulation of Blood Heat.[1]
The action scenes were choreographed by two men from Jackie Chan's stunt team, Chan Man Chin (Rumble in the Bronx, Rush Hour), and Sam Won (Thunderbolt, Supercop). A translator was assigned to both men. Kane Kosugi performed all of his own stunts.
Despite not being released in North American theaters, the film received reviews from American critics. High Impact Reviews awarded the film a solid 4 stars out of 4, calling it a "MUST-SEE Japanese action-er!" Netflix.com called it an "Intense pulse pounding action film". Upon the films release in the United States, it was retitled Blood Heat, named after the drug constantly referenced in the movie. Some international DVDs also renamed the film Blood Heat upon release while others kept the films original title.
The film was composed by Kōji Endō. The R&B band Full Of Harmony contributed their song Casino Drive to the film's ending credits respectively.