K-20: Legend of the Mask

K-20: Legend of the Mask
Official Japanese film poster
Directed by	Shimako Satō
Produced by	Shūji Abe Seiji Okuda
Screenplay by	Shimako Satō
Based on	Kaijin Nijū Mensō Den and Kaijin Nijū Mensō Den: Seidō no Majin  by Sō Kitamura
Starring	Takeshi Kaneshiro Takako Matsu Tōru Nakamura
Music by	Naoki Satō
Cinematography	Kōzō Shibazaki
Edited by	Ryūji Miyajima
Production company	Robot
Distributed by	Toho
Release dates	December 20, 2008 (2008-12-20)
Running time	137 minutes[1]
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Box office	$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 Sō Kitamura 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

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  Japan's K-20 film poster

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  Hong Kong's K-20 film poster

References

External links

• Film's official Web site (Japanese)
• K-20: Legend of the Mask at the Internet Movie Database