K-20: Legend of the Mask is a Japanese superhero action movie that's set in an alternate 1949 where Japan had surrendered before World War II even began. As a result of that, the country is now very steampunk and divided amongst social classes, where the rich cannot marry the poor, everyone must work within their own class, and so on. The masked man K-20 is actually the villain and he's the one who starts terrorizing the city, stealing priceless works of art and other technological innovations for unknown reasons. He frames Hekichi Endo (a talented small time circus acrobat) played by Takeshi Kaneshiro, who escapes capture and goes after K-20, not only unraveling the mystery behind the masked dark villain, but in the process of becoming a vigilante Japanese hero of his own.
There's much much more story than just that, but it's best to keep those secrets remain hidden until you actually watch the movie yourself (Spoiler Free).
It's basically a comic book, a mystery, a thriller, and an action movie all rolled in one, packed with plenty of comedy and entertainment, very impressive CGI (when necessary), and fantastic acrobatic fight scenes and some of the best chases ever. Reports are this Japanese action movie is something that will blow you away, something Christopher Nolan would've made in Japan. The story has loads of twists and turns and it is still beautifully crafted, with a great balance of the good guy / bad guy dynamic (as there are two K-20's).
A quote from Alex Billington (Fantastic fest):
K-20 isn't a perfect movie, it has some minor flaws. It never explores the steampunk aspect when it could've used more of that style to its advantage. Also there are some cheesy moments of dialogue and comedy that are just as bad as some of the crap that Hollywood churns out. But those moments are few and far between, leaving nothing but great action, great story, great characters, and great entertainment most of the time. I really can't suggest K-20 enough, especially if that plot or the trailer intrigues you, because it's one of those rare foreign films that you'll be so excited to tell all of your friends about once you finally get to see it, too.
Fantastic Fest Rating: 9 out of 10
VIZ Media distribution will release K-20: The Fiend with Twenty Faces (a.k.a. K-20: Legend of the Mask) on DVD in 2010. Already released on Region 3!
LEEE777 - Well i loved Black Mask with Jet Li and loved Iron Monkey too, both worth getting for your Blu-ray/DVD collection. No doubt this will be an Asian superhero gem too! ; )