Umizaru (2004)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Eiichiro Hasumi

Writers:

Shuho Sato (comic)
Yasushi Fukuda (screenplay)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Plot Keywords:

Rescue | Young Man | Japanese | Ocean | Manga

Cast

Hideaki Ito	...	Daisuke Senzaki
Ai Katô	...	Kanna Izawa
Ken Kaito	...	Yuji Mishima
Karina	...	Nurse Erika Matsubara
Atsushi Ito	...	Hajime Kudo
Kyoko	...	Natsuko Nakasako
Jun Kunimura	...	Admiral Masaki Igarashi
Tatsuya Fuji	...	Sergeant Minamoto
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tadahiro Aoki	...	Muto
Laura Windrath	...	Fashion model

Also Known As:

Sea Monkey (International: English title) (literal title) (USA) (literal English title)

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Japan:G | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut)

Company:

Fuji Television Network

Goofs:

Continuity: In the final pool test, Hajime Kudo (Atsushi Ito) breaks the handle of the 20kg weight while lifting it out of the pool. In the next scene, that very same weight is shown with it's handle still intact.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Umizaru 3 (2009)

Soundtrack:

Open Arms

Funny, sad and engaging

Another pleasant surprise from the Japanese cinema. What I like the most about Japanese movies is its unpredictable line of events, and in this movie, once again, you can never guess what will happen next. I was always expecting a scene like Baywatch - which would make me turn off the TV - but it never happened :) The movie itself was shot in a simple but efficient way, no amazing and special tricks here, although the picture had nice detail and quality. The soundtrack could be better though, you can hardly notice it. The actors perform OK and pass on a great feeling of "team building" and the intensity between each "buddy", however they did seem a bit too young for the jobs.

The plot evolves in a very steady way showing a different perspective of the typical military training. This movie moved me with its funny moments (typical Japanese), a few intense sad moments and, for people afraid to drown and of being breathless, the movie will have a few moments of anguish and uneasiness too! All in all, I'd say you can watch it with anyone any time.