Review of Rikidozan: A Hero Extraordinaire (2004) by Brad B — 13 May 2010

A terrific work of Korean cinema. Too bad it's not imported to the US. I got my copy online and it took a long time to get here.

Anyway, this is a period piece of a Korean who travel to Japan to become a sumo wrestler and later a professional wrestler, who later founded the first pro wrestling promotion in Japan. Facing racial prejudice led to his departure from sumo but restored the pride of Japan after their surrender from World War II. His personal demons coming to light as he's being pressured to take falls that would destroy his reputation making many enemies.

It's obvious that this movie is not in English but the DVD I got was gracious enough to provide English subtitles so I could follow along. The acting from Kyung-gu Sol playing the title character is outstanding, too bad he wasn't nominated for best actor. The casting of real pro wrestlers as Rikidozan's opponents adds to the realism of the film. Fans of Japanese pro wrestling can spot a few of their favorites.

This film came out before The Wrestler. The difference between the two is that The Wrestler is based off tales from various veteran wrestlers where as this film is a bio-pic. If you love The Wrestler, you'll love Rikidozan.