Presented by Japan Foundation
Baby Assassins Nice Days
Directed by Yugo Sakamoto
Official selection
New York Asian Film Festival 2024
Honors
Daniel A. Craft Award for Excellence in Action Cinema - New York Asian Film Festival 2024
Director
Yugo Sakamoto
Executive Producer
Yusuke Suzuki
Producer
Riku Sumida
Writer
Yugo Sakamoto
Cast
Sosuke Ikematsu, Saori Izawa, Atsuko Maeda, Akari Takaishi
Cinematographer
Moritada Iju
contact
RIGHTS CUBE
Official website
Friendship. It's one of the things in life that really matters and makes it worth living but, oh man, it ain't easy. Teenage assassins Mahiro (Saori Izawa) and Chisato (Akari Takaishi) have been through a lot together, and they have each other's backs like true friends should. As the third BABY ASSASSINS movie begins, they've earned a well-deserved holiday in Miyazaki, Japan, when The Agency calls them in on a local job, taking out an embezzler, that should be easy-peasy. No such luck. The gig has been double-booked by an unpredictably vicious freelancer (SHIN KAMEN RIDER's Sosuke Ikematsu), who isn't going to make it easy for our killer teen duo. Now forced to work with “adult” Agency supervision (Atsuko Maeda and Mondo Otani), Mahiro and Chisato will find their friendship (and killing skills) tested in unexpected ways, meaning the vacation is over—and the big two-oh is right around the corner for the girls. With a body count, of course. A big one.
We've got good news and bad news about BABY ASSASSINS NICE DAYS. The good news is, this third instalment is the best of the trilogy, even more fun, action-packed, and, yes, heartfelt than the previous two. The bad news is that it's unmissable, absolutely one of the highlights of Fantasia 2024, so no matter what you're planning that night, you're going to have to go see it. The fact that it delivers even more than the first two films—both huge fan favourites at Fantasias ’22 and ’23—shouldn't be that big a surprise, but that it delivers all this while also allowing its characters to grow, even mature a little, is the best surprise of all. Izawa and Takaishi are as delightful as ever, with Ikematsu a more than formidable opponent, and writer/director Yugo Sakamoto and action director Kensuke Sonomura deliver the best fight scenes and biggest laughs in the series yet. Fans of the earlier films will be that much more delighted, and newcomers will find it super easy to catch up and become fans. This is a Fantasia 2024 must-see. – Matthew Kiernan