Black Belt Movie
Black Belt, known as Kuro-obi (黒帯) in Japan, is a 2007 film directed by Shunichi Nagasaki. It focuses mainly on the martial art of Karate, insofar that
it doesn't contain any of the usual exaggerations of the genre. For example, the lead roles were played by karate experts, and no special effects were used.
Plot
The events take place in 1932 in Japanese-occupied Manchuria, in which the corrupt leaders of the Japanese army are trying to take over all the Karate dojos for their own personal benefit. Amidst these circumstances the master of one of these dojos dies before passing on the Kuroobi to his successor, leaving the three of his pupils (Taikan (Tatsuya Naka), Giryu (Akihito Yagi) and Choei (Yuji Suzuki)) the task of deciding amongst themselves who deserves it most. After they bury their master, they are forced to leave the dojo and join the Japanese army. At this point, their journey leads them on rather different paths both in life and in the understanding of their master's teachings of martial arts, only to reunite them at the end and bring them to a mutual conclusion.
- Directed by Shunichi Nagasaki
- Written by: George Iida
- Music by: Sato Naoki
- Distributed by: Toei Company
- Country: Japan
- Language: Japanese