Jean Reno is one of my favorite actors and favorite actors from France. I got obsessed with watching whatever movie I could with him in it for years and it started with his performance as Leon the hit man in LEON THE PROFESSIONAL. I loved how he could play different characters and leap genres and even play comedy. WASABI is where he gets to do action and comedy in one movie in a French movie mostly based in Japan as an over-the-top action comedy.

WASABI starts with Hubert (Jean Reno), a French detective, who is a one man force who will cause chaos just to get his man. He is still thinking about the Japanese woman that left him nineteen years ago that it even ruins his chance of a relationship with another woman (Carole Bouquet who is very underused in this movie) that he never takes time off (and so focused on his job). He finally takes time off to go to Japan when he learns the love of his life has just died. She left behind a daughter (Ryoko Hirosue) who is also the daughter Hubert never knew he had. He has to protect he from the Yakuza as her mother did something that they want back. Hubert recruits his friend from his secret intelligence days in Japan, Momo (Michel Muller), to help him out as he tries to connect with his daughter.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
The blu-ray has a combo of archival Standard Definition extras (that never appeared on the Sony Pictures DVD) and new extras for this blu-ray
Audio commentary with Director Gerard Krawczyk
Audio commentary with Filmmaker and Film Critic Camillo Zaurin

THE MAKING OF WASABI is basically a B roll of behind-the-scenes footage
INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR GERARD KRAWCZYK- a forty minute interview with the director as he talks about filmmaking and making the movie
Multi-Angle Scenes Overview with the movie's director as he explains and shows how the climax was filmed in France and Japan through the magic of filmmaking

FRENCH KARAOKE featurette- a two minute bit of Jean Reno trying to teach Ryoko to pronounce French words
WASABI AND FRECNH CINEMA'S TOUGH GUY JEAN RENO- a video essay by film critic Martyn Conterio

Theatrical trailer

FINAL ANALYSIS: WASABI is a great action comedy. Sometimes it is over-the-top, but it is an enjoyable film with Jean Reno. Even though the package says Region B, this blu-ray can also play on Region A players. Umbrella has provided a great wealth of extras. The only thing not on this blu-ray is the English dubbed track which is on the Sony Pictures DVD (but the archival features weren't included on the Sony DVD).

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