New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) – For a sequel to work well, not only does it need to entertain, but it needs to flesh out the core characters, introduce some new ones, and deepen the storylines. The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn’t Kill does just that. It makes great use of already established characters while adding new ones and threading layered narratives carefully, which somehow all connect.

Jun’ichi Okada is back as Sato, the famed assassin, who well, doesn’t kill. He attempts a quieter life with his partner/sibling Yoko (Fumino Kimura). Sato spends his days working for a design company and befriends a crippled girl, Hinako (Yurina Hirate). Sato wants to care for her because he saved her from a prostitution ring. In the process, her legs were injured, but her life was spared. Through him, she finds a determination to attempt walking again. In fact, the beauty of this relationship is that they center and humanize each other.

The main villain is Hinako’s relative, Utsubo, a sexually abusive creep. Shin’ichi Tsutsumi plays an engaging baddie. He’s crazed, deviant, and has a lust for blood, literally. He’s the opposite of Sato, who lives by a strict moral code, and they work so well as protagonist/antagonist. In fact, that’s what I loved most about this film, the relationships. Sato and Utsubo make for a great villain/hero dynamic, while Sato and Yoko are perfect partners. They have their own quips and inside jokes. She’s the film’s comedic relief who also kicks major bad guy butt. Meanwhile, Sato and Hinako’s relationship is simply endearing. Despite the fact he’s an assassin, Sato can show such tenderness, helping her overcome her disability.

At times, the film has several narrative twists that can be hard to keep straight, especially since its runtime clocks in at just over two hours. That said, by the conclusion, everything gels, which is no easy feat. The flashbacks and the new characters all make sense. Further, the pacing remains on-point. The two hours move quickly. Give credit where credit is due, specifically to Masahiro Yamaura, who co-wrote the script with director Kan Eguchi. The source material was a serialized Manga from the last decade, but they do an excellent job balancing some weighty storylines and making everything click.

Additionally, the film does a fine job combining genres, specifically action, drama, and off-beat comedy. The kills, including a few hits that happen rapidly in the opening minutes, are gory and punishing. Eguchi’s tight martial arts action sequences are wildly entertaining. That said, the film never feels like a mindless action movie. In less capable hands, that might not have been the case.

The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn’t Kill is an entertaining two hours that handles drama and action so, so well. It takes an interesting premise about a hitman who won’t kill and combines that with a complex narrative and arresting characters. Despite some of the seriousness and bloody kills, there’s plenty of humor and heart, too.

The film will screen as part of the New York Asian Film Festival, happening August 6-22.

8.5 Out of 10 Bullets