The Specials (Fantasia International Film Festival 2026)

Functionally, The Specials is a dance movie – albeit one where killers, hitmen, and assorted hard‑nosed gangster archetypes are offered a lucrative opportunity – go undercover as a dance troupe and infiltrate a contest in order to eliminate a yakuza patriarch. It’s the kind of setup that sounds like a joke or a sidequest in a Yakuza/Like A Dragon game, but Japanese culture and media (especially anime and manga), have a a long history of tonal collisions where the severe and the cheery coexist in the same space, and director Eiji Uchida treats the film with a sincerity that makes the absurdity land. Although the undercover hoofers are technically entering another world, this isn’t an isekai or fish out of water comedy, but something different and way more – kawaii macho (cute macho). It’s a combination that’s somewhat common in anime and manga (especially these days), but rarer to see in live action cinema, especially when it’s executed this confidently.

The story begins with retired assassin Daiya (Sakuma Daisuke), who accepts a final, high-paying mission alongside other professional hitmen, but it’s not exactly a straightforward job this time as it doesn’t simply require him to work with other people, and learning to dance isn’t easy. Although Daiya is the protagonist, the zesty, energetic, and instantly endearing Asuka (Urara), is the emotional anchor of The Specials (both the dance group and the film). Aside from becoming the instructor of the group she also gives them their moniker, and it’s genuinely charming that all these hardened men call her “princess” and essentially obey her every command.

Where there’s dance, there’s music, and although the structure of Uchida’s film mirrors that of a musical, there’s no cast singing, chorus lines, or musical‑theatre numbers. The montages, training sequences and emotional beats are reminiscent of “traditional” dance films, but here it’s yakuza and hitmen learning to synchronise and harmonise their movements. Once they do manage to move together one bystander describes their performance as “so cute”, which it is, while also genuinely fun. It’s especially endearing watching genre stalwarts break type and act opposite Japanese hip‑hop and pop stars, Hitoshi Ozawa even saying at one point “I just wanna dance” – which is both ridiculous and delightful for fans of his harder‑edged work.

The comedic tone relies heavily on the idea of spiky, abrasive hitmen gradually softening as they become invested in dancing, their edges sanded down by the sheer joy of movement, and the film tries to keep its two worlds separate until they eventually and inevitably collide. The assassination plot disappears for a little too long, but when it does return the narrative pokes fun at the upper echelons of yakuza hierarchy, portraying them as cowards hiding behind reputation. The action itself is quick, clean, and rhythmically exaggerated, having that airy, fast‑paced quality you see in anime gunplay, and even if the CG blood and wound effects are effectively just little puffs of red rather than anything visceral, it’s genuinely good. This isn’t a Takashi Miike joint (though Miike is, ironically enough, also a dab hand at musicals), and spartan use of CG blood and wound effects is becoming increasingly common in Japanese media so the film never becomes as egregious as a straight yakuza piece, but it arguably also broadens the potential audience.

The climax is where everything is thrown at the wall, the final note being one of real dramatic irony that shifts the goal of the yakuza and hitmen entering the dance contest. It’s an expected twist that gives the finale stakes beyond simply killing their target, but then comes a second twist which ups the tension again because even a dance movie needs something to push against. Then there’s a third twist, which may be one too many but it does keeps the film nimble because if it didn’t have a gunfight and a dance competition at the end, it wouldn’t be doing its job properly. Calling it a final shootout may be a stretch though, as its more of a dramatic crescendo than a peak of action, and the obvious question from the heightened tone is how many bullets these men can realistically take?

Uchida is best known in the U.K. for his Asian‑extreme‑flavoured indie films, but his directing feels better suited to this lighter mode where he can be more playful, character‑driven, and surprisingly warm, and he takes to this more mainstream work effortlessly. The film also serves as a strong showcase for Japanese dance and street culture which, aside from some documentaries or TV shows, isn’t something that’s often focused on in media generally – the only real comparison being Sion Sono’s abrasive Tokyo Tribe, which is the tonal inverse of The Specials. In its own small way the film dispels certain stereotypes about Japanese culture that continue to persist even now, despite Japan being one of the world’s biggest exporters of music and pop culture (anime, manga and video games).

The Specials is a fun, well‑directed, well‑choreographed, and consistently well‑acted film that isn’t of the type I’d naturally gravitate towards, and I can see why people will love it. I consider it a refreshing palate cleanser as although I’m not a fan of kawaii macho in general, I do enjoy visiting the genre for a change of pace, and over the years I’ve watched more of it than I realised (like Jackie Chan’s Miracles: The Canton Godfather, Takeshi Kitano’s Sonatine, The Way of the Househusband, etc). There is a tease for a possible sequel, but I’m not convinced it’s necessary as aside from Daiya’s unresolved arc it feels more like a playful nod than a promise. Unless, of course, Uchida takes a Ryu ga Gotoku (Yakuza/Like a Dragon), approach that puts the “reformed” killers into new situations in new cities because then I wouldn’t be against it.

ROB’S ARCHIVE – THE SPECIALS (2026)