ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joseph Perry writes for the film websites Gruesome Magazine, The Scariest Things, Horror Fuel, The Good, the Bad and the Verdict and Diabolique Magazine; for the film magazines Phantom of the Movies’ VideoScope and Drive-In Asylum; and for the pop culture websites When It Was Cool and Uphill Both Ways. He is also one of the hosts of When It Was Cool’s exclusive Uphill Both Ways podcast and can occasionally be heard as a cohost on Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast.

Official synopsis: From the legendary cult filmmaker Takashi Miike comes the story of Ikuto and Ryoma, troubled teens who meet in juvenile detention and make a plan to fight their way to freedom. Inspired by MMA fighter and Breaking Down founder Mikuru Asakura, the two boys make a plan to compete in Asakura’s popular tournament. When released, they discover that they’ll have to defeat their past outside the ring, before they can be champions inside of it…

B&S About Movies readers are most certainly well acquainted with director Takashi Miike, so it should come as no surprise that his Japanese action drama Blazing Fists (AKA Blue Fight: The Breaking Down of Young Blue Warriors) is well helmed, sports terrifically choreographed fight sequences, and boasts fine performances. Any surprise should come from the fact that the film follows the expected beats and tropes of the subgenre rather than bringing much new to the proceedings.

Ryoma (Kaname Yoshizawa) and Ikuto (Danhi Kinoshita) form a friendship and a determination to succeed at becoming MMA fighters at the juvenile detention center where they meet. Screenwriter Shin Kibiyashi provides plenty of drama and obstacles for the young men to work through, along with a ruthless, violent gang led by Mido (Gackt) that greatly outnumbers the small-time gang led by Jun (Chikashi Kuon) that was already giving the protagonist duo trouble. 

Family problems, grudges old and new, and naturally trying to beat the odds are some of the difficulties and hurdles that stand in the way of Ryoma and Ikuto. Yoshizawa and Kinoshita shine in their roles as they lead a strong supporting cast, and Miike turns in impressive work with a story that comes across as quite familiar. The impressive fight sequences, including a third-act showdown between a majority of the good and bad guys that viewers have already met plus some new ones, should help to partially take viewers’ minds off of the tropes, at least temporarily. 

Blazing Fists, from Well Go USA, debuted on Digital, Blu-ray & DVD on March 31, 2026.