The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn't Kill

The second part of the excellent action comedy The Fable is a slight disappointment for me, but it is still a decent genre average by Japanese standards. The first part is a big hit for me, it has amazing action, a nice R-rating, a comic touch, effective humour, good visuals and awesome pacing, but the second lacks most of that. The sequel rule definitely doesn't apply here, it neither bigger norm action packed. It's a shame that the main character keeps his promise of not wanting to kill anyone, because he is an awesome Hitman, an unrivalled, fast, an unstoppable machine in close combat, and he's good with weapons too, but they pretty much kill his potential. The sequel focuses much more on the story, adding a romantic element, the humor didn't work for me at all and there are only two action scenes, one in the opening with a car and awesome choreography and cinematography, and the other in the middle, again well shot, but because of his promise the protagonist shoots blanks, so there’s no blood. The finale, on the other hand, is presented in a more intimate way, and that's where the film lost me, because it's really pitiful to squeeze 15 minutes of action scenes out of 130 minutes of running time, especially when they are shot so well. The film itself also works as a drama and it will find its fans, but I wanted an action flick in the style of the first, and that doesn't happen. Story 4/5. Action 3/5, Humor 2/5, Violence 3/5, Fun 3/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 2/5, Suspense 2/5, Emotion 3/5, Actors 3/5. 5.5/10 (07/15/2022)