Baby Assassins (2021) User Reviews

Fun enjoyable mix of 90s indie film and gangster flick

[kyla-72302 · 7/10 · 5 September 2022]

I really enjoyed this. It really has a feel like Clerks, or 10 Things I Hate About You, or any number of the hip indie teen films I watched in the 90s. Most of the movie is about the two girls just figuring out their living situation together and I enjoyed those scenes very much.

The action is fun, the plot is simple if bizarre, the villans are odd, the maid cafe scenes were hilarious. I enjoyed some of the playing with time and the fantasy sequences that all customer service employees have.

The two main actresses did a stellar job and I'll be looking out for them in other things.

I wish IMDB didn't insist on having 600 characters as I have said all that I need to say about this film.

Also known as Beibi Warukyure

[rickrudge · 7/10 · 25 January 2023]

Baby Assassins (2021)

This is a strange crime comedy featuring two teenage girls that are assassins. They are very good at what they do. Their bosses want them to share an apartment of their own and get part time jobs to look inconspicuous, but the problem is that they're sociopaths and they just can't put up with their part time bosses or customers without killing them.

The blonde Mahilo (Saori Izawa) and her co-assassin, Chisato (Akari Takaishi) have more misadventures just coping with the straight world than taking out Yakuza gangsters. They are barely able to handle each other, but somehow it works for them.

Both Mahilo and Chisato are reasonably likable and you find yourself rooting for them. The fight choreography is very good. The movie is humorous but not a laugh riot. I really enjoyed it.

Flat Comedy Saved by an Action Finale

[PartTimeCritic · 4/10 · 26 February 2023]

BABY ASSASSINS (C) is a Japanese made black comedy about two young female assassins who graduate high school, are forced to live with each other by their assassin company and are generally bored with their lives. They keep trying to find jobs but find themselves overcome with the tedium and take out their bosses. They spend a lot of time on the job searching aspect, including a good part of the movie at a maid café. As for a bigger conflict, one of the assassination jobs the girls complete puts them into trouble with local Yakuza - though it takes a convoluted and quirky path to finally have them all come together. Those expecting an action film should know it's just two action set pieces basically - an opening and closing one. The first is okay and the second comes pretty close to greatness. I recommend just checking out youtube for the two scenes and skipping the movie entirely. It's possible my disappointment can be chalked up to cultural differences here (comedy is always toughest to translate), but the black comedy here doesn't quite hit for me, the film meanders, and the action is ultimately a little too sparse.

A Very Charming Action Comedy.

[xalfadeimdb · 9/10 · 14 December 2022]

The movie does a good job of balancing brutal action, funny moments, and some subtle social commentary to create one of the best action comedies of the past few years.

There's less action than one might expect from the trailer and other reviews but the action that we do get is very good. The climax fight in particular is S level stuff and makes the movie really must-see. The leads have excellent chemistry together. They keep the movie very entertaining during the periods without gun fights.

The social commentary is very light. If you aren't familiar with life in Japan in 2021, you won't notice it and you'll still be able to enjoy the film. If you are familiar with life in Japan in 2021, you'll have a deeper understanding of the struggle of young people entering the workforce in a declining country. And that Maid Cafes aren't just a quirky weird Japanese trend but actually kind of horrible places to work and a means of survival. There's a brief conversation behind the scenes at the Maid Cafe that does an excellent job of briefly bringing these themes to the forefront before the movie moves on to bigger things.

Overall, this is a must watch movie for action fans, comedy fans, and fans of foreign films. It gets a lot of things right.

Confusing, pointless and boring...

[paul_haakonsen · 2/10 · 29 July 2022]

The 2021 Japanese movie "Beibî Warukyûre" (aka "Baby Assassins") definitely sounded like a movie that could be a great and fun movie to watch, given its synopsis. And since I had never even heard about the movie, then writer and director Yugo Sakamoto had every opportunity to win me over with this movie.

However, I have to say that this movie was a train wreck of a movie. There was no red thread throughout the course of the movie, and director Yugo Sakamoto was all over the place, trying to be everywhere all the same time. It just didn't work out as intended, and the movie came off as a chaotic heap of a disaster. This movie fell very short of entertaining movie.

The narrative in "Beibî Warukyûre" was not only slow paced, but it was also somewhat confusing, and downright boring and pointless. And believe me, it was a struggle to keep focus on the storyline that simply never stood a snowballs chance in Hell. I managed to endure a bit more than halfway through this ordeal of a movie, and then I just gave up. By then I had totally lost interest in the erratic storyline and the character gallery that had as much personality and traits as a speck of dust.

At least the two leading actresses did manage to put on enough of performance to make the ordeal somewhat bearable to suffer through. But they honestly had nothing to work with, and it was showing on the screen, because they were struggling to stay above water.

"Beibî Warukyûre" was a swing and a miss of a movie. And this is not a movie that I would recommend you waste your time, money or effort on. Some of us suffered through this movie in greater or smaller length, so you don't have to. And this is without a doubt not a movie that I will be returning to again, as I simply have no interest in knowing how the boring narrative pans out.

The movie's cover was actually, and sadly so, the best thing about the entire movie.

My rating of "Beibî Warukyûre", from writer and director Yugo Sakamoto, lands on a generous two out of ten stars.

Underrated Action Comedy Gem That Breaks Conventional Genre Boundaries in a Refreshing Way

[kluseba · 8/10 · 13 September 2022]

Baby Assassins is a Japanese action comedy film with unconventional plot and intriguing characters that surprised me very positively. The movie is not as immature as its title or movie poster might suggest and actually has much to offer for teenage and adult audiences around the world.

The story revolves around high school graduates and teenage friends Chisato and Mahori. They have recently moved to a small but cozy apartment where they are living together in downtown Tokyo. Their characters couldn't be more different from each other. Chrisato is sociable, quirky, outgoing, humorous and adventurous as she is constantly trying to get new part-time jobs and meet new people. Mahori on the other side is unconventional, thoughtful, serious, quiet and antisocial and doesn't like getting side jobs or making new friends. However, the two young women have one thing in common: they are professional assassins. One day, they are instructed to kill a member of an infamous Yakuza family. The victim's colleagues try to find out who murdered him and soon start discovering, investigating and observing the two assassins. When two more important members of the same family are killed in self-defence, Chisato and Mahori must face off against the entire clan led by a vengeful daughter who hides sadistic tendencies under her joyful behaviour.

This unique movie managed to convince me on several levels. First and foremost, the three female lead actresses offer quite different acting skills and complement one another perfectly. Their characters are dynamic, intriguing and unique and make viewers care about them. It's also refreshing that none of these characters are dressed up in elegant ways or involved in any romantic relationships. The characters simply manage to shine brightly on their own without being associated to any sexist stereotypes or cumbersome side plots. Up next, the story might not be too complicated to follow but offers quite a few surprising twists and turns mixing hilarious situation comedy with brutal martial arts sequences. This movie feels like a rollercoaster ride as you never quite know what to expect from the next scene. The locations have also been chosen with care and vary from sinister hideouts over cozy apartments to colourful cafés. The film has a perfect length with ninety-five minutes and has entertained me from start to finish.

One could criticize that the plot needs some time to unfold and might be rather simple at the end of the day. Other people will complain that the movie is too colourful, experimental and weird. However, those elements haven't bothered me at all. I actually appreciated getting to know the two heroines and their environment before getting thrown into the main plot. The movie's quirky side represents contemporary Japanese culture in downtown Tokyo very well and makes me want to discover the country's bubbly side even more. I would even go as far to say that I would like to watch a sequel to this movie as I have grown to appreciate the two lead characters very much and think that their unconventional adventures could easily be made into a television or movie series. Coming from someone who usually despises sequels and barely watches any television series, this compliment is as big and sincere as it gets.

As you can read, my final evaluation of this film is very positive. If you like adventurous, colourful, contemporary, creative and diversified storytelling that breaks genre boundaries, then you can't get around this underrated gem that deserves more appreciation, attention and recognition. Baby Assassins certainly is one of the most entertaining movies I have watched in a long time and has left a lasting impression on me.

What killlers do when they aren't at work

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 26 September 2021]

What do hired killers do on their days off? I've always wondered that and hey - here's a film ready to fill in the gaps. Chisato and Mahiro are teenagers who pull of a double life worthy of Donna Wilkes or Betsy Russell, as they're high school graduates with menial jobs by day and killing machines battling the yakuza by night, which arises when a battle breaks out at the theme maid cafe that they work at and gets worse from there.

Martial artist and stunt person Saori Izawa - whose stunts were amongst the few highlights in Snake Eyes - plays the caustic Mahiro, with the laid-back Chisato played by Akari Takaishi. The team has great odd couple chemistry as well as the ability to move from moments of humor to action setpieces. The action moments take their time to get on screen, but when they do, they are more than worth the time we've spent with our lead characters.

Known as Baby Walkure in its native Japan, this is the first - but by no means the last - film that we'll see exported to our shores by creative force Yûgo Sakamoto.

who knew ?

[garyi-223-270702 · 8/10 · 17 May 2023]

From the films title and cover photo you can pretty much tell what you're in for. What I didn't expect was how well acted, how well filmed, choreographed, funny and over all charming I would find it. Did I say funny ? It is funny! I think the two main characters really deliver charming, nuanced performances. Yes it's an admittedly ridiculous version of teenagers having to face the absurdity of modern times but it's well done even endearing. Think "The Raid" meets "Rurouni Kenshin" meets "Ghost World" meets something funny. I really liked it. I don't know that it warrants a sequel as I see is planned but as a one off I think it was really successful !!!

Cute Action Baby

[clawfinger00 · 8/10 · 11 August 2021]

They are really cute maid. It is not a serious action movie. Just enjoy their pretty cute violence action. Don't think serious......They kill for a living not for fun. They have to be maid in maid cafe to be employee. Killing is just a part time job. Really funny.

Baby Assassins is Fast and Fun

[tkdlifemagazine · 8/10 · 15 July 2022]

Baby Assassins is Fast and Fun! Baby Assassins is the latest release from Well Go USA Entertainment to come out of the Japanese market and it is both fast and fun. This well paced and well Directed action comedy can not help but engage you from the opening scene.

Akari Takaishi and Saori Izawa are delightful as the high young assassins who are faced with trying to balance "normal" lives with their careers as professional assassins. Their chemistry on screen with each other, and the rest of the cast make for some memorable and enjoyable moments as they recognize they may be unfit for anything other than professional "hits".

The film does a terrific job of walking the tight rope between being funny and outrageous without being silly. It also does a fantastic job of integrating martial arts action and gun play into the film. Saori Izawa clearly has some Taekwondo training in her pedigree, and her fight scenes are interesting and well choreographed.

In a market of formula driven action and adventure films it is no surprise that this original and unique action comedy is winning awards and making noise at worldwide film festivals. I expect it will explode in popularity after this year's Comic Con.

Baby Assassins may be the most enjoyable movie independent movie since The Paper Tigers. I highly recommend this film.

The film is subtitled.