This is an interesting film that abruptly changes pace--something that occasionally pays off well, while other times it doesn't. The film begins with Jean Reno playing a Dirty Harry-type cop in France. His answer to every problem seems to be punching people in the face or shooting them. For some inexplicable reason(!), his bosses aren't particularly happy with his methods and suspend him. Then, completely out of the blue, he finds out what happened to his long-lost Japanese wife--she just recently died and her lawyer has contacted Reno about the will. When he arrives in Japan, in addition to being the executor of the will, he also finds out he's been a father for the 19 years since his wife vanished. Now, with a "kooky" new daughter in tow, they are off on some violent adventures.

As for the daughter, she was fine later in the film, but at first she really came off as an obnoxious person and it was hard to see how Reno could resist punching her, as well! Fortunately, this very clichéd bouncy young girl finally began acting believably as the film shifted into overdrive. This shift was when the Yakuza (like the Japanese mob) show up and seem eager to kill Reno and his kooky kid! Throughout all this, Reno is mesmerizing. He's a fine actor and here he carries the entire film. The problem, aside from the distracting girl, is that oddly someone thought it was important to dub this film into English. With Reno, it wasn't so bad--he did his own dubbing since he speaks English so well. But as for most everyone else, they were lousy voice actors--most of the Frenchmen sounded just like Americans. Also, it just made no sense why most of the Japanese people spoke English most of the time. As for me, I always prefer a subtitled film. Still, despite these shortcomings, this is a very good action and father-daughter film--worth your time especially for Reno's seemingly effortless performance.

WASABI is a difficult film to describe. It's like a comedy version of LEON, but then it's not. It's a French film, but most of it is set in Japan and it's about the Japanese. It has action, but it's not an action film. I guess this would best be described as a quirky comedy. I usually hate comedies, but I loved this one, so that's saying something. The biggest draw is the presence of Jean Reno playing a tough, sentimental cop. The role seems to have been written for him, because it fits him like a glove, and he's absolutely superb. His comic timing is impeccable and the way he underplays the humour could teach the likes of Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers a thing or two.

In the film, Reno is forced to hang around with a Japanese girl, played by the equally excellent Ryoko Hirosue. This unlikely collaboration is the subject of plenty of laughs as we witness Reno forced to go shopping and hang out at an arcade, where he has a go on a dance mat (for me, the film's highlight). There are some Japanese Yakuza thrown in too, but the action scenes are played for laughs rather than thrills; we witness Reno taking them out in a clothing store and using a golf club to cause some serious pain. Reno is effortlessly cool throughout this, and Michel Muller, as his comic foil, is also surprisingly funny. Things end with a big bank heist climax, which isn't perfect but still fun.

In essence, this is what happens when a good script is paired with fine actors. The laughs are genuine rather than forced, and even the more surreal touches – like Reno's opponents flying through the air when he punches them – work without becoming irritating. I rate this one highly.

Hubert Fiorentini (Jean Reno) is a rough Paris cop with tendencies to cause damage. In the latest incident, he punched the Chief's son and even worst when he's in the hospital. Hubert is suspended for 2 months. Sofia (Carole Bouquet) knows that he still has unfinished business. His love Miko disappeared shortly after their marriage 19 years ago in Japan. Then he gets a call from Japan informing him of her death and that he's in her will. He's reunited with detective Momo who he worked with before in the French military. He's given guardianship over Miko's 19 year old daughter Yumi Yoshimido for 2 days until she becomes an adult. He's her father but she doesn't know. He also discovers that Miko had stolen from the Yakuza and had met up with foul play.

It's another Luc Besson story directed by Gérard Krawczyk. The part in Paris has a fun wacky slapstick sense. It's great. Although Carole Bouquet is still beautiful, I don't think she's unnecessary. As for Japan, Ryôko Hirosue plays Yumi like a yappy dog. It's loud and flashy. It misses the opportunity for her to show some brains and figure out their relationship on her own. She should be a smarter character. Nevertheless, it is wild crazy comedic action which is what this movie is driving for. Michel Muller plays the comedic character pretty broadly.