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Muscle Heat

Play trailer Poster for Muscle Heat 2002 1h 32m Action Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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A special agent (Kane Kosugi) encounters the world of underground fighting while trying to stop the spread of drugs in Tokyo.

Audience Reviews

View All (3) audience reviews
Audience Member Decent low-budget Japanese action with Aikawa. Never saw a sledgehammer fight before, it's pretty good. The score is mostly non-existent, which is a blessing considering the dreck played during the credits. Kicks, punches, guns. I prefer Unleashed, but action fans might want to take a look. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Kane Kosugi is actually American born Japanese/Chinese...hence the better than normal English (it's his first language) and multi-cultural back drop of the film. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member This is your typical run of the mill Japanese action adventure. Drug trafficking and underground fighting. There is nothing at all special about this film. If you think about it, it feels like a Steven Seagal movie in Japan. The only difference is that the good guy takes a beating.<p>As you've probably figured out, the story is pretty flat and unoriginal. The only good thing about this is that it is easy to follow, but then again it also becomes boring. Even with the brief 90 minute runtime you find yourself hoping for the next scene to come. As with most other similar films, you have the slow dramatic parts with intermediary action. The main character of Joe Jinno feels like Steven Seagal. Short simple dialogue and a** kicking. Yes, the name of Joe Jinno isn't entirely Japanese. That is because this movie uses a combination of English, Japanese, and a little bit of Chinese for the dialogue. The English is spoken rather clearly and better than in other Asian films.</p><p>The story may not be great but this film isn't a total loss. The action is pretty good. Kane Kosugi shows why he is one of the better martial artists out of Japan. His fight sequences are fast and furious. Fast as in Jet Li, Donnie Yen, and Jackie Chan fast. It makes you wonder why he isn't utilized more in the <i>DOA</i> film. While the action is sweet, it does get a little repetitive, especially at the ending. At least they throw in a sledgehammer fight at the end.</p><p>The acting isn't anything special, but it isn't horrible. Nobody really stands out in this film except for Masaya Kato, from <i>Aragami</i>, who does a decent job without the overacting.</p><p>If you want to see good martial arts and don't care about an entertaining story then this is exactly what you are looking for. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Muscle Heat

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A special agent (Kane Kosugi) encounters the world of underground fighting while trying to stop the spread of drugs in Tokyo.
Director
Ten Shimoyama
Genre
Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Japanese
Runtime
1h 32m
Sound Mix
DTS