Viz Pictures picks up "K-20: The Fiend With Twenty Faces"

by Chris MaGee

While most distributors in North America pick up Japanese films that were released years beforehand San Francisco-based company Viz Pictures has had an amazing track record picking up films fresh off their Japanese theatrical releases. Latest case in point: Viz has picked up the North American distribution rights for Shimako Sato's action adventure "K-20: The Fiend With Twenty Faces". The film, based on characters created by legendary Japanese mystery and ero-guro author Edogawa Rampo, stars Pan-Asian heartthrob Takeshi Kaneshiro as Endo, a circus acrobat who gets mistaken for a master criminal known as "Kaijin Nijumenso", or "The Fiend with 20 Faces". With authorities on his tail Endo must seek out the real K-20 and clear his name, but the very nature of the villain makes that task very, very difficult.

Reviews on "K-20" were mixed when it was released at the end of last year in Japan, but if the trailer below is any indicator it looks like a hell of a lot of fun if you're into swashbuckling action. "K-20: The Fiend With Twenty Faces" is currently screening at the New York Asian Film Festival and, although no official DVD release has been announced by Viz yet, let's hope we see it come out later this year.

Thanks to Sci-Fi Japan for spreading the word on this news item.