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Search: Starring Ken Watanabe

  • Batman Begins (2005)
    Review preview for Batman Begins

    Nolan has gone beyond DC Comics into a psychological no-man's land where lessons can be learned.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 4 out of 5
    The evolution of mixed up rich kid Bruce Wayne into the Dark Knight of Gotham City.
  • Bel Canto (2018)
    Review preview for Bel Canto

    Newcomer María Mercedes Coroy is a standout, even within this accomplished cast.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    A world-renown opera singer becomes trapped in a hostage situation when she's invited to perform for a wealthy industrialist in South America.
  • The Creator (2023)
    Review preview for The Creator

    Detail abounds. Glorious detail.

    Andrew Robertson · 4 out of 5
    A post-apocalyptic thriller involving a future impacted by a war between humans and AI.
  • Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009)
    Review preview for Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

    Scruffy and scarred and only inadvertently dashing, Crepsley has none of the glamour generally associated with vampires today, though John C. Reilly has no difficulty in making him compelling.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    A teenager gets in over his head with vampire politics and finds temporary refuge with a freak show.
  • Godzilla (2014)
    Review preview for Godzilla

    The eventual climactic monster showdown is everything a Godzilla fan could hope for.

    Max Crawford · 4.5 out of 5
    Monsters from the deep confront each other and pesky US forces in a special effected fight to the death - in 3-D
  • Godzilla: King Of The Monsters (2019)
    Review preview for Godzilla: King Of The Monsters

    The plot rots in its own historical juices.

    Angus Wolfe Murray · 2 out of 5
    Three ancient super-species vie for supremacy.
  • Inception (2010)
    Review preview for Inception

    You will no doubt need to see Inception more than once to appreciate every nuance of Nolan's carefully balanced ambiguities – but, more importantly, you will also want to.

    Anton Bitel · 5 out of 5
    DiCaprio's dream spy takes on the ultimate inside job.
  • Kensuke's Kingdom (2023)
    Review preview for Kensuke's Kingdom

    There’s plenty for thoughtful children to engage with.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A boy marooned on a desert island with his dog discovers another castaway and a whole new perspective on life.
  • Kokuho (2025)
    Review preview for Kokuho

    The performances are thrilling, emotionally direct and physically exacting, but they function as narrative instruments too.

    Edin Custo · 4.5 out of 5
    A boy born into a family of gangsgters is taken in by a kabuki theatre actor and finds a talent for the craft.
  • Letters From Iwo Jima (2006)
    Review preview for Letters From Iwo Jima

    We experience the horror of war as one of the enemy and this is Eastwood's accomplishment.

    Chris · 4.5 out of 5
    The Battle of Iwo Jima as seen from the viewpoint of the desperately outnumbered Japanese defenders.
  • The Last Samurai (2003)
    Review preview for The Last Samurai

    Elegant, disciplined and, ultimately, stirring.

    Stephen Carty · 5 out of 5
    Tom Cruise goes native in Japan in the years when honour was prized more highly than life itself.
  • Memoirs Of A Geisha (2005)
    Review preview for Memoirs Of A Geisha

    This a memorable film, luxurious and intense.

    Stephen McMorland · 4 out of 5
    The grooming of the most famous geisha in Japan.
  • Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019)
    Review preview for Pokémon Detective Pikachu

    The noir element, however, is lightened considerably by the film's other big debt - to the antics of Warner Brothers' cartoons past - with the characters frequently finding themselves in enjoyably absurd situations.

    Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
    A young man tries to solve the mystery of what happened to his dad, with some help from a talking Pikachu.
  • The Sea Of Trees (2015)
    Review preview for The Sea Of Trees

    The twists and turns of this narrative fail to ring true with too many implausibilities in the plotting to give any credibility.

    Richard Mowe · 2 out of 5
    A suicidal American befriends a Japanese man lost in a forest near Mt. Fuji and the two search for a way out.
  • Tampopo (1985)
    Review preview for Tampopo

    The film was a labour of love for all involved and it shows in every detail.

    Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
    A trucker helps a young widow turn her modest ramen shop into a success in a film that contemplates the relationship between food and love.

News and features

Paul Rowley on moving to New York, the Pulse massacre, and Gays Against Guns

Going ape Antonin Niclass on character creation, empathy and animated short Into The Forest

Freeform Will Niava on grief, new immigrant experiences and Jazz Infernal

In silence Emir Kumova on child marriage in Türkiye, moral challenges and making The Witness

Taking a ride into liminal spaces Katharine Round on making documentary Ghost Town

Flying blind Michael Woloson and Scott Tinkham on improvisation, experimental writing and Littermates

In deep water Dominic Curran on internet overexposure and A Little Learning Is A Dangerous Thing

More news and features

Festival coverage

Festivals
Cannes festival coverage, 2026

We're bringing you all the latest news and reviews from the Cheltenham International Film Festival, the Leeds International Film Festival, the Thessaloniki International Film Festival and Tallinn Black Nights.



We're looking forward to the French Film Festival and DOC NYC.



We've recently brought you coverage of the Belfast Film Festival, Halloween Frightfest, the Scottish Queer International Film Festival, Newfest, the London Film Festival, the New York Film Festival and Grimmfest.



Read our full for more.


Visit our festivals section.