The directorial debut of Japanese stunt coordinator Kensuke Sonomura Hydra clocks in at a B-movie length and, surprisingly, spends more time creating mood and buildup rather than explosive fight sequences. Viewers who want combat may be disappointed there are about two-and-a-half bouts, and they are more realistic, up-close, deadly-down-and-dirty MMA knife duels rather than Matrix-style CGI and wire-assist f/x blowouts.
Hydra is a tiny Tokyo bar/eatery where lean man-of-mystery Takashi Sato (Masanori Mimoto) is taciturn master chef/bouncer who puts up with chatter of the younger folk, especially the restaurant's putative owner Rina (Miu), an art student amusingly nonchalant about the fact that she's inherited the place from her missing father, whose absence she also takes in stride.
In fact, Takashi was mentored by the dad, under the aegis of an ultra-secret assassination squad doing inside jobs too delicate for Nippon authorities (there is an echo here of the Orphan X novels by Gregg Hurwitz). Takashi ended up killing the father, whose dying request was that Takashi watches over the girl. When a regular-customer cop who likes to slip date-rape drugs to unsuspecting women tries to violate Rina, honor-bound Takashi snaps into action. This brings him to the attention of his old employers—and another set of bad guys slaying common associates.
For reductionist martial arts with an economically small cast, modest sets, and stripped-down story arc, Hydra nonetheless manages to be tangled and confused as to motive and outcome; inconclusive ending has a master villain revealed, possibly setting up a sequel. Collections may appreciate the lack of sex and the adroit handling of the violence (what is suggested is much worse than what we actually see, especially in body-disposal matters), but except for Japanese/Asian cinema completists, the danger-laden short feature may safely be considered optional. (Aud: P)