It has been revealed that actors Hideaki Ito and Shota Sometani will be co-starring in director Kazuyuki Izutsu's new film "Border." This is the sixth time that Ito and Sometani have co-starred in a noir action film, and it is their first time playing buddy roles. Filming will begin on February 28th, with large-scale location shooting in the Kansai region running until April.
The film is based on "Border," a novel from the "Plague God" series by novelist Kurokawa Hiroyuki, known for works such as "Gosai Gyo." The buddy duo of Osaka yakuza Kuwabara Yasuhiko, played by Ito, and construction consultant Ninomiya Hiroyuki, played by Sometani, sneak into North Korea to pursue a conman who has fled the country, hoping to get back the money he was scammed out of. This is a noir action film about what awaits them in a foreign land after "crossing the border."
Ito revealed about his first meeting with Director Izutsu, "When I was still just starting out, the director said to me on set, 'There's no life in your lines, big brother.' That one sentence became the starting point for me as an actor." He added, "Bring life to your words, put emotion into them. With that teaching in mind, I would like to take on this production with even more life and passion in my acting."
Sometani, who will be appearing in an Izutsu film for the first time, is enthusiastic, saying, "Izutsu's noir film, which takes place across Asia and Osaka, is guaranteed to be a thrilling action comedy unlike any other in the world! I will do my best to get through this great voyage!"
