2024 Glasgow Film Festival Review - Baby Assassin 2 Babies (2023)

As an action fan, I have heard nothing but great things about the first Baby Assassins. I missed it when it had a show at the 2022 Glasgow Film Festival, so I knew I had to rectify that mistake before checking out the sequel. I will say regarding the action I was not let down. Every fight scene is fun, energetic, and hooks you in from the moment the first punch is thrown. However, I felt that the story around it was lacking, and not all the humour worked for me.

So, heading into Baby Assassin 2 Babies , I was expecting more of the same, if not better. The film follows our loveable but somewhat lazy assassins Chisato and Mahiro who are temporarily put on suspension. They broke the organisation’s rules and are currently suffering the consequences. They are struggling to pay their day-to-day bills, so they are back looking for part-time jobs. While looking for jobs suddenly two other assassins go after them.

Everything I loved about the original film is amplified in this film and all the parts that left me more confused than excited are no longer present. The biggest improvement is the story. The main antagonists are way more interesting to watch compared to the progressive Yakuza gang from the first. What also allows the story to work so well is the humour is 100x more effective. While it is still as wacky and silly as the original it is also more engaging and allows for the antics to unfold believably. Why I feel this is the case is a lot of the overtop jokes are no longer present in such a large quantity.

The standout is still the action. The true standouts are the bank action set piece and the finale set piece. The action scene in the bank feels like a modern-day take of a Jackie Chan action where the characters use the environment around them. The narrative reason why the action scene occurs is utterly funny and builds to an ending punch line that is genius. The final set piece is closer to the John Wick/John Woo-inspired gun fu that transitions into a more traditional martial arts fight. The choreography is some of the best I have seen in years and had moments that blew me away. My jaw was literally on the floor from when the opening gunshots were fired.

The entire cast Is great but to me, Saori Izawa is a superstar in the making. Her physical performance in the action is some of the best I have seen from any actor from late. She proves to women can kick just as much ass as men.

Baby Assassins 2 Babies is an utter gem of a film. While it is not flawless it is easily one of the best action films in recent memory. The film blends action and comedy to create a great cocktail of a film.