<Movie>  Speed Racer
Director: Wachowski Brothers
His role:  Mr. Musha (supporting role)

Live action filmization of Japanese classic animation about a young racer and his family. Hiro will play the new role made for the movie "Mr. Musha", a Japanese businessman who is trying to take control of the racing world. Again, he is playing a villain but there is supposed to be no action in this one.

<Movie>  Rush Hour 3
Director:  Brett Ratner
His role:  Kenji (supporting role)

Popular comedy/action franchise by Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. This time, the odd duo detectives fly to Paris to fight with the crime syndicate, headed by Hiro's Kenji.

Opening in the U.S. on August 10, 2007

RUSH HOUR 3 US Official Website

<Movie>  The City of Your Final Destination
Director:  James Ivory
His role:  Pete, the young gay partner of the main character played by Anthony Hopkins(supporting role)

<Movie>  Sunshine   (UK)   
Director:  Danny Boyle
His role:  Captain Kaneda (captain of the spaceship, one of the 8 main cast)

SF/human drama about the spaceship crew who are sent to save the sun.

Released in 2007 in Europe, Japan and US

"Sunshine" Official Website
IMDb info
Sunshine blog

2005

<Movie>  The White Countess   (US and UK)   
Director:  James Ivory
His role:  Matsuda (supporting role, Japanese spy in 1930's Shanghai)

The story surrounds the relationships between a blind American diplomat (Ralph Fiennes) and a former Russian countess in exile (Natasha Richardson), staged in the pre-WWII Shanghai.

"The White Countess" Official Website
iFilm - Video Trailer Clip and Ralph Fiennes interview clip
New York Times - Video Trailer Clip
Hoga Central Sanada-san long interview article

Distribution:
Sony Pictures Classic (12/21/2005): US Sony Pictures Classic site
Toho (June, 2006) Japan
Belgium (3/22/2006)
U.K. (3/31/2006)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384686/
http://www.monkeypeaches.com/0410M.html#041008B

Movie Info

<Movie>  AEGIS   (Japan, “Bokoku no Aegis”)   
Director:  Junji Sakamoto
His role:  Hisashi Sengoku (main role, Japan Maritime Self Defense Forces Senior Corporal)

This popular political-action novel by Harutoshi Fukui swept literary awards in 2000.  The story is about an intense battle between North Korean terrorists and Japanese SDF members.  It was believed to be impossible to make it into a movie due to a huge scale, but with a full support by Japan Maritime Self Defense Forces, it is realized onto the silver scree in 2005.

Distribution
Japan Herald and Shochiku: Japan (7/30/2005) "Aegis" Official Site by Goo (Trailer video clip available)


Taiwan (11/26/2005)

Photo Gallery
Goo Aegis Photo Page

Movie and Book Review

2005

<Movie>  The Promise   (China, “Wu Ji”) (U.S. Title: Master of the Crimson Armor)
Director:  Chen Kaige
His role:  The General (one of the main characters)

A fantasy story in ancient China.  Prominent Chinese director Chen Kaige has gathered the Asian Dream Team from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and China for this movie. The story is about the beautiful queen, the general and the slave who try to overcome their own destiny (or "the promise with the god"), all for love. The biggest budget movie in China in its history, and is currently nominted in Golden Globe Foreign Language Film category.

Distribution:
China (12/15/2005) sina.com official site (Chinese)
Malaysia (12/22/2005)
Taiwan (12/23/2005)
Gaga: Japan (2/11/2006) Gaga official site (Japanese)
Show East: Korea (1/2006)
TFM Distribution: France (1/18/2006) TFM Official site (French)
Warner Independent Picture : U.S.(5/5/2006) US Official Site

Recent news: see our News page
IMDB Info
http://www.monkeypeaches.com/wuji.html
http://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/f/wuji/index.html

Movie Info

2004

<TV one-time>  Locked-in Syndrome  (Japan, “Locked-in Shokogun”)
Broadcaster:  BS Fuji
His role:  Shunsuke Kosaka (main role, neurologist)

This drama was produced in 1997 but was not broadcasted until 2004 for some reason.  A high-tech suspense drama surrounding the patient with "locked-in syndrome", hosptal/corporate politics and this lady-killer neurologist.

<Movie>  The Last Samurai   (U.S.)
Director:  Edward Zwick
His role:  Ujio (supporting role, ultimate samurai and Algren’s sword fighting teacher)

A beautiful spectacle about the last of the way of samurai (“bushido”) in early Meiji era (1876-77).  Hiro’s outstanding performance of the both sides of samurai, fierce fighting (swords play) and quiet spiritual practices (tea ceremony and dance), instantly grabbed the hearts of many viewers.  The movie was nominated in 4 categories in Academy Awards, including the Best Supporting Actor (Ken Watanabe).

<Movie>  The Twilight Samurai   (Japan, “Tasogare Seibei”)
Director:  Yoji Yamada
His role:  Seibei Iguchi (main role, low-rank samurai who values his love to his family over the social status)

An instant-classic samurai movie long awaited since Kurosawa, and timeless human drama with the theme “what is happiness”, set in circa 1860.    Hiro won the Best Actor in Japanese Academy Awards, and the film swept 12 of 14 categories there.  The movie was also nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category in the US Academy Awards.  Widely considered as Hiro’s career-best main-role movie so far.

http://www.empirepicturesusa.com

http://www.shochiku.co.jp/seibei/index2.html (click the 4th orange diamond from the top for the picture gallery)
http://www.unijapan.org/english/list/2003/2003_35.html