Sometimes a movie trailer gets you right from the first few seconds. In the case of upcoming action movie Karōshi, which shows a futuristic Manhattan which has been taken over by a Japanese conglomerate, I was hooked 25 seconds in. After a speech about honoring employee commitment and sacrifice, a worker jumps off the company skyscraper. Then we see the text “Karōshi [kah-roh-shee] noun. death from overwork.” Friends, I went “oooh!” out loud in an office full of no one. The fact that the rest of the teaser gives us a Yakuza-infused martial arts romp is icing on the cake. Check it out, and watch out for blood.
You probably didn’t need to see the words “From producer Chad Stahelski” to know this movie has a bit of John Wick DNA in it. Karōshi comes from writer and director Takashi Doscher. His isn’t a name you’d probably recognize, but who sure seems self-assured from this trailer alone.
According to the official synopsis, this movie is “an action-thriller set in a near-future Manhattan, where corporate loyalty and cultural tradition have reshaped everyday life. When a mysterious outsider infiltrates a powerful company after a worker’s death, he exposes the violent system hidden beneath its polished surface. Starring Teo Yoo (Past Lives), Isabel May (Scream 7), Takehiro Hira (Shōgun), Bill Camp (Presumed Innocent), Show Kasamatsu (Tokyo Vice), with Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), and Cynthia Erivo (Wicked).”
I’ve always wanted to see a fight scene take place on multiple floors of a building. What else are open atriums for? Karōshi has a strong premise and a stellar cast. And, once again, lots of bloody action. The moment when he uses the paper umbrella to keep the spurting blood off of him. To quote Martin Scorsese: “cinema.”
Karōshi will hit theaters in February of 2027.