
©Courtesy of Kansai TV, Kyojo
Shochiku announced that one of the major Japanese actor Takuya Kimura will appear in Japanese auteur Yoji Yamada‘s latest film “Tokyo Taxi” to be released on November 21. “Tokyo Taxi” will be the centerpiece film of the company’s 130th anniversary, and expectations from the company are said to be high.
“Tokyo Taxi” is based on the French film “Driving Madeleine“(French titled,”Une Belle Course“) released in 2023, and the story takes place in Tokyo and is said to be a human story that begins with sending a madam off to an elderly care facility for her final days of life.
A madam will be played by Chieko Baisho, who meets a cab driver, played by Kimura, and experiences various miracles. This is the first time in 19 years that Kimura teamed up again with director Yamada since “Love and Honor” in 2006, the film was a blockbuster hit, grossing over 4.1 billion yen at the box office.
It has also been 21 years since Ms. Baisho and Kimura co-starred in the 2004 animated film “Howl’s Moving Castle.” Kimura plays a cab driver for the first time in his career. His character has no money, no time off, and is on the verge of having his license suspended.
In addition to play the cab driver for the the first time, there was something “unusual” about this film for Kimura. He is not the lead actor, but a supporting actor. Kimura is known for his leading roles in both TV dramas and movies, and he also plays a top chef in the movie “Grand Maison Paris,” which was released in December 2024. This is the first time in 16 years that Kimura has played a role other than the lead in a film since the 2009 French film “I Come With the Rain. There have been almost no examples in films released in Japan.
On the official website of “TOKYO TAXI,” Kimura’s name is listed after Baisho, who plays the lead role, making him second in the list. Kimura, who has been at the forefront of leading roles for a long time, was once pointed out by a “close friend” in his career as an actor.
Actor Michitaka Tsutsui, who co-starred in the 1993 drama “Asunaro Hakusho” (Fuji Television), spoke about Kimura when he appeared on the variety show “Poka Poka” (Fuji Television) in August 2024. Tsutsui said, “Why don’t you do something like Tome (the actor whose name appears last in the performance)? I don’t think he should play the leading role. I think it would be fun to play the second lead, because it would change your point of view. It seems that Tsutsui wanted to tell Kimura that it would be beneficial for him to play supporting roles as well, not only leading roles.
It can be said that Tsutsui’s advice has already become a reality. Kimura, who first gained attention in “Asunaro Hakusho” (co-starring Tsutsui), became a social phenomenon with the 1996 drama “Long Vacation” (Fuji Television), in which he starred, and since then he has been used more and more often in leading roles. In recent years, however, changes have been seen.
In the 2022 drama “Mirai e no 10 Count” (TV Asahi), he played a former amateur boxer who had lost the will to live, and in the 2024 drama “Believe: Kimi ni Kakeru Hashi” (TV Asahi), he played a major general contractor who was convicted of a crime by his company and escaped from prison. (TV Asahi), in which he plays a former amateur boxer who has lost the will to live. Both of these roles were out of the “Kimitaku image” held by the public, but his performance was highly praised by many. In “TOKYO TAXI,” Kimura plays a supporting role as a cab driver, so we may be able to discover a new side of him.
Kimura will turn 53 in 2025. Will the “Kimura-Taku myth” enter a new chapter?