The Big Picture

The “babies” are back to kick some ass a third time.
In embracing the duo’s maturity, the franchise loses a bit of secret sauce.
The great action choreography still gets the job done as assassins clash.

Yugo Sakamoto’s Baby Assassins franchise has carved a unique legacy as a bubbly-cute take on rough-and-tumble mercenary stories. No, it’s not about literal newborn assassins (sigh). Chisato Sugimoto (Akari Takaishi) and Mahiro Fukagawa (Saori Izawa) are young adults living snack-hungry Japanese lifestyles who also happen to be budding contract killers, and their first two endeavors are a riot. Baby Assassins Nice Days marks entry number three, and while Kensuke Sonomura’s action choreography still packs a punch, the trilogy finisher shows weakness regarding the affable slacker goofs in between kick-ass showdowns.

Baby Assassins Nice Days (2024) This action-comedy centers on two young female assassins trying to balance their violent careers with everyday teenage life. When a routine mission goes awry, they find themselves navigating unexpected challenges and building unlikely friendships, all while staying one step ahead of their enemies. Release Date July 27, 2024 Director Yugo Sakamoto Cast Akari Takaishi , Saori Izawa , Sôsuke Ikematsu , Atsuko Maeda , Kaibashira , Mondo Otani , Karuma , Atomu Mizuishi Main Genre Comedy Writers Yugo Sakamoto

What Is ‘Baby Assassins Nice Days’ About?

Chisato and Mahiro find themselves on vacation in Miyazaki, Japan, when The Agency asks them to fill in for a local job — on Mahiro’s birthday. The duo leaves behind beachfront galavanting and frosty treats for what’s presumed to be an easy assassination, but fate has other plans. Competitive freelancer Mahiro Fukagawa (Sosuke Ikematsu) has been assigned the same contract to eliminate “Matsuura” (Kaibashira), so the girls must first protect their target before they can cash any payday. That shouldn’t be too difficult with The Agency’s appointed babysitters, all-business Iruka Minami (Atsuko Maeda) and muscle-man Riku Nanase (Mondo Otani) — right?

Sakamoto’s sequel veers towards the impending fate of maturity as Mahiro approaches her 20th birthday. Where the first two movies beam J-poppy energies, with a stronger emphasis on juvenile antics shared between besties, Nice Days lacks the same bubblegum-sweet humor. That’s not necessarily bad; characters should evolve over the years, but it’s more how this continuation feels like it’s missing an ingredient. What makes the Baby Assassins movies so unique has been dialed back, and it’s noticeable in comparison. Baby Assassins 2 Babies is a hilarious take on Chisato and Mahiro acting inconvenienced by their dangerous professions (or worse, mundane responsibilities), and while that’s not the dominant tone of Nice Days, it’s sorely missed.

Iruka and Riku shouldn’t take the blame as the two elder assassins tasked with aiding Chisato and Mahiro. Riku projects a “Cool Dad” demeanor the way he mild-manneredly is there to protect, his pecs and biceps ready to burst from his too-tight tees. Iruka is the strict mother of the pair, the frigid example of what growing older as an assassin can become. Together, the two teams navigate generational differences and bond as a quartet who learn from each other in ways we’ve seen throughout genre favorites for decades. Veterans relive immature freedoms while the amateurs learn to act more field-appropriate, less like class clowns. The mentor-mentee vibes are predictable, but at least they’re engagingly acted by all parties involved.

‘Baby Assassins Nice Days’ Has Spectacular Action
Image via Fantasia

What doesn’t skip a beat is Sonomura’s fight direction, a shining accomplishment across all three Baby Assassins films. Ikematsu (of Shin Kamen Rider fame) and Izawa square off in these long-take, mile-a-minute standout brawls that remind of the end of The Raid when Rama and Andi grapple with Mad Dog. Hands, hips, and knees fly around the screen, yet cinematographer Moritada Iju doesn’t blur the prestigious martial artistry on display – everything is so impressively visible.

There’s no hiding fatal blows or incorporated gunplay. An abundance of breakneck combat spectacularity lands the complicated maneuvers we’ve come to love about these Baby Assassins movies, and that’s why this film ultimately succeeds. Action lovers appreciate a good laugh, but what matters most is the exhilaration felt when knuckles connect with cheekbones after a fifteen-hit combo of dodges and counters. Sakamoto still handles violent excitement with care — there’s no downgrade in the pain department.

Baby Assassins Nice Days doesn’t abandon its formula; Sakamoto’s just telling the third chapter of an ongoing story. It might not be my favorite entry, but it’s still another excellent example of how international action cinematography puts American blurriness to shame. Takaishi and Izawa should be as proud as anyone for the legacy they’ve instilled in their characters, proving how not every action hero has to bulk and quip like The Rock or Jason Statham. Nice Days doesn’t execute its emotional or comedic beats with the same enthusiasm, but the pulverizations are still bountiful — there’s plenty of bruised and bloody aggression to save the day.

REVIEW Baby Assassins Nice Days (2024) Baby Assassins Nice Days steers the franchise towards a bloody and beaten story about getting older, and while that evolution is a nice touch on the girls’ arc, this second sequel feels like it’s missing a secret ingredient.ProsAkari Takaishi and Saori Izawa own their characters.Kensuke Sonomura once again brings the thunder as an action director.You’ll pop for the thrills as fights break out. ConsThe tonal shift towards growing up doesn’t work as well as hoped.More characters means a little less focus for Chisato and Mahiro.The humor that is traded out in this sequel is sorely missed.

Baby Assassins Nice Days screened at the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival.