Seek (2025) Review: Ninja Fever Returns With Practical Punch

This Seek review looks at Shane Kosugi's directing debut, a Japanese action film that brings ninjas back to the modern day. It runs a tight 93 minutes and puts its energy into fights rather than fuss. If you miss practical martial arts spectacle, it deserves a look.

Seek Review: The Story So Far (No Spoilers)

The Seek plot follows Kyohei Aizawa, an assassin working for a covert, non-governmental espionage group in Japan. The group goes by "四十九", or SEEK. Kyohei is still mourning his girlfriend, who died in a plane accident, when his leader calls him in.

The mission is urgent. He has to rescue a fellow agent, recover a dangerous new explosive liquid called RDX@, and stop yakuza boss Sojiro Kotsuki before his gang can take over the country. Ninjas were supposed to have vanished, but the film argues a new generation has quietly taken their place.

The setup is simple and familiar, and it moves quickly. Grief gives the hero a motive, and the rest is a ticking-clock action story. That fits the genre, though it does not reinvent it.

What Works in Seek

The action is the reason to watch. Kosugi clearly knows what kind of film he is making, and the fight choreography carries the picture. One festival review praises the practical ninja spectacle and a roughly 3.5-minute single-take sequence in the climax.

That commitment to real stunts gives the fights weight. You can follow who is hitting whom, and the film lets its performers do the work instead of hiding them behind fast cuts.

• Practical action: Hand-to-hand and blade work feel physical.

• Brisk pacing: At 93 minutes, it rarely sags.

• Ninja revival: The modern-day secret-agent angle gives familiar fights some fresh flavour.

Fans of action movie reviews on this site will recognise the appeal: clear stakes, big set pieces and little time wasted.

Seek Cast and Performances

The Seek cast is led by Kansuke Asano as Kyohei Aizawa. Asano also wrote the film, so he knows the character well. He plays the grieving assassin with a quiet, guarded intensity that suits the role.

Kane Kosugi plays the yakuza leader Sojiro Kotsuki, giving the villain a veteran presence. Masaki Miura appears as Naoya Machida, and Nahana plays SEEK's leader, Ryo Mikumo. Masayuki Ino and Yasuaki Ishii round out the credited cast.

This is not a film built on subtle dramatic acting. The performances serve the action, and the physical work matters more than the dialogue. Still, the leads sell the stakes well enough to keep the fights meaningful.

Where Seek Stumbles

The film's budget limits show. One festival review notes at least one scene with lighting continuity problems and faults some CG explosions. Those effects sit awkwardly beside the grounded stunt work.

The script is the other weak point. Another festival review finds it tangled at times, and a Letterboxd reviewer calls the film generic. The mix of espionage, grief, yakuza plotting and ninja lore is a lot for a short running time.

Critical response is mixed to positive rather than glowing. Rotten Tomatoes lists the film at 52%, while audience scores online vary between sources, so treat any single number with caution.

Is Seek Worth Watching?

Yes, if you come for the action and can forgive a messy plot. So, is Seek worth watching? For fans of martial arts cinema, it is a lively and sincere debut from a director with clear affection for the genre.

It will not win over viewers who want deep characters or polished effects. But the stunt work, the single-take showpiece and the short runtime make it an easy recommendation for a night of fights. Shane Kosugi shows real promise behind the camera.

If you enjoy this kind of thing, you might also like Chase for Amber (2025) Review or Wind Breaker (2025) Review. For background and reception, see the Shane Kosugi filmography on Rotten Tomatoes.

Who Will Enjoy Seek

• Martial arts and ninja fans who value practical stunts over CGI.

• Viewers who like short, fast action films with a simple revenge-and-mission setup.

• Anyone curious about Shane Kosugi's first outing as a director.