“Issue an arrest warrant for the captain!” TIFF has revealed the entertaining first official trailer for the action comedy film Arrested Memory from director Sabu, which is premiering at multiple festivals this fall. This is launching first at the 2026 Venice Film Festival next week, before heading to Toronto next and I’m sure at even more festivals in the fall. Arrested Memory follows a detective with amnesia. Ethan Juan stars as Lee – a superstar police detective in Taipei, Taiwan. After losing his team during an investigation, he is haunted by guilt and transferred to a rural police station. Traumatised by the incident, Lee develops amnesia – but is determined to keep it a secret. Soon, he is assigned a new case: the kidnapping of the son of an influential Japanese businessman. As his memory continues to fade, Lee can only rely on his instincts — which, against all odds, lead him to the criminals. Filmed in Taiwan, the cast includes Hsieh Ying Xuan, Moon Lee, Shinchi Tsutsumi, and Reika Kirishima. This looks like a blast! I’m glad the film plays up the wacky comedy and doesn’t keep it all so super serious. We need more fun action flicks right now. Enjoy.
Here’s the official festival trailer for Sabu’s film Arrested Memory, direct from TIFF’s YouTube:
“Life is often absurd and cruel. We lose things, they break, and so many eventually disappear. Yet I keep making films in the hope that, in the end, what remains is love and humour. I believe the world needs laughter. The protagonist of this film loses his memory. Yet, through that loss, he gradually rediscovers the person he had forgotten he was. Through this fast-paced story, I wanted to portray the uncertainty of that journey and the humour that emerges along the way.” –Writer / Director SABU
Intro via TIFF: “In the wake of a disastrous sting operation, veritable supercop Detective Lee (Ethan Juan) is hit with a medical diagnosis of onset memory loss that salts his already wounded spirit. But before anyone can be briefed on his condition, Lee is assigned to a new case and finds himself without a clue — both literally and figuratively. Suddenly entrusted with a multimillion-dollar ransom for the son of a Japanese magnate (Shinchi Tsutsumi) but with no recollection of either its source or intended recipient, Lee’s deteriorating mind soon propels him on a nocturnal odyssey. Pursued by both cops and crooks, the absent-minded officer must rely on his investigative instincts and martial prowess, as he is guided by an innate impulse to serve and protect, and also that special comedic kismet that SABU so skilfully divines.“
Arrested Memory is written and directed by the Japanese actor / filmmaker Sabu (aka Hiroyuki Tanaka), director of tons of other films including Dangan Runner, Postman Blues, Unlucky Monkey, Drive, Monday, Hard Luck Hero, Hold-Up Down, The Crab Cannery Ship, Bunny Drop, Miss Zombie, Chasuke’s Journey, Happiness, Mr. Long, Jam, Dancing Mary, My Blood & Bones in a Flowing Galaxy, and Under Your Bed previously. Produced by Roger Huang, Shôzô Ichiyama, Justine O. This is premiering at the 2026 Venice & Toronto Film Festivals this fall. No final US release date is set yet – stay tuned. So who wants to watch this?
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