Directed by: Takeshi Kitano
Genres: Action, Drama, Crime, Comedy
Cast: Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano, Michiyo Ookusu, Gadarukanaru Taka, Daigorô Tachibana, Yuuko Daike, Yui Natsukawa, Ittoku Kishibe, Saburo Ishikura, Akira Emoto, Ben Hiura, Kohji Miura, Hideboh, Ron II, Suji
IMDB raintg: 7.7
My rating: 7.0 [rate 7.0]
If I would have been a fan of Japanese sword fighting samurai movies, this film could have been one of my favourite ones. It is a really nice piece of action without the boring bits such as horse duels, Imperator crap and ninjas.
Simple story is shot in as simple as possible way, with lots and lots of sword martial arts, huge body count, and lots of blood. The much favoured depression of Japanese movies hasn’t touched this film, making it much less boring and pessimistic. I’d even go as far as saying that this is as much as Americanized Japanese movie as it can be.
Even if for nothing else, this film deserves attention for a really outstanding work with sound. Firstly, all fighting sounds sound fresh and rich. Secondly, it features some great compositions in the soundtrack. And thirdly, there was a fantastic integration of music with the action on the screen. Particularly, the final dancing episode and small scenes with farmers and builders during the course of the movie. It’s been some time since I enjoyed so much the soundworks in the film.
Resume: excellent choice for those into Japanese samurai sword martial arts. Not good for kids probably.