![]() There’s nothing of the factory product about this enjoyably outrageous splatter-fest, of course one can only dream of the battered Burbank execs taking the lead from their Japanese counterparts and handing Miike the reins to, say, Suicide Squad 2. Which makes it ironic that this one is preceded by what might be the only studio logo – in this case Warner Bros., or its Japanese arm – on the Croisette this year. And while this is not that, it’s still got more style to burn than almost any recent Hollywood actioner. The director’s 100th feature, Blade of the Immortal shows Miike to have lost none of the madcap energy and wit that characterize his best work. The new film is more irreverent than either of those earlier ones, and less memorable, though there are still pleasures to be had, particularly for those fond of long but expertly choreographed sword fights with regular, and bloody, dismemberments. The out-of-competition Blade of the Immortal has already been picked up for North American release by Magnet, which distributed Miike’s 13 Assassins stateside in 2010. Overall, Blade of the Immortal is a little too long but is still one of the best action movies you’ll see this year and a satisfying 100 th movie from a master director.Fans of the inimitable gore-hound Takashi Miike will lap up his latest, which sees the Japanese helmer return to the swords-and-topknots territory of Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai, which played in competition in 2011, with the story of an immortal samurai enlisted by a small girl to avenge her family’s murder. A particular favourite is when Rin is mourning the death of her family and Manji sits down in front of her and says “if you need a shoulder to cry on, use mine” making him immediately appealing as our cursed hero. The movie surprised me with its sense of humour too which some nice dialogue moments as well as some gentle character moments. I liked the main villain Anotsu Kagehisa (Sôta Fukushi) who despite having flaws ends up being more interesting than you’d first expect and is every bit the badass that Manji is… without the immortality. She mostly just stands around crying while Manji kicks everyone’s ass. many making the movie essentially a 2 and a half hour sword fight.Īdmittedly it is far too long and I found Rin’s (Hana Sugisaki) constant shouting grating which made her quite unlikable. Limbs are chopped off at regular intervals and the battles range from one on one sword fights to one vs. I’m pretty sure the bodycount for this movie is around 300 so samurai fans are going to lap this up. He is a man of few words and lets his blade do most of the talking which is profoundly satisfying. He agrees because she reminds him of his sister so the adventure and slaughter begins. Many years later he meets a young girl called Rin who wants him to avenge her parents. ![]() ![]() Takuya Kimura is unbelievably badass as the immortal lead Manji a man known as the Hundred Killer after his exploits in the opening scene of the film where his sister is slain. I’m pleased to report that it is destined to become a modern samurai classic with memorable characters and lashings of blood. Review: Takashi Miike’s 100 th movie Blade of the Immortal has been lavished with praise since it came out a few weeks ago so I thought it was time I sat down and gave it a watch. The mission will change Manji in ways he could never imagine. ![]() He promises to help a young girl named Rin avenge her parents, who were killed by a group of master swordsmen led by ruthless warrior Anotsu. Haunted by the brutal murder of his sister, Manji knows that only fighting evil will regain his soul. Plot: Manji, a highly skilled samurai, becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle. Blade of the Immortal is one of the best movies of the year with a high bodycount and plenty of style. ![]()
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