Product Description: Azumi 2003 Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura of Versus. Azumi is an action packed movie based on a highly popular manga serial by Yu Koyama. Like his stylish and gory previous film it wastes no time in getting down to business. The movies gets rolling as soon as the band of ten Samurai in training including Azumi (Aya Ueto) the only swordswoman among them is subjected to its final test. Once again Kitamura demonstrates his awesome skills into camera movements and fights choreography. The unlimited supply of stylistic action scenses and wild visual effects are enhanced by his leaping and pouncing camer. wirework and CGI special effects. At one time the kick ass heroine (in a cool skin tight period clothing takes on as many as 200 enemies.
Heart of steel Most action movies are all about the testosterone, and most action women are basically sexy parodies of their male counterparts.
Not so in "Azumi." This blood-spattered Japanese action film is all about the girl who becomes the deadliest assassin. The movie is short on plot and high on death, blood and dismemberment, but admittedly it does an outstanding job with its strong points -- and particularly with the moral complexities of the heroine's whole purpose in life.
After losing his son in a bloody war, a samurai (Yoshio Harada) brought together ten children -- nine boys, and the girl Azumi (Aya Ueto) -- and trained them to become the ultimate assassins. When their training is over, he orders them to each slay their teammate. With their best friends dead and their home in ashes, the young warriors are taken out into the unfamiliar world, and are confused by their master's contradictory commands.
He is intent on having them fulfill their "mission": to take out the three rebellious warlords Asano Nagamasa, Masayuki Sanada and Kiyomasa Kato who may end up plunging Japan into another horrible war. But his followers' faith in him has been badly shaken, and Azumi is further confused when one of these supposedly evil men treats her with paternal kindness even as she kills him. As she and her friends continue their bloody quest, she must grapple with the losses around her -- and with a very effeminate mercenary coming after them.
You have to admit, there aren't a lot of movies that feature the heroine killing her love interest only a few scenes into the movie, and then going on a blood-caked quest to eliminate even more people. Especially if you're meant to like her. So unsurprisingly "Azumi" nudges at the morality of what the characters do, and the desperate need to not face the question: Is this mission really a good thing?
But these moral questions don't really drive "Azumi." The plot is as straight and thin as Azumi's sword, and while a few clever twists are thrown in (Kato's body double) it's more or less a steady stream of exceptionally nimble fight scenes and graphic gore. Throats are cut, chests are slashed, heads are impaled, and blood sprays in every direction, while Azumi and her pals go spinning and jumping through every fight scene with dying bodies flying through the air. Yet even the fight scenes have a hint of artistry and sadness -- just look at the young warriors fighting each other.
Interestingly, this thinnish plot is very loosely based on actual history -- the warlords that Azumi's band kills were real people -- and it does a solid job with the costumes and weaponry. And the scenery is full of utterly stunning shady forests and mountain-filled skies, serving as a stark contrast to the bloody horrors of the human world.
Ueta does what she's supposed to do in "Azumi" -- look pretty and troubled while spinning around and hacking down dozens of ninja and samurai with her sword. She's not a great actress -- some of the scenes are downright wooden -- but she does give Azumi a sense of naive pathos that you wouldn't expect an assassin to have. She's particularly good when Azumi is forced to either kill the man she loves or be killed by him, and when she sees a little girl watching her mother die.
The other actors do better jobs -- Harada gives a suitably stiff, painful performance as a man whose obsession with crafting the ultimate assassins leads him to use these innocent young people for his own purpose. And Azumi's teammates all have their own individual personalities -- for instance, one of them refuses to consider that their enemies may not be evil people, while another keeps asking the master "why?" and never getting an answer.
"Azumi" is full of savage grace and brilliantly choreographed fight scenes, and admittedly not a lot else. But as a solid action flick, it's a bright little cult flick splattered in more blood than you'll find in virtually any other movie.
Good fighting scenes. Some interesting points in the plot. It's based on a comic book. It has good fighting scenes. There are some interesting points in the plot. It's based on a comic book.
I love Azumi 2 too even though it's not as good as part 1.
Assassins vs. Ninjas and Samurai and Roving bands of killers and. . .you get the picture. . . Azumi comes to us from the same great director of Versus. What's interesting is that the 'Uncut' version is listed at 128 minutes, while this version clocks in at 142 minutes, like most of the import versions of this film. Either way, this is the longer, original version as the director intended. The English dub is great, audio and picture are great quality. The only drawback is it comes with zero extras. There is a menu option for 'Special Features', but when you click it a graphic appears asking you to insert the second disc. And, since this is only a single disc volume, you may scratch your head for a few minutes, as I did.
Basic breakdown, group of assassins (good guys) heads out to do what they do. Naturally, the people on the receiving end of said assassinations (bad guys) are somewhat reluctant to the idea. This means the two groups spend 2+ hours trying to outdo one another. There, of course, are little twists and turns and introductions of peripheral characters. But the most important thing to note is that the action is about as plentiful as it can be. Probably no more than 7 minutes goes by before someone pulls out their sword and starts swinging.
For those familiar with Kitamura, this film bears his trademarks. For those who aren't, his films would be most likened to Sam Raimi (Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness, the Quick and the Dead), cult/Indie flicks with style and over-the-top gore and violence, all done with a hint of comedy and melodrama (read: what mainstream audiences consider movies for dorks and people that dress up and go to Comic-Con). You still get that 'indie' feel to the action and the dialogue, mixed with a very slick and stylish choreography. While most of the action is sword fighting, it is not Crouching Tiger or Hero. This isn't a Chinese movie with lots of one on one battles. Most of the action consists of a few people mowing down many with one clean strike after another. It's fast and furious and fun.
The film is definitely on a bigger budget than Versus was. Yes, there's a lot of forest-running again. But now, we're treated to a few sets here and there. The costumes of the main characters are definitely of the "anime-come-to-life" variety. They strike me as what it would be like to see something like Naruto or Inuyasha or Ninja Scroll turned into a live-action film. But despite having a bigger budget and a more talented cast, it is still a true Kitamura film (that, of course, is a good thing). You'll even see your favorite Versus characters make appearances throughout.
Like Versus, if you're averse to somewhat over the top action, acting, and gore, mixed with a fairly simple story line, this ain't your thing. This movie doesn't take itself too seriously and it never tries to be anything other than what it is: an awesome action movie. There are definitely those that will be thrown by what seems like a group of young kids in cartoony costumes engaging in some serious violence and gore (all done with superior style and grace throughout). Hey, what can I say? I love this stuff.
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