Movie Stats:
Released 2006
Japanese, with English subtitles
Director – Yuji Shimomura
Stars – Tak Sakaguchi, Kentaro Seagal, Takamusa Suga
Plot Summary:
A coffin with magical properties is stolen from a monastery
by a mysterious man (Tak Sakaguchi), who murders the monks who were guarding it.
The lone survivor of the attack, a green young monk (Takamusa Suga), sets off
on an epic journey to win back the coffin. Along the way, he encounters a cast
of strange characters, including a gun-wielding mercenary (Kentaro Seagal) who
becomes an ally (of sorts).
Bad Stuff:
Okay, this movie is weird. Really, really weird. It is weird
to the point that, for the first 30 minutes or so, I didn’t really understand
what was happening. This is not to say that I was surprised that the movie was weird. After all, it’s Japanese. I’m
not sure that I’ve ever seen a Japanese movie that wasn’t weird.
Good Stuff:
Surprisingly, Kentaro Seagal. As you might have already
guessed, he’s related to THAT Seagal. He’s Steven’s son, born in Japan and
raised there by his Japanese mother. He looks a lot like his father, but
apparently gained all of the acting ability he lacks. I thought he was
fantastic in this movie & am disappointed to discover that he doesn’t seem
to act regularly.
I also enjoyed that this movie didn’t have any “redemption”
arcs. This isn’t anyone’s coming-of-age tale. People who suck at fighting at
the beginning suck at fighting at the end. People who are seeking to right a
past wrong may fail at doing so. Etc. I found it refreshing.
Lastly, I cheer this movie for not shoehorning in any love
stories, despite the fact there is a very pretty female
character. What a lovely change from American action movies, where they seem to
think that people (women?) can’t be possibly interested in a film unless there’s
love involved (I am specifically looking at you, Thor).
The Verdict:
Ultimately, I really enjoyed this movie. I still find myself thinking of it often, even though I watched it probably 3 or 4 months ago. While it was weird,
it was also fun. I liked the fight scenes. Most of the acting was really good.
Some might find the ambiguous ending irritating, but I liked it.
2 comments:
I thought it was movie making requirement to have the love story in there somewhere. That said, I'm glad someone in the Segal family can act. And speaking of Thor, if you are going to separate them at the end and make them all sad and stuff, the least you could do was throw that poor, sad romance a bone in the Avengers. Three lines of dialogue between them and everyone would be happy including the people who watched Thor for the romance. Not that that was me, or anything. I watched it for the awkward costume and He-Man-like facial scruff. And Kat Dennings, who has been a scene stealer since the 40 Year Old Virgin.
Yep, I watched Thor for Chris Hemsworth, Kat Dennings, and the brief glimpse I knew I would get of Jeremy Renner. Tom Hiddleston as Loki turned out to be a happy surprise.
Overall, I didn't like it, though. And I really hated the "romance." It was SO unbelievable. I was bummed when I heard Natalie Portman is going to be in Thor 2.
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