Surprisingly, Blade of the Immortal is my very first experience with the work of director Takashi Miike, who is somewhat of a legend in the global cinema community. The Japanese filmmaker is a master of genre movies, but he's most notable for the sheer volume of his output. Miike is a highly prolific director, and Blade of the Immortal was touted in marketing materials as his 100th film, which is insane considering the fact that he's only 57 years old. There's been some debate about whether he really hit triple digits with this project, but it's a trivial tidbit that has practically come to define this movie's identity. As for me, having never seen his cult classics like 13 Assassins or Audition, I figured that a critically-acclaimed samurai film would be a good place to start.
In an odd way, I walked away both impressed and disappointed. Blade of the Immortal tells the story of a samurai named Manji (Takuya Kimura), who is haunted by his past and devoted to his younger sister. When she is murdered in cold blood, Manji goes berserk, making quick work of an entire army. In the process, Manji is granted the power of blood worms from an ancient witch, allowing his body to heal rapidly, thus making him completely immortal. Fifty years later, a young girl, Rin Asano (Hana Sugisaki), comes to Manji looking for help. Her father has been killed, and she's seeking revenge on Anotsu Kagehisha (Sota Fukushi), the man who committed the crime. While he's old and weary and searching for death, Manji agrees, simply because Rin reminds him of his sister. However, Anotsu has an agenda of his own, as he's hoping to unite the shogunate with his own army of assassins. The result is an epic battle between good and evil, as immortal forces fight against the armies of Japan.
The craft of Blade of the Immortal is undeniable- from an aesthetic perspective, this is one of the most stunning movies I've seen all year. It looks absolutely gorgeous, and the filmmaking is often incredible, highlighting the intensity of the violence and the beauty of the landscapes. My experience with the samurai genre is pretty much limited to Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, so I was stunned by the spectacle and gruesome nature of Miike's fight scenes. He has a way of capturing sheer chaos that is viscerally exciting to watch, and his work with cinematographer Nobuyasu Kita is truly staggering at times. Miike and Kita capture some beautiful images and some grisly deaths, an odd mix of exploitation and spirituality that works at times. And in addition to that, I was quite impressed by the work of Takuya Kimura, who walks a fine line between stoicism and vulnerability that pays off nicely.
But for all of its pure visual might and go-for-broke insanity, Blade of the Immortal grows stale rather quickly. By the time the film reached its 453rd bloody samurai duel, I was desperate for something more substantial. It's a series of sword fights in search of a compelling narrative, often making it seem like each scene just exists to take us from one brutal boss battle to the next. There's an emotional narrative involving Manji and Rin's bond in here somewhere, but the indulgent approach allows for a muted impact. At a daunting 141 minutes, this is a film filled with detours, subplots, and sluggish distractions from the story at hand. Some fans of the genre will likely be pleased by the sheer scope and stylish magnitude of this samurai epic, but despite the near-constant bloodshed, Blade of the Immortal is a shockingly tedious watch.
THE FINAL GRADE: C (5.7/10)
Images courtesy of Magnet Releasing
In an odd way, I walked away both impressed and disappointed. Blade of the Immortal tells the story of a samurai named Manji (Takuya Kimura), who is haunted by his past and devoted to his younger sister. When she is murdered in cold blood, Manji goes berserk, making quick work of an entire army. In the process, Manji is granted the power of blood worms from an ancient witch, allowing his body to heal rapidly, thus making him completely immortal. Fifty years later, a young girl, Rin Asano (Hana Sugisaki), comes to Manji looking for help. Her father has been killed, and she's seeking revenge on Anotsu Kagehisha (Sota Fukushi), the man who committed the crime. While he's old and weary and searching for death, Manji agrees, simply because Rin reminds him of his sister. However, Anotsu has an agenda of his own, as he's hoping to unite the shogunate with his own army of assassins. The result is an epic battle between good and evil, as immortal forces fight against the armies of Japan.
The craft of Blade of the Immortal is undeniable- from an aesthetic perspective, this is one of the most stunning movies I've seen all year. It looks absolutely gorgeous, and the filmmaking is often incredible, highlighting the intensity of the violence and the beauty of the landscapes. My experience with the samurai genre is pretty much limited to Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, so I was stunned by the spectacle and gruesome nature of Miike's fight scenes. He has a way of capturing sheer chaos that is viscerally exciting to watch, and his work with cinematographer Nobuyasu Kita is truly staggering at times. Miike and Kita capture some beautiful images and some grisly deaths, an odd mix of exploitation and spirituality that works at times. And in addition to that, I was quite impressed by the work of Takuya Kimura, who walks a fine line between stoicism and vulnerability that pays off nicely.
But for all of its pure visual might and go-for-broke insanity, Blade of the Immortal grows stale rather quickly. By the time the film reached its 453rd bloody samurai duel, I was desperate for something more substantial. It's a series of sword fights in search of a compelling narrative, often making it seem like each scene just exists to take us from one brutal boss battle to the next. There's an emotional narrative involving Manji and Rin's bond in here somewhere, but the indulgent approach allows for a muted impact. At a daunting 141 minutes, this is a film filled with detours, subplots, and sluggish distractions from the story at hand. Some fans of the genre will likely be pleased by the sheer scope and stylish magnitude of this samurai epic, but despite the near-constant bloodshed, Blade of the Immortal is a shockingly tedious watch.
THE FINAL GRADE: C (5.7/10)
Images courtesy of Magnet Releasing
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