not horrible nor great

I wanted to but couldn't!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5084170/Just got back from the cinema after another Exeter Movie nights. It was an auspicious evening. Let me try to put into words my thoughts and feelings on Blade of the Immortal. A film already sitting in my top five films of all time. In fact it is dangerously close to it sitting at the top right now above Back to the Future, Withnail and I and 2001 Space Odyssey. Hell it might even be better than Bladerunner! Blade of the Immortal is why we moved to Japan. Plane and simple. It's why us gaikokujin, fans of anime and Japanese culture and the millions of Japanese in the world love Japan. This film enraptures Japan as an essence, a state of mind and an environment. Shot largely on what looks like location near Kyoto or somewhere in Ise the cinematograhy depicts Japan in it's natural overgrown bamboo forest state. The use of water in the mise en scene enraptures us in a world of perfection and wabi sabi or mooments of zen as we say in the west. From the summer cicada and crow caws within the folio to the obake undead warrior getting stabbed with a hundred different blades and still fighting on despite the carnage. It's probably the most violent film I've ever seen and the best Samurai movie to date. Yes it's as good as Kill Bill part one and Seven Samurai combined. I lost track at how many slashes, cuts, gratuitous decapitations and nyahhhh chops occurred but every single one of them was expertly choreographed and every single one of them counted and held meaning. The script is beautifully subtle and runs like some kind of epic poem absolutely succinct with Japanese psyche and holds a wicked sense of humour that had me laughing out loud all the way through especially at some of the darker moments. As well as being outrageously funny and dark it's beautifully endearing to the soul and to what it means to fight for our lives. Why do we insist on clinging to life when life is so painful? Why do we keep going? For honour, for revenge, for love or something more primal? The film also addresses what it means to be male and female within Japanese society excellently and the roles we must play. The true meaning of what it means to be a Samurai is explored intricately. A warrior standing on the fringes of society. Not fighting for government, not part of a gang of criminals or even expert fighting school of militia. A loan and noble warrior who fights for the right, without question or pause. Never for money. For soul. It's a beautiful film guys and Kimtaku Sama is the best thing I have seen in Japanese cinema since Mifune Sama. I know him as the kakoii gentlemen from Smap, billboards and advertising but after seeing this you will never see him as anything other than the spirit of the Samurai. Tom Cruise you were not even close. Hana Sugisani San who plays Rin is also exceptional with her acting and plays the adorable younger sister to Kimtaku's Manji. She is the catalyst for the story and the pivotal role of the piece allowing moral choices to come alive within the journey, adding weight and delicate poignancy to every action that occurs within the drama.Takashi Miike Sama, omedetougozaimashta. Subarashi deshta.GO SEE IT!5 + star rating nyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaSynopsis Manji, a highly skilled samurai, becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle. Haunted by the brutal murder of his sister, Manji knows that only fighting evil will regain his soul. 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. The mission will change Manji in ways he could never imagine - the 100th film by master director Takashi Miike.

Yes, there's A LOT of blood since this is a Takashi Miike film and it's always a pleasure to see Kimura Takuya do his thing on screen. For anyone familiar with the genre, what was unexpected, but welcome, was the treatment of characters trying to find their way, each with their own sense of motivation, and reflections on the murky way of revenge. Ultimately everyone that picks up their weapon must deal with their own demons and justifications.

This is an extraordinary movie. It is extremely well done from all points of view. It contains violence and gore but if you can see beyond that you will find true art in this one (not too explicit, a good part is more suggestive than visual). If it is hard for you to understand or get pass the violence you need to consider that the violence is just a metaphor for human sacrifice or human determination of something that is above everything. This movie is about love, virtue and everything that comes from those two by mistake or by human nature. This movie might be not easy to understand but it is very close to possible for anybody who wants to understand it regardless of anything that stands against that. First: it is not predictable. Second: it has a very good cinematic and, regarding the fighting scenes, there is not a single move wrongly done. I assume that some parts are cut out only to make it shorter, but, besides that, there is not a single detail that does not contain something to bring value to the movie itself. Third: it contains a deep and strong philosophy that will evolve along with the course of action. I was not able to predict the end, may be you will be, but, even in that case, you will still like the art of it.

@BenPeyton00729th November 2017Hiroaki Samura's Blade of the Immortal began life as a Manga series in 1993, where it was published in Gekkan Afternoon magazine and ran for almost 20 years. With sales of over 7.5 million and numerous prestigious awards to its name, it quickly attracted international acclaim.   Spanning two worlds, audacious action, spectacular scenery and the mysteriousness of magic, Blade of the Immortal seemed almost too vast to bring to the big screen successfully, until Hiroyoshi Koiwai, a producer from Warner Brothers Japan, approached renowned director Takashi Miike to take charge of his project. Not one to be daunted by the production's challenges, Miike's ambition and vision embraced the concept and took things forward by casting actor Takuya Kimura in the lead role of Manji. With the rest of the cast assembled, an almost three-month shoot began in the freezing temperatures of Kyoto during Winter.Samurai, Manji, becomes cursed with immortality after a monumental battle during which a personal tragedy profoundly affects him. Desperate to regain his soul, he sets out to fight evil in an attempt to find redemption. He crosses paths with Rin (Hana Sugisaki), an orphan whose parents were brutally slain by Anotsu (Sota Fukushi) and his ruthless gang intent on taking over the surrounding dojos and consolidating the samurai. Agreeing to help avenge her parents, Manji's life is about to become even more complicated.The pace is set from the opening black and white fight sequence. Reminiscent of the Crazy 88 massacre in Kill Bill we learn how Manji became immortal, and why he's so determined to help Rin when they eventually meet. With his power complete, the film changes to spectacular colours with a healthy dose of blood red thrown in for good measure.What follows is a succession of confrontations with Manji going all Liam Neeson on the various baddies that are daft enough to try and stop him in his quest for vengeance. Incredibly violent, but with the odd smattering of humour, Blade of the Immortal is a treat for the eyes, if you can bear to watch the gore. Find yourself chained up by a bad guy? No problem. Chop your hand off, kill the enemy, grab your hand and the sacred bloodworms in your body will sew that bad-boy back on for you.The fight scenes are incredibly well choreographed, with many moments seemingly filmed in one continuous shot. A plethora of unusual weapons are showcased and utilised to great effect. Axe- anvils, blades attached to staffs and daggers hidden within swords are all theatrically introduced as well as some outrageous costumes and hairstyles.The touching relationship between Manji and Rin is similar to Matilda and her saviour in Luc Besson's Leon, as Rin seeks comfort from a man she doesn't really know, desperately seeking a father figure and finding herself surrounded by death and tragedy from a young age.With exceptional performances from Kimura and Fukushi, Blade of the Immortal is a towering achievement and a cinematic experience of epic proportions.