01-18-2021, 06:15 PM
Three criminals are beheaded for their crimes, but behind the curtain we see them still alive, and given the option of becoming shadow agents of the Shogan, cleaning up riffraff in the territory. The alternative is real beheading. So they accept.
These three guys are not photogenic in any way, and I wondered what the hell director Gosha was thinking. But in quick order one of the shadow agents encounters his long-abandoned daughter, who becomes the main protagonist, fighting to undo her father's deal with the devil.
Yes, there are swordfights. Lots of them. But here's the odd pickle. The daughter's weapon of choice is a long ribbon on a stick. Yes, you know. Like that Olympic event? True, she has a short sword or knife in the other hand, but her main defensive and offensive weapon is that damned cavorting ribbon. To watch topnotch samurai cowed and befuddled by that ribbon is a sight to behold.
Making this all the more striking is the brilliance of the swordfights. I suspect DM has exposure to director Hideo Gosha. If not, he's something to check out. I only discovered him last year. This is the fourth movie of his I've seen, and yes, I'm delinquent in reviewing those, and hope to backstitch them in soon. Gosha's fight choreography is amazing -- long action scene after long action scene, each mind-bogglingly brilliant. And he brings that same level of intensity to her ribbon fights. Admittedly, they require a huge suspension of disbelief. Fortunately for me, I have ample of that.
What further sets this movie apart are the occasional moments when the ribbon woman simply performs a ribbon dance against a colorful background. It reminds me of those opening credit dances in old Bond movies, or maybe those short body-paint dance segments on Laugh-In.
There's also an evil woman who wears colorful flowing fabrics a la Stevie Nicks. She also performs these stand-alone dance sequences, contorting and sashaying about.
Anyway, just a very strange samurai film, which I'd recommend to those with advanced suspension systems.
Seen on criterion.com channel. Might be elsewhere as well.
These three guys are not photogenic in any way, and I wondered what the hell director Gosha was thinking. But in quick order one of the shadow agents encounters his long-abandoned daughter, who becomes the main protagonist, fighting to undo her father's deal with the devil.
Yes, there are swordfights. Lots of them. But here's the odd pickle. The daughter's weapon of choice is a long ribbon on a stick. Yes, you know. Like that Olympic event? True, she has a short sword or knife in the other hand, but her main defensive and offensive weapon is that damned cavorting ribbon. To watch topnotch samurai cowed and befuddled by that ribbon is a sight to behold.
Making this all the more striking is the brilliance of the swordfights. I suspect DM has exposure to director Hideo Gosha. If not, he's something to check out. I only discovered him last year. This is the fourth movie of his I've seen, and yes, I'm delinquent in reviewing those, and hope to backstitch them in soon. Gosha's fight choreography is amazing -- long action scene after long action scene, each mind-bogglingly brilliant. And he brings that same level of intensity to her ribbon fights. Admittedly, they require a huge suspension of disbelief. Fortunately for me, I have ample of that.
What further sets this movie apart are the occasional moments when the ribbon woman simply performs a ribbon dance against a colorful background. It reminds me of those opening credit dances in old Bond movies, or maybe those short body-paint dance segments on Laugh-In.
There's also an evil woman who wears colorful flowing fabrics a la Stevie Nicks. She also performs these stand-alone dance sequences, contorting and sashaying about.
Anyway, just a very strange samurai film, which I'd recommend to those with advanced suspension systems.
Seen on criterion.com channel. Might be elsewhere as well.
