This film is a blast! I enjoyed it on many levels. From the past/futuristic time frame to the heavy metal soundtrack to the barroom brawlingesque fight sequences. For me this film really struck a chord and I found myself watching it again, twice, that same day(second time back to back, and later with a buddy). While not my favorite action flick it definitely ranks high.
That being said, I will submit that though I really enjoyed it I can completely see why this film has garnered some less than positive reviews. Here are my views on these comments to help prevent someone who will love this movie from missing it due to bad press.
PLOT: Yes it has a plot, but as the critics have pointed out, your left to imagine what it really is. The movie tells you that coffin bad, monk good, anti-hero childlike and selfish but power wells beneath; you have to fill in the blanks. This didn't bother me as much as it seems to have bothered others. I would have loved it to have been as fleshed out as Lord of The Rings, but that's not the case. You can easily draw your own conclusions which make for an enjoyable viewing.
ACTING: I have read a lot of comments online about Tak Sakaguchi as a one trick pony. He plays the bigger than life "anime" hero in all his roles. Well I say great! I don't watch action movies for the complex character interactions or to see the hero seethe with inner pain and angst. I wanna see a childish, fearless, happy-go-lucky dude with a one track mind and the endless skills to follow it. While the critics are right (at least about this film and Versus) that is a pro for me, not a con. I felt like I was reading a manga the entire time.
FIGHT SEQUENCES: Finally, I will address the fighting. It is lacking the awe factor of super-human, circ de soleil like acrobatics and parkour of other Asian action flicks, but I think the style fit the story. While back flips and wall runs are visually appealing they serve little to no purpose in knockdown, drag out street fights. And that is what Grave(Tak)is; a skilled samurai with a childlike love of fighting. His moves are lighting fast and he is so at home in a battle it's enthralling. He fights with such enjoyment that I found myself smiling along with him when more enemies show up. The two best scenes which illustrate this are during the fight with "coffin bandits" in the woods. The first is when he runs with the fleeing marauders, attacking them as he passes, then, having out run them turns and runs back through the crowd. The second is a seen you rarely get to see in more "classy" action sequences. After having beat a bandit he turns to walk away and, having thought better of the idea, turns and proceeds to mercilessly pummel the poor shmuck. He evens trips in his excitement and falls on him after a miss placed kick and continues to beat him to a pulp(hilarious!)
All in all it was a great movie. Did I learn something from it? No. Did it change my outlook on life? Uh-uh. Do I have a new found respect for something or realize something profound that had been right under my nose all the time? Nope. But it is a kick-a** slug fest in a surreal world with characters that seem so familiar to anyone who enjoys anime and manga, and that is what it was meant to be; an hour and a half adrenaline pulsing action film.
-MAXIMUS
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