There's a whipping sound as the blade slices through air and skin. A stain of blood appears at her enemy's neck, then he staggers and falls, beheaded. In front of him, the face of petite heroine Azumi (Aya Ueto) is lightly spattered with blood as she sheathes her sword. It's just another day at the office
if you're an assassin in 19th century feudal Japan.
Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura (Venus), new film Azumi follows the story of orphan Azumi, who has trained to be the ultimate weapon. In the beginning, she and her team blindly obey their master and kill as his lord wishes. But Azumi begins to question this as their targets aren't necessarily evil, whereas her master's orders often countermand morality. It's clear to an audience that the real evildoers are the various assassins themselves, but unfortunately Azumi doesn't appear to understand.
Azumi's soldier-like puzzlement at the complexities of her environment deepen when she and fellow swordsman Hyaga (Kenji Kohashi) meet traveling performer Yae (Oya Okamoto). Yae teaches Azumi about femininity, but can Azumi turn her back on the warrior world?
Adapted from Japan's multiple award-winning manga series of the same name, Azumi's got 'franchise' written all over it. The several battle scenes culminate in a tribute to Akira Kurasawa when Azumi takes on over 200 warriors in the finale. CGI scripting dominates the film, but it's not always seamless it occasionally reminded me of Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider console game. I would have liked to see a heroine who had a little more substance beyond her sword fighting skills, but Azumi's definitely worth a look for action fans. ***/***** stars.
Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura (Venus), new film Azumi follows the story of orphan Azumi, who has trained to be the ultimate weapon. In the beginning, she and her team blindly obey their master and kill as his lord wishes. But Azumi begins to question this as their targets aren't necessarily evil, whereas her master's orders often countermand morality. It's clear to an audience that the real evildoers are the various assassins themselves, but unfortunately Azumi doesn't appear to understand.
Azumi's soldier-like puzzlement at the complexities of her environment deepen when she and fellow swordsman Hyaga (Kenji Kohashi) meet traveling performer Yae (Oya Okamoto). Yae teaches Azumi about femininity, but can Azumi turn her back on the warrior world?
Adapted from Japan's multiple award-winning manga series of the same name, Azumi's got 'franchise' written all over it. The several battle scenes culminate in a tribute to Akira Kurasawa when Azumi takes on over 200 warriors in the finale. CGI scripting dominates the film, but it's not always seamless it occasionally reminded me of Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider console game. I would have liked to see a heroine who had a little more substance beyond her sword fighting skills, but Azumi's definitely worth a look for action fans. ***/***** stars.