Kamui – The Lone Ninja (2009)
I know this isn’t a Wuxia film but it has the same elements. This is how to do a movie correctly. The plot is straight forward, they stick to the plot, they don’t deviate from the plot. This isn’t some Epic that will be an instant classic but it is a fun and entertaining action film. The characters were interesting, or at least played the parts they were given. Sayaka is not an interesting character, she is a teenager and acts it and it makes the story believable. The initial reviews for this live action adaptation of a manga were mixed. However I don’t think the 120 minutes was a waste of my time.
Kenichi Matsuyama (Death Note, Gantz, Gokusen) as Kamui a runaway ninja
Kaoru Kobayashi (Princess Mononoke, Untamagiru) as Hanbei a fisherman with amazing talent
Koyuki (The Last Samurai, Blood: The Last Vampire) as Sugaru, a runaway ninja now wife to Hanbei
Kōichi Satō (When the Last Sword Is Drawn) as Gumbei
Hideaki Itō (Onmyoji, Onmyoji 2) as Fudo, Captian of a shark fishing boat
Suzuka Ohgo (Memoirs of a Geisha) as Sayaka Hanbei’s daughter
Ekin Cheng (The Storm Riders, A Man Called Hero, The Duel, The Legend of Zu, ) as Dumok
Sei Ashina as Mikumo
Yûta Kanai as Yoshito
Yukio Sakaguchi (a proffesional wrestler) as Imperial Guard
City on Fire Review
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