Azumi 2 (2006)
By: David Michael Brown on October 20, 2006.
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| Eastern Eye (Australia). Region 4, PAL. 1.78:1 Japanese DD 5.1, Japanese DTS 5.1. English Subtitles. 108 minutes |
| The Movie |
| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Director: Shusuke Kaneko
Starring: Aya Ueto, Chiaki Kuriyama, Tak Sakaguchi
Screenplay: Mataichiro Yamamoto, Yoshiaki Kawajiri Music: Eiji Kawamura
Country: Japan |
Last time we met Azumi, the cute Japanese assassin
raised as an orphan and trained as a killer, she
was in a bad way. Her fellow orphans and assassins
had been slain by an evil warlord's son leaving
only herself and her friend Nagara to wreak revenge. Azumi 2 continues the story set
in the 1600s as Japan is on the brink of civil war.
They are joined by Kozue as they head out on their
mission to kill Masayuki Sanada and bring peace
to the war torn countryside.
Once again Aya Ueto is wonderful in the title
role of Azumi; unfeasibly cute and never messing
up her perfectly cut fringe, she massacres all
who come between her destiny. All eyes will also
be on Kill Bill's Go Go
Yubari: Chiaki Kuriyama. She brings the same vengeful
cuteness she brought to her character in Tarantino's
Kung Fu epic. Ultimately she is a double-crossing
vixen with blood on her hands but you can't
help but love her. It will be interesting to see
if she makes further inroads into Hollywood or
continues to work in Japan on films like this
and Battle Royale.
The action scenes, as you would expect, are fabulous.
The sword play is breathtaking and the splashy,
if computer generated, effects add to the gory
fun. Special mention has to be made about two
sequences; the first a showdown between Azumi
and an opponent armed with never ending razor
wire has delightfully macabre payoff that plays
like a cross between Monty Python and Takashi Miike. Secondly any scene that features
the huge Japanese man mountain armed with a boomerang
style staff equipped with huge knives at either
end. He hurls the thing around with wicked abandon
slicing and dicing all in its path.
The sequel does lack some of the stylistic flourishes
that made the original Azumi so enjoyable and there is far too much long-winded
exposition this time around. The conclusion being
a classic example, after witnessing the destruction
of almost an entire army at the hands of Azumi
the film manages to remain downbeat and somber,
despite the adrenalin fueled carnage that has
just transpired. The two battling warlords seem
to stop and chat for an interminably long time,
maybe some of that is due to the subtitles, you
can never tell how accurate they really are but
the film does seem to grind to a halt despite
trying desperately to give us an emotionally shattering
ending. |
| Video |
| The 1.78:1 image is sharp and clear but seems
a bit washed out and pale during some sequences. |
| Audio |
| The 5.1 and DTS soundtracks are dynamic and punchy.
The surround isn't tested to its full capabilities
but the battle scenes really make you feel as though
you are there. |
| Extra Features |
| A selection of trailers and a stills gallery
are joined by an enjoyable Making of featurette
that follows the character of Azumi from her comic
book origins through to this sequel. |
| The Verdict |
| Adrenalin charged bloodshed and a cute Japanese
girl with a sword. Add to that a winning performance
from Chiaki Kuriyama and you've almost got
a win win situation on your hands. It's a
shame that some of the style and substance hasn't
followed on from the original film but the story
of Azumi is definitely worth revisiting. |
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