Red Shadow: Akakage (2001)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Hiroyuki Nakano

Writer:

Mitsuteru Yokoyama (creator)

Release Date:

11 August 2001 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy

Plot:

Aka Kage, Aoi Kage and Asuka are trio of ninjas sent to perform dangerous secret missions for their master...

Plot Keywords:

Ninja | Spy | Japan | Remake

Cast

Masanobu Ando	...	Akakage
Megumi Okina	...	Koto-Hime
Kumiko Aso	...	Asuka
Jun Murakami	...	Aokage
Naoto Takenaka	...	Shirokage
Fumiya Fujii	...	Ranmaru
Shuuhei Mainoumi	...	Rikimaru
Kei Tani	...	Roushi
Ryoko Shinohara	...	O-Rin
Kitaro	...	Roushi, Mura no chourou
Denden	...	Bonnobei
Shigeru Kôyama	...	Kyougoku Kanemitsu, Sengoku-Daimyou
Seizo Fukumoto	...	Sasai
Yoji Tanaka
Kouji Yazawa

Also Known As:

Red Shadow

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | South Korea:12 | Germany:12 | Singapore:NC-16

Company:

Toei Company

Movie Connections:

Spin off from SF: Episode One (1998)

More of a comedy than a martial arts movie

Normally i would applaud a movie that tries to do something different or original in a genre. It is obvious that this movie is some sort of parody on ninja movies. And i really did my best to enjoy the movie. But I just couldn't. The jokes aren't funny enough! (I've seen my share of Japanese movies. And most of the times I like and understand the humor used in those movies. "Red Shadow" is just silly!)The characters that are portrayed in this movie know that this isn't a serious movie and show that all is about the fun. Look at the characters from parodies like "Hot Shots" or "Scary Movie". Everything they do on the screen is done with a straight face and never fall out of character! And because of this, certain scenes become funny and hilarious. In "Red Shadow" the actors never achieve that. The shadow ninja's supposed to be very skilled and deadly. Sadly the actors don't do their best in convincing us of their talents. They don't do things with a straight face. The jokes would have worked better if they did! The bad choreography of the action scenes also damaged the viewing experience for me. I like humor in martial arts movies as long as the action is good. "Red Shadow" just fails in that department. So what is left to be enjoyed. Well,the music (techno) was uplifting. It had to be as the action it self never is exciting. And there are some short dramatic scenes that are good but simple. The use of humor,lack of story and depth make me think that this movie is meant for children. But I do wonder if children actually would like this movie. Waste of time!