Aragami (2003)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Ryûhei Kitamura

Writers:

Shôichirô Masumoto (story) and
Ryûhei Kitamura (writer)

Release Date:

29 April 2004 (Germany)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy | Horror

Plot:

A raging god of battle and a master samurai duke it out in a series of sword fights in a remote temple.

Plot Keywords:

Samurai | Sword Fight | Swordplay | Character Name In Title

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Takao Osawa	...	The Samurai
Masaya Kato	...	Aragami / Tengu / Miyamoto Musashi
Kanae Uotani	...	The Woman
Tak Sakaguchi	...	The Future challenger
Hideo Sakaki	...	The Samurai's Friend

Runtime:

Germany:70 min (Fantasy Film Fest)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo | DTS

Certification:

UK:15 | Germany:16 | Australia:M

Company:

Amuse

Trivia:

Yukihiko Tsutsumi and Ryûhei Kitamura each finished their contributions to the short film anthology Jam Films (2002) in record time. As a result producer Shinya Kawai gave the two directors a proposal to each create a feature length movie with only two actors, battling in one setting and filmed entirely in one week. The undertaking was called the Duel Project. This was Ryuhei Kitamura's result and Yukihiko Tsutsumi's _2LDK (2002)_.

Quotes:

Aragami: Ninja stars are for losers.

Movie Connections:

References Versus (2000/II)

Perfect fight scene

The greatest scene you can have in any movie is the final showdown. That last moment, when all the events that have happened throughout the entire film (or films) come together in one glorious climatic battle between the hero and the villain. As a great lover of the final showdown I am disappointed that so few films actually get it right. Films like "Yojimbo", "Dark City", and "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" are among those rare exceptions when the level of build-up is more than matched by the moment of confrontation.

Then there's Aragami, which is essentially one long final showdown. And what an incredible showdown it is. I loved Kitamura's previous film, Versus, for it's none stop excitement and entertainingly over-the-top violence. But Aragami is simple, two characters in a room who must and will fight to the death. This

scenario may not seem compelling, but Kitamura somehow manages to keep

the energy buried just beneath the surface of all the character's actions. I felt tense throughout the entire film. I wanted to see the two men fight. But Kitamura kept me waiting for as long as possible, until it was almost to much to take. Then, he delivered on his promise and created one of the most exciting and

thoroughly satisfying showdowns I know of. Much like when I saw Versus, I left the theater energized, unlike most American action films, which just leave me feeling exhausted and worn-out.