Year: 2002
Director: Ryuhei Kitamura
Written by: Ryuhei Kitamura
Main cast: Takao Osawa, Masaya Kato, Kanae Uotani, Tak Sakaguchi, Hideo Sakaki
Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Runtime: 70 min.
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Subtitles: Japanese, english
Awards: Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film 2003-1 win to Ryuhei Kitamura for best direction
Buy DVD: CDJapan.com
Ancient Japan. Two wounded samurai arrive at a strange old temple in the mountains. The doors to the place are opened by a beautiful woman, who beckons them inside. Unable to walk any further, they collapse from exhaustion. One of the samurai awakens to find himself miraculously healed. He meets his saviour, a mysterious man who tells him that his friend died from his wounds. The samurai is persuaded to stay the night. His host tells him the legend of the Tengu, called Aragami (God of War): a demon which is said to reside in the mountains dining on the flesh of men. When the samurai asks if Aragami poses a threat to the temple, his host answers to be Aragami himself. So the only way for the samurai to leave the temple is to destroy Aragami.
Aragami is simply great! If you love mysterious stories, samurai movies and swordplay fighting scenes, this movie is for you. All filmed into one room, with a cast of only 5 actors, it tells of ancient times and macabre tales in a modern and stylish way. Takao Osawa (the samurai) and Masaya Kato (Aragami) are two superb main characters, extremely charming and acting wonderfully. Tak is seen only in the end of the movie for a few minutes, but it's a memorable moment. Dark gaze, long hair, black sunglasses, leather pants and gun... truly cool! I'm quite sure you'll enjoy Aragami.
Rating: 8/10