Year: 2003
Director: Ryuhei Kitamura
Written by: Isao Kiriyama, Yu Koyama, Rikiya Mizushima
Main cast: Aya Ueto, Shun Oguri, Hiroki Narimiya, Kenji Kohashi, Takatoshi Kaneko, Yuma Ishigaki, Yasuomi Sano, Shinji Suzuki, Eita, Tak Sakaguchi
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, War, Samurai, Ninja
Runtime: 142 min.
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Subtitles: Japanese, english
Awards: Awards of the Japanese Academy 2004-1 win to Joe Odagiri for Newcomer of the Year, 2 wins to Aya Ueto for Newcomer of the Year and for Most Popular Performer; Philadelphia Film Festival 2004-1 win to Ryuhei Kitamura for Best Danger After Dark Film
Buy DVD: CDJapan.com
Based on the manga by Yu Koyama. In ancient war-torn Japan, the Tokugawa Shogun, desperate to restore peace to his people, orders the assassination of the hostile warlords. A beautiful girl, whose mother has been killed, is adopted by a sword-master and raised from childhood with nine other orphans, to become an assassin. Her name is Azumi and she'll become the strongest of all, the ultimate assassin.
Azumi is an amazing movie! Gruesome, violent and stylish, full with action and awesome swordplay fighting scenes. Set in feudal Japan, mix cool and kinetic Kitamura's typical direction with ancient atmospheres. The plot is based on a traditional japanese tale and on the popular manga by Yu Koyama. The cute pop-idol Aya Ueto, sweet and deadly at the same time, is a wonderful main character, and all the cast of assassin boys accompany her well. Joe Odagiri, charming, cruel and effemminate assassin, is one of the best villain I've ever seen. Tak instead plays greatly the small role of one of three Sajiki's brothers, assassins ordered from a Warlord to kill Azumi and the other boys. His character is totally crazy, psycho and perverted, so probably most of his fans will not like him here. Anyway, Azumi is a must seen for all fans of samurai and ninja movies.
Rating: 9/10