Samurai Marathon (2019) [Film Review]

Samurai Marathon; or, What Samurai Talk When They Talk About Running

     If there is a turbulence in the atmosphere, you need to report immediately back to us. Have no hesitation... And don't be found by others.

Samurai Marathon is the latest jidaigeki, directed by Bernard Rose and based on a 2014 novel by Akihiro Dobashi. This period picture focuses on the origins of marathons in Japan at the end of the Edo period.

Release Info

Directed by: Bernard Rose Starring: Takeru Sato, Nana Komatsu, Mirai Moriyama, Shota Sometami

Language: Japanese Original Title: サムライマラソン Runtime: 104 min

 

Synopsis

When American troops led by Commodore Perry (Danny Huston) arrive at the Japanese shoreline, this causes quite a commotion among the officials. Local leaders are afraid of potential attacks from foreign invaders and, one of them, Lord Itakura (Hiroki Hasegawa), announces a 60-kilometre marathon contest in order to strengthen his samurai. One of the loyal warriors, Jinnai Karasawa (Takeru Sato), is actually a spy working for the shogunate. Jinnai misinterprets his lord’s intention as a call to arms and sends a wrong message to the capital. As a  result of this, a squad of assassins is dispatched in order to suppress the presumed uprising.

 

The Hidden Blades

Samurai Marathon may have a bit of a confusing introduction in view of many characters and plotlines interwoven with each other, but the further the film goes, the better it gets. The story greatly reminded me about such classics as Hideo Gosha’s Three Outlaw Samurai (1964) and Kihachi Okamoto’s Kill! (1968). There are multiple perspectives focusing on the characters who participate in the marathon. Eventually, everything comes together when the assassins arrive and the samurai have to race against time to save Lord Itakura.

 

Additional advantage is the beautiful cinematography done by Takuro Ishikaza. The atmospheric forest setting and smooth camera work really evoke early films of Akira Kurosawa. Also, the music score composed by Phillip Glass gives a breath of fresh air and emphasises the gravity of the difficult situation the samurai have found themselves in.

 

The all-star cast cannot go unnoticed as well. Takeru Sato’s portrayal of a conflicted samurai became his second nature (*Rurouni Kenshin flashbacks*). His performance is aided by those of Nana Komatsu, Shota Sometami, and Mirai Moriyama in supporting roles. Surprisingly, Naoto Takenaka has a small but great part as a retired mentor.

 

Recommendations

If you like historical movies, then you can safely check out Samurai Marathon. It is a well-made drama which provides nods to the golden age of samurai flicks. It will certainly keep you entertained. I wish more historical dramas like that could be made nowadays.

Overall score: 8/10

Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983) [Film Review]

Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain; or, Folk-Tale Star Wars

     Chubby, even though we are apart, our minds are together. I hope by the time I give you back this water bottle all minds are in unison, all wars have ended, and the world is at peace. Then everyone will live happily ever after.

Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain is a supernatural fantasy film from 1983 directed by Tsui Hark. It is the first Hong Kong production to combine traditional HK action stunts with Western special effects. At the 3rd Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony, the film received five nominations.

Release Info

Directed by: Tsui Hark Starring: Yuen Biao, Adam Cheng, Brigitte Lin, Moon Lee, Sammo Hung

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 新蜀山劍俠 Runtime: 98 min

 

Synopsis

Zu is a collective name of a mountain chain located somewhere in present-day Sichuan. Being a place of great military importance in ancient China, it was always a battleground between various warring factions. Nevertheless, it was also a place of great mystique due to numerous exotic peaks and old temples. An army deserter Dik Ming-kei (Yuen Biao) is accidentally attacked by vampires in a cave, but he is rescued by Master Ding Yan (Adam Cheng). Dik Ming-kei does not realise that he entered the underworld where good is in an eternal struggle against evil (controlled by the Blood Demon). Chung Mei (Sammo Hung) can hold the Blood Demon in captivity only for 49 days until the stars shift. In order to stop the Blood Demon, Dik Ming-Kei must find and assemble the purple sword of Heaven and the green sword of the Earth in order to save mankind.

 

Two Blades to Rule Them All

Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain is a classic action-adventure tale crafted by brilliant Tsui Hark. I know that such a statement will not give the film justice, but it reminded me in many ways about Ralph Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings (1978) animation, mostly because the two pictures share similar fantasy aesthetics. Nevertheless Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain is a live-action flick which wonderfully combines old-school wire work with cell compositing effects.

 

The only disadvantage of the film is uneven pacing. There is a lot of stuff going on during 98 minutes of runtime and the viewers really have to pay attention to what is happening. However, the film makes up for its shortcomings with a zero-to-hero story structure, great special effects, and an ensemble cast of magnificent actors.

 

With regard to performances, Yuan Biao is great as the main protagonist. There are also amazing performances of Adam Cheng, Brigitte Lin, Moon Lee, and Judy Ogg. Interesting music score by Kwan Sing-yau and Tang Siu-lam also deserves to be mentioned.

 

The success of the film ultimately pushed Hark to release a semi-sequel The Legend of Zu in 2001, but it was received unfavourably. Allegedly, the director wanted Brigitte Lin to reprise her role of the Ice Queen, but she declined.

 

Recommendations

If you are in the mood for a fantasy adventure, then Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain is the choice for you. The film is exciting, funny, and unique in its own right. It is an unforgettable milestone from the Hong Kong film industry.

Overall score: 8/10

Bullet in the Head (1990) [Film Review]

Bullet in the Head; or, Justice for a Friend

     You always called me Big Brother, I said being friends was enough. Among friends, rank is irrelevant.

Bullet in the Head is a 1990 action drama directed by John Woo. Originally planned as a prequel to the successful A Better Tomorrow (1986) film, the movie became a stand-alone story after Woo’s falling out with his long-time collaborator Tsui Hark (who went on to make his own A Better Tomorrow III: Love and Death in Saigon (1989)). Does Bullet in the Head live up to being “John Woo’s most emotionally powerful film?” Let’s find out in this review.

Release Info

Directed by: John Woo Starring: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Jacky Cheung, Waise Lee, Simon Yam

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 喋血街頭 Runtime: 126 min

 

Synopsis

The movie tells the story of three friends: Ben (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), Frank (Jacky Cheung), and Paul (Waise Lee), who regularly brawl with gang members in Hong Kong during the 1960s. Unfortunately, Frank accidentally kills one of the mobsters and the friends decide to flee Hong Kong. They go to Saigon, in order to work as smugglers in the ravaged by war Vietnam. However, things do not go as planned and the protagonists find themselves on the run, together with a hitman Luke (Simon Yam) and a nightclub singer Sally (Yolinda Yam), from the Vietcong soldiers. Eventually, Paul betrays his friends for a box of gold…

 

Casualties of War

Bullet in the Head stands out of John Woo’s rich repertoire as not being just a standard bullet-ballet flick. It is neither as fast paced as A Better Tomorrow nor as spectacular as Hard Boiled (1992). Nevertheless, the film’s primary asset is a human drama set against the background of a harrowing military conflict. John Woo’s reinvents the “bromance formula” known from his other films by turning it into a war epic similar to Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now.

 

That is not to say that the film is simply a melodrama. Bullet in the Head is filled with magnificent action set pieces (nightclub shootout) and wonderful David Lean-like sequences involving large crowds of people (riots scenes the evoking Tiananmen Square incident or Vietnam exodus scene). However, the real show stealer is the final battle sequence involving the characters played by Tony Leung and Waise Lee.

 

With regard to performances, Tony Leung is simply awesome in the leading role, together with his co-stars Jackie Cheung and Waise Lee who give him a run for his money. In addition, Simon Yam does great in the supporting part and is given a surprisingly large amount of screen time. Yolinda Yam’s short but memorable performance also deserves to be noted.

 

Allegedly, the film’s original runtime was approximately three hours but John Woo had to cut it down to a little over 2 hours (original theatrical version). Nevertheless, there are still some releases in circulation which contain 10 to 11 minutes of additional footage, including an alternate (very low-key) ending.

 

Bullet in the Head is not a highly recognisable John Woo film, not because it is a bad movie, but due to the fact that the picture was forced to compete with Tsui Hark’s A Better Tomorrow III at the box office. As a result, Bullet in the Head did not do well financially and John Woo moved on to more conventional action flicks like Once a Thief (1991) and Hard Boiled.

 

Recommendations

If you are interested in John Woo’s filmography and do not know where to start, then give Bullet in the Head a chance. If you are a long-time fan, however, please revisit the film. I always discover new things in this movie whenever I come back to it. To me, Bullet in the Head is indeed Woo’s masterpiece.

Overall score: 9/10

Hit-and-Run Squad (2019) [Film Review]

Hit-and-Run Squad; or, Top Gear Police Department
     Officer, you lost. G-g-gonna kill me? But you're a cop.
Hit-and-Run Squad is a 2019 police procedural film which managed to generate a huge buzz before its release due to a stellar cast of popular actors. The movie's announcement back in 2018 already got me interested and the official trailer only peaked my expectations. Is Hit-and-Run Squad yet another standard cuff'em-and-book'em actioner? Let's find out together.
Release Info

Directed by: Han Jun Hee Starring: Gong Hyo Jin, Jo Jung Suk, Ryu Jun Yeol

Language: Korean Original Title: 뺑반  Runtime: 138 min

 

Synopsis
The movie tells the story of a police officer, Eun Shi Yeon (Gong Hyo Jin), who is transferred to a hit-and-run team after a failed investigation involving police corruption. Eun Shi Yeon joins forces together with officer Seo Min Jae (Ryu Jun Yeol) and team-leader Woo Sun Young (Jeon Hye Jin) in order to catch Jung Jae Cheol (Jo Jung Suk), a racing maniac who also happens to be a business tycoon. However, catching the culprit proves to be an arduous undertaking.

 

Running in the 2010s
Even though the title of the film clearly implies car action, you have to be aware that the movie is primarily a crime thriller with racing elements rather than the other way round. All in all, not everything car-related has to be Initial D right away. Nevertheless, Hit-and-Run Squad manages to deliver plenty of gripping chase sequences as well as an engaging storyline. On top of that, there is quite a Lethal Weapon-like music score.

 

The secret behind this film’s magic is its amazing cast. Gong Hyo Jin and Ryu Jun Yeol are great as upright police officers determined to catch the baddies and save the day. There are also great supporting parts from veteran actresses Yum Jung Ah and Jeon Hye Jin, who evoke the classic “dirty cop vs. good cop” conflict. However, the ultimate show-stealer is Jo Jung Suk as the main bad guy with a stutter and some serious behavioural issues. He could easily befriend the Joker.

Recommendations
If you are looking for an interesting movie that involves police and cars, then Hit-and-Run Squad is the choice for you. Director Han Jun Hee was so sure that the film is going to be a hit (1 million moviegoers within 6 days since the release) that a mid-credits scene was included, which heavily implies a sequel. Some critics cite weak plot development as the film’s primary disadvantage, but I really did not mind that in view of wonderful performances of the main leads.
Overall score: 7/10