Baby Assassins (2021) - Movie Review

 

Baby Assassins is a really funny, yet violent, movie!

Baby Assassins (also known as  Baby Valkyrie , Baby Walküre, and Beibi Warukyure)  is an action comedy film released in Japan in 2021 that stars  Izawa Saori, Takaishi Akari, Mone Akitani, Yasukaze Motomiya, Uekiya Satoshi, and Mimoto Masanori. It was written and directed by Sakamoto Yugo, with Sonomura Kensuke in charge of the fight scenes.

Perfect shot of Mahiro's (left) and Chisato's (right) personalities.

In Baby Assassins, Fukagawa Mahiro (played by Izawa Saori) and Sugimoto Chisato (played by Takaishi Akari) are two young women about to graduate from high school... who are also assassins. The assassin agency they work for tells them they must get part-time jobs after they graduate (to not arouse suspicion of where their income is coming from), and arranges for the both of them to live in an apartment together. Things go fine between Mahiro and Chisato at first, but things get tense between them later. Mahiro is more of an introvert, while Chisato is an extrovert. They both have trouble finding and holding jobs. Then they get mixed up with a Yakuza family, and their lives become even more complicated! Can Mahiro and Chisato get on the same page and deal with the Yakuza together?

The Yakuza family having a heartwarming gun lesson.

 Baby Assassins had a lot of hype when it came out in 2021, with many people raving about the action scenes in it. With Sonomura Kensuke in charge of the action (he did the awesome fight scenes in Hydra, 2019), my expectations were pretty high for this movie. Did this movie live up to the hype? For me, it totally did!

First off, there are only two major fight scenes, one at the beginning and one at the end of the movie. A lot of people who did not enjoy this movie expected more action, so please have your expectations in check. Even though the movie isn't full of action, there is a lot of violence (involving guns mainly), and the violence can get pretty brutal. To me, the best thing about Baby Assassins is the characters. Mahiro and Chisato have great personalities, and they play off each other so well. Their relationship evolves throughout the movie, and you can see where both characters are coming from (point of view-wise) Some of the situations they get in are hilarious. It is interesting to see these two young women trying to live a normal life in Japan while also being ruthless assassins. This movie is very funny! Despite the comedy, there is a sense of danger throughout, especially involving the Yakuza family. These characters are horrible people, but even they have some comedic scenes. The Yakuza father, Hamaoka Ippei (played by Yasukaze Motomiya) is especially cruel and irredeemable.

You've got to watch the fight scenes in Baby Assassins!

The action in Baby Assassins is awesome! Sonomura Kensuke really went all out with his choreography in this movie. The fighting is fast, hard-hitting, and relentless. The fights involve knives, guns, punches, kicks, and throws. Izawa Saori (Mahiro) is a stunt woman-turned actress, and she does the most intricate fighting in the movie. She is really good! I hope we see her in more starring roles in action movies. The final fight is the best fight, where Mahiro fights a Yakuza enforcer in a duel to the death. Really great stuff in this one; I don't want to spoil it, but it is a must-see fight scene. Though this movie doesn't have a lot of action, the action it does have is top-notch! 

In conclusion, Baby Assassins is a fun, creative, incredibly violent comedy that I highly suggest watching. I know comedy is highly subjective, but I think this movie is really funny (especially if you understand current Japanese culture). If you don't like the comedy, stay for the action. A lot of creative stuff happens in the fights, and the fights are highly enjoyable. Besides all that, there is a message about friendship, understanding, and mental health throughout. Check this movie out, it's amazing!

Baby Assassins movie trailer (be careful, it basically spoils the whole movie):

 

 

 

 

Reviewed by David Williams

Sister Street Fighter (1974) - A Review

 

This movie kicks butt!

Sister Street Fighter is a martial arts movie released in Japan in 1974 and stars Etsuko Shihomi, Sonny Chiba, Bin Amatsu, Masashi Ishibashi, Emi Hayakawa,  Hiroshi Miyauchi, and Xiè Xiùróng. It was directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi. Sister Street Fighter was rated X for violence when released in America, and has nothing to do with The Street Fighter (1974), starring Sonny Chiba (even though he has a role in this movie).

Etsuko Shihomi as Tina Long. She is amazing in this.

In Sister Street Fighter, Etsuko Shihomi plays Tina Long, a martial artist who is in search of her missing brother, Lee Long (played by Hiroshi Miyauchi) in Japan. Lee Long is also a martial artist in the Shorinji kempo school, and was investigating the Central Export corporation before he went missing. As you can imagine, the head of Central Export, Kaki (played by Bin Amatsu) is one evil and corrupt business man. The way he makes his money is pretty outrageous (you have to see the movie to believe it), and he has multiple martial artists to protect him, including Amazons!

Tina goes on a fight-filled quest to find her brother, encountering bad guys around every corner. There is a martial arts master who hates the Shorinji kempo school, Hammerhead (played by Masashi Ishibashi), who becomes a thorn in Tina's side. Tina is not alone in her quest, she gets help from students at the Shorinji kempo school; Sonny (played by Sonny Chiba) and Emmy Kawasaki (played by Emi Hayakawa). Sonny, in particular, is a ferocious fighter. Can Tina uncover the illegal activities Kaki and Central Export are up to, and can she find and rescue her brother...?

Sonny Chiba (center) provides back up!

Though the movie is called Sister Street Fighter, and it has the star of The Street Fighter (Sonny Chiba) in a major role, and Etsuko Shihomi also had a role in The Street Fighter... this movie has nothing to do with the previous movie. Some would call it a spin-off, but is it really if the American movie company New Line Cinema renamed the movie Sister Street Fighter to capitalize on the success of The Street Fighter? It doesn't really matter to me, I guess. What matters is if I enjoyed it, and I did!

I'll just say it: Sister Street Fighter is just a fun action movie, nothing too deep. It is a showcase for Etsuko Shihomi and her martial arts skills. She plays Tina Long as a strong, determined, and caring woman on a mission to find her brother and bring down Central Export. Sonny Chiba has a somewhat small (but major) role in this movie, but his scenes are very memorable! He kicks butt like nobody else! The villains come out of a manga or anime; some of them are really over the top evil or are just plain crazy characters. Though the movie may seem goofy or less serious than something like The Street Fighter, there are some very violent deaths in this. Also a warning, there is a rape scene in this. I can understand why the movie was rated X when it came out in America, but I still think it shouldn't have been edited. It is pretty violent by today's standards, but it is not shocking like it would have been back then.

 By the way, I watched the original English dub of this movie, so I definitely need to watch Sister Street Fighter in its original language with English subtitles. I feel like I wasn't getting the whole story with the dub. Maybe I will review that version of the movie in the future.

Etsuko Shihomi shows no mercy towards disrespectful men!

The action is fast and furious in Sister Street Fighter! There are a lot of fight scenes in this movie! Etsuko Shihomi is awesome in this, and she gets to show off her martial arts skills throughout. Her first fight scene in the movie is against a bunch of men in a restaurant who "want her attention", if you know what I mean. Naturally, she destroys them, and you learn from this fight that Tina is not someone to be messed with! Sonny Chiba has some great fight scenes in this movie as well. He may not be as wild as he was in The Street Fighter, but he still fights with ferocity. The final fights are when things get crazy, with many graphically violent deaths. The action is good in Sister Street Fighter, but just don't expect Hong Kong style choreography.

So, should you watch Sister Street Fighter? I say yes! It's not the best movie in the world, but it has an amazing star (Etsuko Shihomi), crazy characters, an interesting story, and plentiful fight scenes. When you think of the best ever action stars, Etsuko Shihomi should be in the conversation. She is great, and I feel is really underrated nowadays.

Reviewed by David Williams

Ninja vs. Shark (2023) - Movie Trailer

 Here is the trailer for Koichi Sakamoto's latest movie, Ninja vs. Shark! Here is the synopsis:

Set in the Edo period, the story of Ninja vs. Shark takes place in the remote village of Okitsu. Koushirou (played by Yuichi Nakamura), an evil cult leader, uses ninjutsu to ensorcell sharks and forces them to attack local pearl divers so the cult can steal the pearls from their mangled corpses. Desperate for help, the village chief hires Kotaro Shiozaki (played by Kohshu Hirano), a guard at a nearby temple, but Kotaro soon finds his path blocked by Kikuma (Kanon Miyahara), a lady ninja, and a gigantic shark that doesn't seem like something from this world...

Knowing this is a Koichi Sakamoto film, I am very excited to see it! He has done fight scenes/action scenes for Power Rangers, Kamen Rider, Ultraman, and the Mark Dacascos classic Drive (1997), among many others. Juria Nagano also stars in this movie! Juria wrestles for Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, and uses her martial arts skills in her matches.  I like what I've seen of her so far in TJPW, so I can't wait to see her in action on the big screen. 

Ninja vs. Shark comes out April 14, 2023 in Japan. Hopefully it gets an international release because I need to see this!

 

Hydra (2019) - A Review

 

Hydra is an amazing action movie!

Hydra is a martial arts/crime movie released in Japan in 2019, and stars Mimoto Masanori, Miu, Nagase Tasuku, Nishina Takashi, Nomura Hironobu, Aoyagi Takaya, Tanaka Yoji, and Sonomura Kensuke. Hydra was choreographed and directed by Sonomura Kensuke.

Takahashi is a man of few words... and a serious aptitude for kicking butt!

In Hydra, Mimoto Masanori plays Takahashi, a quiet, somewhat awkward chef who works at a bar called Hydra. The owner of the bar is Rina (played by Miu), a young woman who inherited Hydra after her father disappeared. Another young man works at the bar, Kenta (played by Nagase Tasuku), who has a crush on Miu and is kind of uncomfortable around Takahashi.

One day, an older gentleman, Hasegawa (played by Nomura Hironobu) drugs the drink of a woman he is talking to in the bar. Takahashi sees Hasegawa drug the drink, and ends up helping the woman out of the bar when she becomes intoxicated. It seems Takahashi is always there to stop such incidences from progressing further. Hasegawa then tries to drug Rina, and Takahashi is able to save her. He warns Hasegawa to stay away from Rina, but lets him go. Little does Takahashi know, someone was watching his altercation with Hasegawa...

Rina under duress. Little does the guy know, he made a huge mistake!

The next day, Takahashi meets up with his former colleagues, who inform him that Hasegawa is dead. They want him to come back to their organization. It turns out this organization assassinates evil people; corrupt cops and politicians. Takahashi refuses to join back up with them, even though they tell him there is a new group of assassins who is going after them as well as the corrupt cops and politicians. As you can imagine, this new group is after Takahashi, and they know how to draw him out. Takahashi has to face off with the top assassin (played by Naohiro Kawamoto) of the new group to end this problem...

I shared the trailer for Hydra on this blog, and ever since then I've been on the lookout for it, because the trailer blew me away when I saw it. So imagine my surprise when I found it on the free streaming site Tubi a month ago! As you can imagine, I've been desperately wanting to watch this movie, but I had to clear out some time and get things done before I could do it. I finally watched it and... it was worth the wait! This movie is so good! It is dark and moody, stylish, and has amazing fight scenes. I am surprised not that many people know about Hydra; it is really an underrated gem.

The fights in Hydra kick so much butt!

The first ten minutes of Hydra has no dialogue, and that sets the tone of the movie. We see an assassination in these first ten minutes (and it is a messy one, I've never seen as assassination done like that in movies). There is also this amazing synth score that plays throughout the first ten minutes. From there we meet Takahashi, Miu, and Kenta, and we see how they relate to one another. It is a bit awkward, but it is humorous as well. Mimoto Masanori as Takahashi is a man of few words, and even fewer emotions. Great performance by him, it must be tough to not show any emotion, especially when the other actors in the scene are saying and doing funny things. Miu as Rina and Nagase Tasuku as Kenta are likable in their roles as well.

As the movie goes on, we find out why Takahashi is the way he is, his former occupation, and why he left it. We find out what happened to Rina's father, and we find out the motives of the new assassination group in town. You realize what an awkward situation and relationship Takahashi and Rina have. Some people prefer the bar scenes with Takahashi, Rina, and Kenta; while others prefer the assassin groups storyline. I liked them both. It provides a contrast in who Takahashi is now and who he used to be (but still is, deep down). There is some depth to Hydra.

The fights are fluid and fast!

There are only two major fight scenes in Hydra, but don't worry; these fight scenes are amazing! They go fast and hard during the fights! Naohiro Kawamoto, who plays the villainous assassin, is a monster! His speed and fluidity is incredible. In his first fight, he destroys the unlucky assassin who faces off with him. In his second and final fight with Takahashi, it is a battle to the death! They use knives, strikes, and grappling to take each other down. The final fight, is quite frankly, exhilarating! Great stuff! Mimoto Masanori as Takahashi also shows off his incredible martial arts skill in Hydra. We see Takahashi assassinate targets in his prior life, and we see he is a resourceful fighter. He uses his surroundings and random objects as lethal weapons. Takahashi is also fast and fluid as a fighter, so the final fight is a sight to behold! There are are other small fights and assassinations in Hydra, and they are also well choreographed. The two main fights are definitely worth the price of admission.

If you are an action movie lover, or a martial arts movie enthusiast, I highly recommend watching Hydra. It may be low budget, but the story, characters, and action make Hydra a must see. The end of the movie seems to set up a sequel, and I hope one gets made; there is so much that can be done with these characters (and I want to see more of Mimoto Masanori as Takahashi in action). I can't wait to see what director Sonomura Kensuke can do with a larger budget!

Reviewed by David Williams

Shogun's Ninja (1980) - A Review

 

An underrated ninja/martial arts movie from Japan.

Shogun's Ninja is a martial arts/ninja movie released in Japan in 1980, starring Hiroyuki Sanada, Sonny Chiba, Yuki Ninagawa, Etsuko Shihomi, and Isao Natsuyagi. It was directed by Norifumi Suzuki, with Sonny Chiba directing the action.

Hiroyuki Sanada as Takamaru.

In Shogun's Ninja, Hiroyuki Sanada plays Momochi Takamaru, the heir to the leadership of the Momochi clan (and possibly the leader of a united Japan) who escaped to China after his father was murdered by the Iga clan. Takamaru's mother sends her son away with a dagger (that is passed down to the heir of the Momochi clan), and ends her life so the Iga clan cannot get any information from her. Shiranui Shōgen (played by Sonny Chiba) is in search of the Momochi clan daggers because they have a map to the Momochi clan's hidden cache of gold.

Ten years later, Takamaru comes back to Japan, in search of the man who killed his father. He meets up with his surviving childhood friends, and together they plan to get revenge. The girl who saved his life in China and introduced him to Chinese martial arts, Ai-Lian (played by Etsuko Shihomi) has also arrived in Japan, looking for him. Unbeknownst to Takamaru, his childhood friend Otsu (played by Yuki Ninagawa) survived and is now living as the sister of Hattori Hanzō (played by Isao Natsuyagi). Hattori also wants the daggers. Takamaru has many people on his side, but is it enough to defeat  Shiranui Shōgen and his shogun?

Sonny Chiba as Shiranui Shōgen.

Shogun's Ninja is a Japanese martial arts movie that goes all out in in every way. There is a lot of action, lots of cool scenery, lots of memorable moments, and lots of memorable characters. Hiroyuki Sanada, in his first lead role, plays a great hero. He gets to show his martial arts skills throughout, and even his dancing prowess as well. He is likable, and Takamaru is a hero you can really root for. Sonny Chiba is more of a stoic villain in this movie. He is highly skilled and merciless. There is a scene where his character is torturing Takamaru, and it gets pretty painful (if you are a male, you will especially feel it)! It is always great to see Etsuko Shihomi kicking butt in movies, and she does a lot of that in Shogun's Ninja! She is a strong woman who wants to help Takamaru any way she can.

The plot is kind of basic (finding the twin daggers, which has a map to treasure engraved on them), but it really doesn't need a deep story when it has so much action in it. Takamaru just wants revenge, Shiranui Shōgen wants the daggers, and therefore the treasure and the power. Hattori Hanzō wants the daggers for the treasure, so he sends his sister to steal them. Since Otsu grew up with Takamaru, we are unsure of her motives throughout the movie. It's an interesting scenario. The resolution to everything is pretty fitting, I feel.

I have been looking for this movie for years! It's been decades since I last watched it on late night cable TV (TNT). These are the only things I could clearly remember about the movie: it was called "Ninja's Revenge", there were ninjas who crawled up and down trees like spiders, a female martial arts fighter ripped her pants when fighting some bad guys, the main character looked similar to Jackie Chan, and the main villain was played by Sonny Chiba. I looked everywhere for this movie, but as you can imagine, I wasn't finding anything under the "Ninja's Revenge" title. Finally, I see Shogun's Ninja on the American streaming site Tubi, I read the description, and I take a chance on it. Everything I remembered from back then happened in this movie! What a feeling it is when you find something after years of being unsuccessful looking for it. The only thing I didn't remember was the soundtrack to this movie. It has a very funky, jazzy soundtrack. The music is okay, I guess, but it is surprising for this type of movie! It was better than I remembered, that's for sure!

There is a lot of crazy ninja action in Shogun's Ninja!

There is a lot of action in Shogun's Ninja!  Hiroyuki Sanada gets to strut his stuff throughout the movie. His first fight in the movie is a good display of his hand to hand combat skills. He fights off a group of thugs with ease, and he does some sweet kicks and acrobatics in the process. In later fights, he mainly uses his dagger(s), which he is very proficient at. Sonny Chiba's character is a ruthless fighter, and one of his special moves is forming a human tower with twin fighters. It's very cool to see it in action! Etsuko Shihomi is great in this, and mainly uses nunchakus against her enemies. There are ninja battles high in the trees, with ninjas falling to their deaths. Lots of bloody action as well, with limbs flying and blood spurting. The action is very good in Shogun's Ninja!

If you like ninja action, swordplay, and historical Japanese stories, I think you would enjoy Shogun's Ninja. I think it is a very entertaining and enjoyable movie. This may not be considered one of Sonny Chiba's or Hiroyuki Sanada's best movies, but they are great in it. What a lead role debut for Hiroyuki Sanada in Shogun's Ninja. He really gets to show his physical talents in this, and it is like a preview of the greatness he would later achieve in movies like Ninja In The Dragon's Den (1982) and Royal Warriors (1986). Check out Shogun's Ninja, it's a wild ride!

Reviewed by David Williams

The Street Fighter (1974) - A Review

 

The Street Fighter is an incredibly violent cult classic martial arts film.

The Street Fighter (also known as Gekitotsu! Satsujin ken and Kung Fu Streetfighter) is a martial arts movie released in Japan in 1974, starring Sonny Chiba, Goichi Yamada, Masashi Ishibashi, Yutaka Nakajima, Etsuko Shihomi, Jirō Yabuki,and Rinichi Yamamoto. The Street Fighter was directed by Shigehiro Ozawa, with fight direction by Tsutomu Harada, Reggy Jones, and Ken Kazama.

Sonny Chiba as Takuma Tsurugi. Do not mess with him!

In The Street Fighter, Sonny Chiba plays Takuma Tsurugi, an assassin for hire who is highly proficient in martial arts. At the start of the movie, Tsurugi uses a martial arts technique to free a prisoner (played by Masashi Ishibashi) on death row. When he gets back home, the brother (played by Jiro Yabuki) and the sister Nachi (played by Etsuko Shihomi) of the prisoner come to Tsurugi's apartment to see their brother and to ask for more time to pay off the fee. Tsurugi informs them that he sent their brother out of the country, and he wants the full payment now. Naturally, they fight, and the brother dies during the altercation. Nachi is sold into prostitution after that.

The Yakuza capture Tsurugi at one point. How he is able to escape has severe repercussions...

Takuma Tsurugi is not a good guy. Later on, he gets a meeting with some shady business people who want to hire him to kidnap Sarai Chuayut-Hammett (played by Yutaka Nakajima), the daughter of a recently deceased billionaire oil tycoon. Tsurugi refuses the assignment once he finds out they are Yakuza. From there, The Yakuza plan to kill Tsurugi and kidnap Sarai themselves.

Tsurugi goes to the martial arts dojo Sarai's uncle runs to offer his services to protect Sarai. After fighting the martial arts students there and the master, we learn a little about Takuma Tsurugi's origins and why he fights the way he does. The uncle agrees to hire Tsurugi, and from there Tsurugi and his partner Rakuda (played by Goichi Yamada), have several run ins with Yakuza assassins while trying to protect Sarai. The prisoner who Tsurugi got out of prison also has a part in all of this. Can Tsurugi protect Sarai from the Yakuza, and avoid being killed himself?

You back a wild dog into a corner, he gon' bite.

The Street Fighter is a cult classic martial arts movie that has left a lasting legacy. When it got released in the United States, it got an X rating for the violence in it! Reading/hearing about some of the things that happens in this movie made me avoid it like the plague whenever I saw it for sale at the specialty video stores I used to go to. I am not against extreme violence, it's just not something I seek out (unless it was pro wrestling back in the day). The first time I was able to watch The Street Fighter (or at least part of it) was on broadcast TV about ten years ago! They blurred one particularly graphic (and famous) scene. Seeing what The Street Fighter was like for myself, I finally put it on my list of 'Need To Watch Movies'.

The plot, as I summarized it above, may seem a bit thin, but there is actually some depth to it. There's more to the story than I summarized, and it goes to some unexpected places. To me, the plot was very shonen manga-like, in a good way. I could actually imagine The Street Fighter as a manga or an anime. In some ways, Takuma Tsurugi reminds me of Kenshiro from Fist Of The North Star. Sonny Chiba is amazing in this movie. Takuma Tsurugi is an antihero with principles. He really does not tolerate organized crime syndicates. He does what he does for money, and he is loyal (if you show loyalty to him). The way Tsurugi fights is wild. He fights to maim, to kill, and to destroy. He has a simmering rage inside, and that helps him in his line of work. Sonny Chiba was the perfect guy to play Tsurugi. If anyone else played him the way Chiba played him, I don't think The Street Fighter would be taken as seriously as it is (to martial arts movie fans, at least). Also very cool that Etsuko Shihomi has a part in this. She plays a strong woman who gets beaten down by men in her life, both literally and figuratively. Her self sacrifice is admirable. Masashi Ishibashi as the freed prisoner is great as the tortured enigma who is completely focused on revenge.

Seek and destroy seems to be Takuma Tsurugi's motto.

The action in The Street Fighter is extreme! Sonny Chiba fights like a wild animal; punching, kicking, gouging, and tearing out whatever he can to win the fight. Sonny Chiba is a snarling, spitting beast as he fights. Blood spurts out frequently in this movie. Sonny Chiba even tears out body parts of his opponents to win. There is the famous scene of him giving a rapist what he deserves, and another famous scene that shows the X-ray effect of punching a man's skull, then the bloody aftermath. I'm trying not to go into too much detail, as these scenes come out of nowhere and are quite shocking if you aren't expecting them. Really, the violent bloodiness reminds me of the Lone Wolf and Cub movies (and of the American edited version of it, Shogun Assassin). The fight scenes are...okay. They aren't intricately choreographed like in Hong Kong martial arts movies, but the fight scenes are still fun.

In conclusion, I highly recommend watching The Street Fighter. If you want extreme violence with your fight scenes, this is the movie for you! Sonny Chiba's performance is amazing, and totally memorable. The plot is interesting, and even has a few twists. The music in this is great as well, with the main theme almost sounding like it's from the the soundtrack of Shaft! Check out this classic movie and be amazed! And hey, you can say you watched an X-rated movie and not feel like a perv for admitting to it!

Reviewed by David Williams

BABY ASSASSINS (2022) - Movie Trailer

 Here is the trailer for Baby Assassins, a martial arts crime comedy directed by Hugo Sakamoto and starring Akari Takaishi, Saori Izawa, and Masanori Mimoto. Here is the official synopsis:

 Upon graduation, highly trained teenage assassins Chisato and Mahiro are informed by upper management that they will need to hold down “normal” jobs as a cover, and—even worse—they’ll be forced to share an apartment. However, after an unfortunate run-in with a Yakuza member, the two must band together to survive an epic fight for their lives.

Baby Assassins comes out  Aug 16, 2022, but it is already streaming on the Hi-YAH martial arts channel streaming service! It's also on Amazon Prime right now, apparently. I can't afford paid streaming service subscriptions, so I will wait until it is released on Blu-Ray! Even so, I really want to watch this movie! It looks so good!

 

Death Trance (2005) - A Review

 

This movie doesn't get talked about much anymore in regards to great fight scenes.

Death Trance is a fantasy action movie released in Japan in 2005 starring Tak Sakaguchi, Takamasa Suga, Kentaro Seagal, Yuhki Takeuchi, Honoka Asada, and Yoko Fujita. Yuji Shimomura directed this movie, with Tak Sakaguchi in charge of fight choreography. Death Trance is based on the manga by Kana Takeuchi.

Tak Sakaguchi as Grave. This guy has the moves, and is a great choreographer as well!

In Death Trance, Tak Sakaguchi plays Grave, a master swordsman who has stolen a coffin from a temple. This coffin, legend says, grants any wish to the person who is able to open it. As you can guess, there are many other people who want that coffin. Ryuen (played by Takamasa Suga), an apprentice monk, is sent to get the coffin back and prevent the end of the world. The head monk at the temple tells Ryuen that opening the coffin will free the Goddess of Destruction, causing the end of the world as we know it. He is given a special sword that can only be unsheathed from its saya (scabbard) by the chosen one in order to stop the Goddess of Destruction.

Takamasa Suga as Ryuen. We find out the backstory through him.

Ryuen feels he is not ready for this task, but he goes on anyways. He meets Sid (played by Kentaro Seagal), a stylish loner who is also searching for the coffin. Uneasy allies, they search for the man who stole the coffin, together. A lot of fights occur, between which we find out the backstories of our heroes. What is Grave's ultimate wish? What does Sid wish for? Will Ryuen stop the end of the world from happening? Will the Goddess of Destruction be unleashed?

Kentaro Seagal as Sid. Yes, he is Steven Seagal's son.

Death Trance is a movie that had always been on my radar since my days on Asian cinema message boards back in the day. Everybody said how great it was, and when I finally bought it and watched it...I was underwhelmed. I only watched the DVD once or twice and never again...until recently. On this viewing, I was blown away by it! This movie rocks! I don't know why I didn't like it back then. This movie has some cool fight scenes! The story is very...manga/anime. Everything gets explained along the way, for the most part. I'm sure if you read the manga, you will know who all these characters are and what their deeper backstories and motivations are. Otherwise, some characters are quite mysterious.

I like the look of this movie. It's very otherworldly. A very cool setting, for sure. The characters look appropriately cool as well. There is a little girl in this movie that looks like a manga character come to life! Sid has such stylish hair as well! A lot of the music in Death Trance is done by Dir en grey, if you're into that. The movie is serious for the most part, but there is some crazy stuff that happens as well!

Tak Sakaguchi as Grave is quite mysterious in this movie. He doesn't talk much, but he kicks some major butt throughout! Takama Suga as Ryuen kind of represents the viewer as he encounters all of these crazy characters. Kentaro Seagal plays the tough yet stylish guy. He reminds me of an 80s European New Wave musician in this, in a good way! The actors all do a good job in this.

Death Trance has some awesome fight scenes!

If the story isn't enough to keep your interest, stay for the fight scenes! Tak Sakaguchi is a monster in Death Trance! He kicks butt big time in this! All of the fight scenes are fast and hard-hitting! Sakaguchi throws some great-looking punches in this movie. Maybe because they actually seem to be connecting (especially the ones to the face). His introductory fight is awesome (and the mysterious little girl in the scene seems to love it), as is his fight against some zombie-type creatures. He mows them down, but they just get back up. Fun stuff throughout! The end fight is very anime-ish, though. It fits with the tone of the movie, but it is a bit of a letdown.

So, should you watch Death Trance? If you like manga/anime, awesome fight scenes, Japanese rock music, and cool locations/costumes, then yes. If not, the 'sparse' story may not keep your interest. This movie, and especially its fight scenes, rock!

The Ultimate Edition Steel Book cover of the DVD I watched for this review. I need this movie on Blu-Ray!

Back Cover. Since the steel book is shiny, it was tough taking good pictures of it!

Death Trance Ultimate Edition is a double disc set. One disc has the movie, the other has the special features.

Reviewed by David Williams