Reviews

Shinobi is an exceptional telling of this story of the koga and iga ninja tribes. The scenery was spectacular, the fights believable and the acting was awesome.

I saw Basilisk before so I was familiar with the plot already, but the film inspired me to go find out the actual story. I felt like the story was a little rushed but they had to get a lot in a little time.

I loved the set design and the scenery. The camera seems to do a lot of scenery pans and where I would usually complain I didn't mind at all.

Although the acting was good I didn't feel Yukie was as good as Joe. However, she performs better here than in Gokusen. All the supporting cast did really well, they had a way of making you really believe they were from that time. I love movies that just suck you in and make you want to see if maybe the end will change from what you know it to be. This is one of those movies.

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I found this movie to be alright. Maybe part of it was me being really tired while watching it, but I didn't get too into it. I thought the story itself wasn't bad, Kushimori's abusive stepfather comes back to live with his family and upsets the atmosphere, so he decides to find a way to get rid of him. The problem I had with the movie was how fast the events seemed took place. It says this movie is supposed to be a romance movie as well, but it's very little. The movie deals more with crime than anything else.



The acting was pretty good, though. Not the best but it wasn't bad. This was the first movie I've watched with Ninomiya Kazunari (from Arashi), and I think he portrayed his character well.



There isn't really any music that goes with this movie, aside from the song they play in the beginning and at the end. All other music isn't memorable.



I dunno if I'll watch this movie again, it's not something I really got into.



Overall, do I think it's worth taking time out to watch? I'd say if you have nothing else to watch, it's not a bad film to kill some time with. Maybe you'll get more into it than I did.

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The premises: this is a war movie through and through.
There are no romance, no cuteness, no funny moments to draw a breath. There are no gorgeous sceneries to admire, or beautiful faces to ogle.
This movie is a punch directed at your very stomach. And yet it's so full of heart and intensity it left an indelible trace in my memory.
It's the story of a handful of Japanese soldiers left on guard of the rocky, desolate, deserted but of outmost strategic importance island of Iwo Jima. They are basically left to rotten there and eventually being slaughtered, if not by the Americans, by the obtuseness of high rank Japanese officials.

It's based on a true story, so I have no fear to spoil the plot. Many of you may already know of Iwo Jima, if only for the über-famous picture of the American soldiers planting the stars and stripe flag on a little mountain of dirt. This movie tells the same story, but from the other side of the barricade, in the literal sense of the word.
Western films tend to depict Japanese soldiers during WWII like war machines, ready to die for their country no matter what, cold and determined. Here we see the human side of them, the ultimate meaning of the film being the universality of fear, loneliness, anguish and friendship.

Outstanding acting performances by all the cast, entirely Japanese and terrific direction by acclaimed Clint Eastwood.

This is the kind of film one re-watches sooner or later. A film-library movie. You have been warned as to its content, so I recommend it with a clear conscience.

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