Bullet Points: Blade of the Immortal

When director Takashi Miike sat down to finish off the last scenes of his 100th film, I wonder if he considered it to be one of the most exciting and entertaining samurai movies of the last two decades. If he didn’t, then he’s either a really humble guy or just watching way more samurai movies than me over the last 20 years. Blade of the Immortal is based on a manga that I’ve never read. In fact, every movie based on a manga is from a manga that I’ve never read, but when I heard that Miike was doing another samurai movie and there would be just an immense of amount of slashing action, I couldn’t help myself.

Synopsis: Manji, a highly skilled samurai, becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle. Haunted by the brutal murder of his sister, Manji knows that only fighting evil will regain his soul. He promises to help a young girl named Rin avenge her parents, who were killed by a group of master swordsmen led by ruthless warrior Anotsu. The mission will change Manji in ways he could never imagine – the 100th film by master director Takashi Miike.

• A little bit of backstory: We first meet Manji, who is protecting his “younger sister” when a group of thugs comes up on him with intent to cut him to pieces. What ensues is a scene which shows the mastery of swordsmanship that Manji has while also showing how little he cares for his own well being. The most important thing that happens in these first few scenes is the death of his “sister”. Manji loses the most important thing in his life and then meets a crazy wizard lady (I don’t know what else to call her) who essentially makes him immortal.

• What an edge: The opening scenes show us all sorts of things: Manji is a badass with a blade, he loves his “sister”, and he carries with him enough weapons to arm a local militia. I bet Myth Busters could probably have done an episode determining if Manji’s sword would even have a sharp enough edge to cut through flesh by the end of that battle.
• Tell me about it: The story is pretty simple in Blade of the Immortal: A new group of samurai/warriors called the Iggo-Ryu are essentially taking over the training game by killing the leaders of dojos all over Japan. The Iggo-Ryu are like the outcasts of the samurai cast because they aren’t exactly from high class families around the country. When you see them, you can definitely see why they’re not happy with their lives as second class warriors.

• You’re lucky, you can die: Manji’s story is somewhat tragic. We don’t get much in the way of story in regards to his 50 years of living as a freak of nature but we can assume by his living standard that its been not so great. What we do get is a very Highlander-style effect where the thought of immortal life is seen as a definite negative. Manji hasn’t exactly been living a life of excitement since he learned of his condition and that makes it all the better when Rin shows up to offer him the job of being her bodyguard and protector.
• The others: We learn that there are others like Manji hanging around. We meet another guy who has met the crazy wizard lady and become almost immortal in the process. The big thing that I took away from the second act of this movie is the way that people live their lives with revenge in their hearts. A life lived for revenge is essentially a life not lived. The characters who are most determined to kill someone are the least likely to be happy. Let that be a lesson to everyone out there living with an immortal condition.

• Don’t give me your sad story: I don’t normally want to hear sad stories in my action movies. If I wanted to hear a bunch of sad stories about someone’s grandparents then I would watch American Idol or The Voice. I don’t care. When I’m watching a bunch of samurai I just want to see them fighting to the death. Put your sad stories in a sack and throw that shit into the trash.
• Bring on the craziness: Anyone who has watched a number of Takashi Miike movies should know that there is bound to be an incredible action sequence featuring hundreds of samurai warriors slashing each other to bits. This movie is no different. I won’t give anything away from the film, but as the main characters start brandishing their swords, we’re treated to an insane amount of murderous barbarism. Manji has grown tired of his life as an un-killable war machine and he’s ready to die for something. The entire finale is something that will keep you in your seat for the duration. The Itto-Ryu slowly move towards the middle as the movie nears the finale but there isn’t a time where you won’t want to see a major showdown.

Any good samurai movie deserves a few Bonus Bullet Points:

• Manji wears a swazstika on the back of his kimono in the manga series of the same name. The symbol refers to the “cycle of life” in Japanese but was used by the Nazi party in the WW2 era and therefore changed in the film as to not bring up those offensive feelings.
• Shira is a real dick.
• No one does a finale sword fight like Takashi Miike.
• I wasn’t sure if the finale was ever going to happen. The way that the movie goes during the final act, it leaves it up in the air whether Rin will really want to cut the head off of the Itto-Ryu.

The Verdict: I thought the Blade of the Immortal was one of the better period samurai films of the last couple of decades. There was something missing, for sure. Anyone who has grown to love the samurai films of the 60’s and 70’s will notice what I’m talking about but this movie misses the core meaning of the samurai and what their purpose was in Japanese culture at that time. Blade of the Immortal does get the action part down. It’s like the Death Wish of the samurai film genre. It’s extreme at times and also it doesn’t get too deep to the point where you’re ready for it to move on. It gives you just the right amount of action that you’re willing to accept. I just wish Takashi Miike would direct a Highlander movie already…