Two wounded samurai fleeing from their enemy end up at a remote temple in the mountains. Two days later one of the samurai (Takao Osawa) awakes to find out his friend is dead, but he's healed. The owner (Masaya Kato) of the temple invites the warrior to stay the night to have some drinks before leaving. During their discussions it comes clear that the host is not a mere mortal but a powerful demon named Aragami, the god of battle, and he has been fighting all who enter the temple for centuries. So now begins the challenge for the young samurai.
Well, the film doesn't have a whole lot to offer, really. It felt rather disjointed at times and that's probably because it was made in seven days. It's incredibly slow and fairly padded with a lot of ponderous dialogue and quiet stretches. The plot is really nothing much, with it basically about two warriors stashing it out from sharp conversations about themselves, or on morals on war and the sizzling sword fights between them eat up the scenery. When it comes to the superbly choreographed battle sequences, which are exciting and slickly done, you know why you stuck through the thick amount talk and slow beginning to begin with. The climax that it slowly builds up to is well done and in creditably effective. Sound performances are given by Kato and Osawa. The dominating temple is what hits you straight away with a fairly Gothic take with a lot of dark tones and dim lighting within. Also, the stylish photography totally stood out, but not everything worked out or fitted in perfectly. Some touches involving the script, the plot retreading old ground, pacing for this type of film (especially since it's only 70mins long) and soundtrack felt odd, but hey that's probably just me? Oh, by the way I did enjoy the moments of humour, especially the black humour that was evident. It's a fair effort by director Ryuhei Kitamura.
Just don't be expecting a fully blown action film, but also don't expect anything too meaningful, as you will be fully disappointed if so. Although, if your looking for something completely different you can't go wrong here. It's a very simple plodded film and nothing more.
Well, the film doesn't have a whole lot to offer, really. It felt rather disjointed at times and that's probably because it was made in seven days. It's incredibly slow and fairly padded with a lot of ponderous dialogue and quiet stretches. The plot is really nothing much, with it basically about two warriors stashing it out from sharp conversations about themselves, or on morals on war and the sizzling sword fights between them eat up the scenery. When it comes to the superbly choreographed battle sequences, which are exciting and slickly done, you know why you stuck through the thick amount talk and slow beginning to begin with. The climax that it slowly builds up to is well done and in creditably effective. Sound performances are given by Kato and Osawa. The dominating temple is what hits you straight away with a fairly Gothic take with a lot of dark tones and dim lighting within. Also, the stylish photography totally stood out, but not everything worked out or fitted in perfectly. Some touches involving the script, the plot retreading old ground, pacing for this type of film (especially since it's only 70mins long) and soundtrack felt odd, but hey that's probably just me? Oh, by the way I did enjoy the moments of humour, especially the black humour that was evident. It's a fair effort by director Ryuhei Kitamura.
Just don't be expecting a fully blown action film, but also don't expect anything too meaningful, as you will be fully disappointed if so. Although, if your looking for something completely different you can't go wrong here. It's a very simple plodded film and nothing more.