Review of Azumi (2003) by Shawn W — 06 Jan 2009

I pretty much enjoyed everything there was to Azumi. For a 2-hour plus film, I never once really felt the running time. It just seemed to pass in a breeze. The only films that feel this way for me are films that have one great scene after another and Azumi delivers exactly that.

Character development, while not slight, takes a backseat to the action and atmosphere. Azumi is an orphan raised by a Samurai master to be an assassin of evildoers. Set in feudal Japan, there are many warlords for Azumi and her fellow assassins to eliminate so they can bring peace to the land. You might think that you've seen enough Sword-fighting movies in the past few years but Azumi really does out-do Kill Bill, House of Flying Daggers and The Last Samurai. Those movies lacked the atmosphere.

Despite a few moments of overblown sound-effects, Azumi is filled with mainly silent sound design with no more than quietly blowing trees or howling wind in the background. The remote wilderness settings and wonderfully balanced photography certainly go well with this irregular sound design. So many movies are all about noise and chaos, it's refreshing to come across one that goes against the grain.

I totally recommend Azumi and I am looking forward to seeing the sequel. I do wish I saw the 143-minute Director's cut however. Don't let subtitles put you off, you're ignoring a whole other world of good movies if you do.