Review of ICHI (2008) by Emmanuel F — 13 Jun 2009

Fresh off of Vexille, Fumihiko Sori tackles Ichi, which is another tale regarding the blind swordsman. In this case, however, it is a blind swords woman.Don't be fooled into thinking this is an action adventure because it really isn't.

This is all about the story and characters, and maybe it is a little too much story. I'm not saying that there is a lot going on because there isn't. What I'm saying is that there is maybe just a little too much dramatization on what little is given.

The pacing is fairly slow and while this works well for character buildup, it doesn't benefit much else. The story as a whole is pretty weak and the the villain has not enough background either. The two heros, on the other hand, have enough going for them.

There is a decent amount of action, however they are all fairly short. This isn't surprising, since Japanese samurai swordplay is usually a one or two slasher before a kill. There is nothing really fancy to entertain the eye, however the blood is there and so is the camerawork.

There are some Zack Snyder-ish slow motion scenes for one of the fights and it turns out great because it isn't overdone.The beautiful Haruka Ayase pulls off a convincing blind swords woman, however her singing scenes are just mediocre.

Shido Nakamura doesn't have much to work with, but he matches the villain nicely. Takao Osawa is the star of the show and his character is just as big and important as Ichi.Ichi is one samurai movie with flaws and disappointments, but it does have its positives, which makes for a more than decent film.