Guest Chen Zhen Posted August 22, 2005 Share Posted August 22, 2005 can anyone who's seen this tell me if its any good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kungfusamurai Posted August 22, 2005 Share Posted August 22, 2005 I was disappointed. First of all, Ichikawa Raizo, the lead in the film, is not a good swordsman. Mind you, I've only seen his films pre-65, so I don't know if it he got better as time went on. Secondly, there really aren't any significant duels and I think there's one or two instances where one guy goes up against a bunch of people, but it's not impressive. The finale I recall was mostly a huge battle scene, so people were just swinging their swords around wildly. It's worth checking out if you can find it cheap. The only scene that impressed me was when Tomisaboro Wakayama whipped out his sword and disposed of a couple of guys in the blink of an eye. But that was just one brief moment of greatness. KFS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Daisho2004 Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 OK What a minute kungfusamurai, Ichikawa Raizo is an Awesome Swordsman maybe you have'nt seen a lot of his movies such as (Sleepy Eyes of Death Series), but the Shinobi series is a little slow in scenes at times but it is a Great series never the less. And worth picking up. Daisho2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kungfusamurai Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 I have the first six movies on VHS from Animeigo, plus that HK Mei Ah VCD of the 7th. I find his swordplay very slow and forced. Perhaps the size of the sword for the Kyoshiro Nemuri character was too large for Ichikawa to manoeuver cleanly? I also saw parts of those films he did with Kenji Misumi (The Sword, etc...) and found his style still pretty weak. But that's just me. Different people have different opinions on what they view as good swordplay. I prefer the work of Wakayama and Shintaro, followed by Nakadai and then Mifune. Ichikawa and Kinnosuke are low on my list of on screen swordsmen. KFS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Daisho2004 Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 Well as far as Wakayama and Shintaro, I think there are 2 of the best but I still like Ichikawa did you see him in Betrayal Awesome movie the last 15-20 minutes was some of the best Sword fighting that I've seen in Samurai movies. Chen Zhen sorry to get off topic but the Shinobi series is really good you should be them up. Daisho2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sigitolo Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 Greetings, The series is hot! Not because of the action, mind you. I think that the Chinese "ninjas" flicks do a big disservice to "authenic" ninja flicks. No backflipping into & out of trees, tunneling, etc... Not that you assumed or are looking for that type of thing. The plots are great, IMO. More of a history lesson. Definitely worth picking up. I agree that Ichikawa Raizo looks weak. However, he was quite suited for the role. He was a fine actor. No doubt, The Betrayal is one of THE best films of the genre. And Ichikawa Raizo shines as always. Regards, Sigitolo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KClosson Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 I have to admit that I have never been into the ninja genre. I am more into the classic old samurai movies. This series is one of the few ninja movies I am glad I have have though. I like it since it does not rely on magic and the supernatural in the stories, but some interesting natural techniques. One of the older sites designed exclusively for this series: shinobinomono.oninohana.com A review: www.illuminatedlantern.co...omono.html IMO, Raizo Ichikawa's best moments on film from an action point of view are "The Betrayal" (Daisatsujin Orochi) and "Sword Devil" (Ken Ki). Although I have read elsewhere someone claiming he was an "iaido expert", I do not think he had any real martial arts training, and was just primarily a good actor. KC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kungfusamurai Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 No doubt about Ichikawa Raizo's acting - that's the only reason why I bought all of the Sleepy Eyes of Deaths from Animeigo. Even thought the fight scenes were okay, it was the character of Kyoshiro Nemuri that was intriguing. I agree that the Chinese ninja films are way over the top, but Ichikawa's character does do some sommersaults if I recall correctly. Anyway, if outrageous was a reason not to watch martial arts films, then Lone Wolf & Cub would be at the bottom of the 'authenticity' list. KFS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chen Zhen Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 thanx for the reviews! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KClosson Posted August 26, 2005 Share Posted August 26, 2005 Since we were all talking about Ninja when this happened... It appears the "Authentic Ninja" are still around: kyw.com/Local%20News/loca...60339.html LOL! KC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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