Wolff rating: GOOD
Plot summary: Insanely competent itinerant swordsman meets a female ninja who is investigating a mysterous plague.
Biased, pithy comments: This is one of those movies that does basically nothing new---the characters are all familiar stereotypes, the action straight out of legend, and the villain something out of an American action film. However, it's all done slickly with a plot that makes more sense than so many other anime classics. It's also drenched in blood, self-consciously, as if it was trying to make a statement about blood in the movies. (It's not impossible that Kawajiri was influenced by the same forces that produced ``Pulp Fiction'' and ``Desperado''.) Interesting, exciting, action-packed, yet still retains a little flavor of Japanese legend. My only complaint is that the female character is nothing more than an emotional punching bag for everyone else.
Other Notes: Gory, bloody, and contains what someone called a ``courtesy breast'' now and then. Not for kids. English dub was awful; use subtitles.
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Some big-name Japanese stars, but I don't know them.
Directed by: Yoshiaki Kawajiri