Red Shadow: Akakage

From the great Hiroyuki Nakano who proved himself with "Samurai Fiction" comes an entertaining, if not wholly fulfilling, Ninja movie!

If you enjoyed Samurai Fiction, then you should have a blast watching Red Shadow. It's one of the most entertaining films to come out of Asia in the past few years, with some really breathtaking stunts, great costumes and sets, and some charismatic characters. Still, at the end of the film I felt a bit that a little something was missing. I still can't quite put my finger on it.

Stylistically, Red Shadow is at least on par with Nakano's earlier masterpiece. The cinematography is beautiful (and in glorious color this time), and Nakano gives us some extremely cool crane shots. The humor is there, as is the respectively tongue-in-cheek tone, but Red Shadow takes a slight turn for the melodramatic in the middle, and I think that might be where it's biggest stumble was.

I won't go into details, as it would kind of spoil an important bit of the film, but the fun, light-hearted film that makes you feel as if you could jump, flip, and spin through the air suddenly stops and takes a more dramatic tone. It's a brief break, though, and a necessary one to set up the characters for the second half. It's problematic, though, because it divides the film into two very distinct segments, so much so that they could almost be different films!

Still, it's not that big of a flaw. Just a little irritating in hindsight. There are others, though: a slightly anti-climactic ending, a couple of plot holes, but nothing that really takes that much away from the film.

The characters aren't quite as interesting or charismatic as those in Samurai Fiction; that stops the film from being much more than entertainment.

This review has been pretty negative in tone, but it's really just from the high standard Nakano had set for himself. From another director, Red Shadow would be a great achievement. It's extremely stylish; the techno-rock soundtrack is very cool and somehow works well in context; the costumes look incredible; the special effects are subtle and convincing; the stunts and acrobatic feats a really awe-inspiring; the comedy succeeds almost without fail. It's certainly worth a look, and if you're prepared for the quirky comedy/romance/action tone, you should really enjoy Red Shadow.

Pick up the Media Blasters DVD. It's a really great 2-disc set.

This kindly informs us very swiftly and in no uncertain terms that it's not a period film which takes itself remotely seriously. It may bear the outward appearance of jidaigeki, or chanbara, but this is the jidaigeki or chanbara equivalent of 'Jason X' or 'Godzilla: Final wars': a frivolous, stylized genre romp that exists to have a good time, not to tell an earnest story. It's an outright action-comedy, more closely resembling 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' than anything else. This tenor readily comes across in the writing, direction, and acting, and definitely in Kishi Toshiyuki's score, which sounds like a better rendition of what might happen if in 2001 the musicians of some "nu-metal" act had decided to score a ninja flick in collaboration with contemporary EDM artists. None of this inherently speaks to the quality of the feature, mind you, but anyone who isn't possibly receptive to what 'Red Shadow' is doing can immediately step away with confidence and peace of mind.

The good news is that everyone involved in making this clearly understood the assignment, so once the audience does, too, we can just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Some odds and ends are undeniably too silly for their own good, but this was built from the ground up simply to have fun, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't achieve that goal to one degree or another. I fully recognize that if I had seen this when I was much younger and less educated in cinema, I likely would have thought it was the best thing ever. Wherever the credit lies between writers Saito Hiroshi, Kimura Masatoshi, director Nakano Hiroyuki, and the stunt coordinators and fight choreographers, the strength of the picture invariably lies in the action sequences. No matter how big or how small, whether made of sincerity or flair, and from discovering traps to big melee encounters, the action herein looks pretty fantastic, and broadly speaking is duly stimulating. The stunts, choreography, and practical effects are a pleasure; relatively sparing instances of computer-generated imagery hold up surprisingly well. In their own manner Yamamoto Hideo's cinematography is just as flavorful (and elsewhere, quite smart), and Nakano shows a keen eye for orchestrating shots and scenes with a sense of spectacle. Why, some shots are unexpectedly beautiful.

Further taking into account terrific filming locations, fetching and colorful production design and art direction, and equally enticing costume design, hair, and makeup, the movie looks quite excellent from top to bottom. I'll even say that while Kishi's music is sometimes a bit much it's reasonably enjoyable in and of itself, and I definitely can't fault the cast for giving committed performances full of personality and spirit. There actually is a lot to like in these 108 minutes.

The bad news is that not everything is so splendid as the action and the fundamental craftsmanship. The humor does occasionally earn laughs, or at least warm smiles, but the first most notable example didn't come until fifty-five minutes had already elapsed, and the second not until the last several minutes. In other cases the writing is just hopelessly juvenile, or even childish, and so too, in turn, are Nakano's direction and the acting. Sure, we can say that 'Red Shadow' was intended for a teen audience, but that only gets us so far. And speaking of the writing, if it's a firm, compelling plot you want, this isn't the place to get it. Just as the title is unquestionably at its best when fully leaning into action of any variety, it rather falls flat in too many quieter scenes of character moments, intended emotional impact, or plot development. Even with a discrete narrative on hand of rival factions and ninja clans, Saito and Kimura rely on general vibes more than concrete beats, and the narrative is really just a vehicle to get us from one action scene to another. This might still be acceptable if only the writing were halfway passable, and able to hold any water or the interest of discerning viewers, but this is just not the case. And the thing is, the foundations are there for a solid plot, had anyone been of the mind for it.

Ultimately the film is a mixed bag. The action is pretty superb, but most of the humor and the otherwise unserious sensibilities do not serve the flick well, and the storytelling was in sore need of more careful consideration to anchor the proceedings; consider how the character Aska is treated. Well made as this is more than not, its weaknesses are plainly apparent, and its appeal is clearly meant for the popcorn-loving casual viewer more the avid and most open-minded cinephile. For further evidence look to the most indulgent moments in the music, acting, and action, the anachronisms, and to be honest the very involvement of (now former) Russian gymnast Alina Kabaeva, enchanting and skilled as her performance here may be. Don't misunderstand, when all is said and done I like 'Red Shadow.' The thing is that it's something we can "watch" without actively engaging, for it neither requires nor inspires such investment. And that's fine! Sometimes that's all a feature needs to be! It's just that the lasting value is not so significant, and the sum total is not a viewing experience we're apt to revisit. Provided you're open to what this has to offer then it's worth checking out to pass the time on a quiet day; just enter 'Red Shadow' knowing fully well that it's designed for pure entertainment, and that may be the best way to get the most out of it.

I saw this for the first time in a theater in Tokyo and was amused by the update styles of fighting and the comedy relief that the movie offered (not to mention the cute ninja chick making mouse noises; Get your minds out of the gutter). Upon second viewing, after it's release to video (with a poor subtitling job) I've come to the conclusion that there a few problems with it. However, I don't like to ruin movies for people so, I'll just say that it's an enjoyable, and campy ninja flick even though there are some things that need to be explained a little better. In the subtitled version at least.

Don't watch this movie if you're looking for a serious, Kurosawa type period piece. It's meant to be silly and go into it knowing that.

My first impression of seeing Akakage (Red Shadow), was that the story was simply a satire of ninja movies. The Cinematography is quite good, and exemplifies many earlier examples of Japanese Cinema with their frequent use of nature interlude shots. The film seemed childish at first, in the manner in which the characters were portrayed.

But upon reviewing the film again, I noted that it was actually more child-like. There was a mature comedic sense of what a child loves in a film about ninjas and samurai sword fights. I could appreciate the nostalgic sense of the old samurai films that was ably caught. The villains seem comic in many ways, and yet there is more than 1 dimension to the group of them. The use of anachronism in the film was to me particularly funny. I won't provide any spoilers, because they are readily apparent when you encounter them in viewing the film.

Anyways, if you want a light movie for Saturday night viewing with the kids, or with friends gathered around a bowl of popcorn, and want a good offbeat romantic adventure film, this is certainly one to try.

I was looking forward to this flick since the main character was played by Ando Masanobu, who made an impressive job and performance as "Kiriyama Kazuo" in Fukasaku Kinji's now to be considered cult film "Battle Royale" which was just shot the year before "Red Shadow".

The movie itself is not the typical ninja flick, so anyone running to the box office with this piece in mind looking for raw violence and beautiful fighting scenes and such probably will get disappointed. Instead, the flick is spiced up with a humorous approach to things and there is more weight put upon comedy and love than on ninja stunts (and those stunts that are, are quite silly to be honest - but that's how they were meant as well, I'd say!). I thought the story development at times was a little bit weird but I hopefully ended up with figuring it all out. Ando makes a neat performance, although not near as good as in "BR" but this role is quite different, too, and perhaps that has an take on things, too.

6/10 for this Toei production, an OK piece of entertainment a Sunday evening.