Aragami

Made in one set, with three principal actors, and over seven days, Aragami impresses far more than the more immature Versus. Setting himself the task of shooting an action movie in one room (itself a possible contradiction in terms) the constraints ultimately make for a much more satisfying and engrossing experience than his previous, overrated breakthrough film - which was too carelessly off the wall and derivative to impress this viewer. As a project Aragami also contrasts strongly with the much more opened out Azumi (another personal favourite), which replaced the gloomy interiors and philosophising of Aragami with something much more kinetic and light hearted.

At heart Aragami is a film about knowing who you are, and both Osawa (who has since appeared in the less concentrated Sky High) and Masaya Kato are excellent in roles which, like chamber music, leave every flaw in performance likely to be exposed. Obviously written at speed, the film's pay off could have been more enlightening (but perhaps a touch of obscurity in this sort of thing is a benefit, especially at a time when Hollywood genre efforts typically feel obliged to spell everything out), but fans won't argue too much and interpretations are easy to make. The wonder of the film is that the director was able to stage and direct two action scenes - one short, one more extended - with such gusto and convincing moves, given the tight shooting schedule and limitation of the set, while still allowing himself time for empathetic set ups during slower moments. It requires the ingenuity and confidence of a Roger Corman to bring this thing off, raising such stuff above straight-to-video fodder, and Kitamura succeeds magnificently.

Ignore those who claim the film is 'too talky', for none of the chat is wasted (there's none of the narrative indulgence seen in the recent Sky High, for instance), the actors have enough presence to carry it off, and time spent with them never palls. Over 79 minutes nothing drags, and the changing relationship between the samurai and the goblin provide constant interest. The developing duel between the two principals neatly reflects back to the friendly rivalry between Kitamura and his fellow director Tsutsumi which originally initiated the film. If you are tired of bloated Hollywood mega-buck productions and want to get back to the basics of purposeful dialogue, imaginative stageing and thought-through editing - in short, lean, popcorn pumping cinema - then this is a film you need to see.

Director Ryuhei Kitamura, now famous thanks to the big success of "Versus" and "Azumi", was challenged to make this experimental film in an odd bet with producer Shinya Kawai and fellow filmmaker Yukihiko Tsutsumi. Named the "Duel" project, Kawai challenged the two filmmakers to each create a feature length movie with only two actors, battling in one setting and filmed entirely in one week. With those restrictions limiting the development of a film, a challenge like that sounds insane; but Kitamura succeeds and delivers a film of almost the same caliber as "Versus".

In Kitamura's film, two wounded samurais arrive to a lost temple in the mountains looking for a place to rest. Later, one of them awakes fully healed and is welcomed by the only priest in the temple. He introduces himself as Aragami (Masaya Kato), the God of Battle, and informs the samurai (Takao Osawa) that he healed his wounds, but had to kill his companion to do it. His purpose: to have a duel to death with the samurai.

The movie moves around the showdown, not only physical, but also philosophical between these two warriors; with fluid camera-work that mimics the style of Manga comic books, Kitamura keeps the film moving despite being set entirely in the main room of the temple. This stylish use of the camera really is one of the film's strongest points, as it makes the set look different even when they never change of room.

The characters are very well defined and thanks to a very good developed script, they never let the movie fall. Just like the visuals, the writing is very similar to those of Manga, and one could say that this is exactly how a Manga would look if it were translated frame by frame to screen. While at times the movie drags, it is understandable that a lot of effort was put to make it entertaining even when it's only about two people talking and fighting.

Masaya Kato gives a powerful performance as Aragami, a being beyond man's understanding and with fighting skills perfected through centuries of practice. He really becomes his character and truly makes one belief that he has seen a lot in his life. At the same time, Osawa is very good as the samurai, confused by all what is happening and whose only desire is to get out of the temple alive. Both actors excel in their performances, specially considering the limited freedom they had to work with. In fact, it is thanks to their performances that the script makes the the movie work.

The visual beauty of the duel between the warriors is another one of the movie's strong points. Kitamura knows very well how to put action on films as fans of "Versus" will acknowledge. In "Aragami", he mixes the old with the modern in a stylish surrealist duel that mimics the fight between the two samurais. However, if a flaw is to be found, is that the use of modern music at times contrasts with the intentions of the film, nevertheless, it never becomes a real problem.

While "Aragami" is nowhere near what Kitamura accomplished with the outstanding "Azumi", it still is a very good and different movie that shows the creativity of this director; that he is not afraid of taking risks; and that in fact, like the raging God of Battle, he enjoys a good challenge. 7/10

The greatest scene you can have in any movie is the final showdown. That last moment, when all the events that have happened throughout the entire film (or films) come together in one glorious climatic battle between the hero and the villain. As a great lover of the final showdown I am disappointed that so few films actually get it right. Films like "Yojimbo", "Dark City", and "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" are among those rare exceptions when the level of build-up is more than matched by the moment of confrontation.

Then there's Aragami, which is essentially one long final showdown. And what an incredible showdown it is. I loved Kitamura's previous film, Versus, for it's none stop excitement and entertainingly over-the-top violence. But Aragami is simple, two characters in a room who must and will fight to the death. This

scenario may not seem compelling, but Kitamura somehow manages to keep

the energy buried just beneath the surface of all the character's actions. I felt tense throughout the entire film. I wanted to see the two men fight. But Kitamura kept me waiting for as long as possible, until it was almost to much to take. Then, he delivered on his promise and created one of the most exciting and

thoroughly satisfying showdowns I know of. Much like when I saw Versus, I left the theater energized, unlike most American action films, which just leave me feeling exhausted and worn-out.

Aragami is Ryuhei Kitamura's film which was shot with a few rules in some sort of Japanese Director's Challenge (The other was Yukihiko Tsutsumi's 2LDK). Some rules were that the films must be of feature length and shot within one week (Aragami was filled in 8 days). The movie must take place within one room with 2 competitors fighting to the death.

Originally, I found out about this movie after watching 2LDK and found out about this challenge. I thought it was an interesting concept and would like to see how some of today's American directors could tackle such a project. Although I liked 2LDK, Aragami was simply the better movie. At times, the style and dialog (or lack of) reminded me of something from Quentin Tarantino.

The very basic plot is that Aragami (Masaya Kato), who, incidentally, is the God of Battle, challenges a samurai (Takao Osawa) to a fight to the death. Aragami is tired of living and can not commit suicide nor die of old age or other natural causes. He must be killed in battle, as he is the God of Battle. He immortalizes the samurai by feeding him his deceased friend's liver and the fight was on.

Surprisingly, this basic plot did not seem to drag on for too long and was just about the right length. The fight scenes, mostly involving swords, were pretty good and at times, the dialog was humorous. This is a good recommendation if you know what you are getting yourself into.

I Love this movie. The story was a bit confusing but either then that the movie was near perfect.

The action was very well choreographed and was not Very over the top like MGSTTS but it was still Over the top action considering how Samurai Films are made nowadays.

There was this one part that amazed me were the Temple was all dark and all you can see of them was when the swords collide that was sooo coool. And i love the soundtrack. If you loved the soundtrack from all his other movies then you would love this soundtrack.