Samouraïs

Look, most of the review here say the movie is terrible...it isn't that bad. For what it is...a low budget direct to video release it is actually much better than a lot of releases that were low budget direct to video releases. The Manga like storyline is ok, the acting is tolerable, there is some good action and funny lines...I watched the english dubbed version which you have to look past. This flick isn't hald bad for what it is, if you can look past the flaws there is a decent story and some fun action scenes. It is not a film to be taken seriously, in some ways I think the director was making fun of the big budget star studded films, many of which were worse than this one. If you like Manga type action films, this one is probably worth your time...if not just move along.

I didn't know until now that countries like Spain and, or France were capable of making things like Samourais. I understand America's obsessive impulse to rent movies that are hilariously terrible, but I didn't know that Europeans are answering our demands. I'm not saying all foreign films are great, but for the larger majority of what we absorb in foreign cinema, American audiences usually get the upper rung.

However, Samourais seems to be the product of a massive delusion on the part of the director, writer, etc. I don't know how money gets spent on things like this. If movies are meant to incur a profit, Samourais' net gain must have earned the director a sandwich.

If I wanted to see a film that included scenes with insipid lackeys working at a video store,transmute into what's supposed to be ancient warriors/demons coming back from the past to battle, I. . .well, to tell you the truth, I don't know why I would ever watch something like this. I find that actually reading about Japanese mythology or renting Kurosawa films much more enterprising. Why spend money on something with clunky cumbersome dialog as it is? Especially considering that the dubbed features only convey that the French/Spanish dialog is bad in itself ! The worst is the action sequences- Historically, most martial arts films puts characters into the perspective that they are warriors fighting against impossible odds, however, this film mutates that concept horribly. The fighting sequences are just as awkward and clunky as the dialog, and they lack the fluid execution and limits that most martial arts movies are actually implicative of. This movie seems like it was made by someone who failed a course in metaphysics in college.

The only thing good about this movie is the repulsive french rap during the credits.

The French action movie "Samouraïs" boasts an incoherent plot, some slightly better than average fight scenes and weak attempts at humor. Nothing that would cause any applause from the viewer, I guess.

Why watch it at all? For one, there's the music by Kenji Kawai. The legendary composer incorporates some nice tunes, except perhaps the guitar-heavy-title track. Also, the cast is OK - most notably action veteran Yasuaki Kurata and the cute leading man, Cyril Mourali.

There's really not much more to say about the film which has the look of your typical direct-to-video-stuff. Nothing exceptional. I'd give it a

Rating 3/10

My video store has been getting in an increasing amount of these types of movies in. What I mean by "these types" of movies: Movies that you just can't resist picking up of the shelf as you laugh to yourself about how stupid you KNOW it would be, and then you put it back on the shelf never to ever rent it. BUT, last night we rented one of these movies, and it happened to be Samouraïs. This movie had every bit of stupid plot, lame characters, and cheesy action you could ask for. However, I will say this, the fight choreography was actually decent, and some of the f/x were ok too. But as a whole, this movie bites bigtime. So, if you are like me, and you sometimes just have to rent a lamer like this to get a laugh, rent Samouraïs. 3/10

Having just finished watching this movie, I must say it was nowhere near as bad as most of the reviews would have had me believe. I suppose the most misleading thing about this movie is the title – it really has very little to do with Samurais at all. Basically, Samouraïs is mix of martial arts, supernatural action, cop story and techno thriller. I'll be the first to admit, the story is far from perfect, being very simplistic, and outrageously silly in a few places. Nevertheless, I did enjoy it. Anyway, let me break it down into pros and cons:

Pros – great fight scenes (for the most part); some truly fantastic visual effects and CGI; great "video game" sequences; and some clever (if bizarre) story elements.

Cons – the Nadir character is a truly stupid and annoying "bumbling sidekick", on a par with Jar Jar Binks; the fight scenes and violence were strangely sanitized in many ways, much more so than I would expect given the genre and subject matter; every attempt at humor and/or comic relief fails miserably (extremely unfunny and insultingly stupid); and as had been pointed out, the plot is very simplistic, and very implausible in many areas.

All in all, Samouraïs is worth a watch if you are a fan of martial arts action and/or supernatural action movies, but please don't see it with expectations of epic cinema or brilliant acting. Also, if you are looking for a "Samurai" genre movie, this certainly is not it. All that aside, an entertaining and easy to watch B-grader.