Ah, 'Highlander.' A fairly big franchise. A fairly big franchise that I couldn't say one word about beyond "I once watched the first film." I don't think it's unfair to suppose that much the same could probably be said for any average bloke. So what about an anime rendition, and at that one from the same visionary filmmaker who gave us the hyper-violent genre fare of 'Wicked City,' and 'Ninja Scroll?' Well, before five minutes have passed we get repetition of the immortal line (sorry) that will have fanboys and meme generators yipping, and the moment that our protagonist announces himself is accompanied by pathetic fallacy and a big, rock-driven surge in the score. Within a matter of minutes it becomes very clear that 'The search for vengeance' is full of style; the question is, can it claim any substance?
Proliferate flashbacks telling of a journey through time - golly gee! - check. Sexy women and tough-talking, square-jawed men, check. A plucky wannabe-sidekick kid, check. Graphic violence, blood, and gore, check (and bonus slow motion). Dystopia, intractable societal inequality, and a madman lusting for absolute power and dominion, check. Beyond those first touches of rock the music is reliably dramatic, dynamic, flavorful, and invigorating, a deft complement to the proceedings. The animation of Madhouse is reliably superb, as one expects of anime: rich detail and texture; nice consideration for lighting, shading, color, and perspective; gorgeous backgrounds and environments, and eye-catching designs for active elements including characters and creatures; sharp effects, and fluid movement and action sequences; duly keen implementation of 3D digital rendering to supplement or augment the dominant 2D style. The story is complete and duly engaging, the scene writing is strong, and filmmaker Kawajiri Yoshiaki unquestionably had a firm vision for his picture.
Yes, this flick looks good and sounds good. It's quite solid and well made. While style is foremost it can, in fact, claim substance, not least while spending some time in passing on the idea of living a life for vengeance alone, and what that means for one's proverbial soul. Ironically, evil as the villain is, he demonstrates a kernel of wisdom that the protagonist lacks, and won't necessarily learn in ninety-five minutes. So with one question answered, here's another: is all this enough? We can get all these qualities elsewhere; what makes this 2007 release special? In what way does 'The search for vengeance' stand out from the crowd, making it something we should seek out over any comparable fare? The kindred answers to these questions, I think, is in the eyes of the beholder. Some viewers will watch this and find it a terrific experience. Some will watch and find it dull and trifling, or simply too extreme. For my part I believe the movie is just swell, a darkly enjoyable slice of sci-fi, fantasy, and action. Only, I'm also unlikely to remember much about it hereafter.
That's fine, though. Not every title needs to be a revelation. It doesn't seem to me that Kawajiri or anyone else involved had any illusions about what this was; it wanted to entertain while expanding the Highlander saga after its own fashion, and it ably achieves these goals. Maybe this is enough, after all. Even with a grand finale it's not majorly stunning, or essential, and unless one has an overriding impetus of some sort, there's no need to go out of your way for it. But all told the feature is pretty good, worth checking out for those who are open to all it represents, and such as it is 'The search for vengeance' is suitably fun and well done to earn a fair recommendation.
