Reviewed by Alicia Glass
Director: Yoichi Sai
Review Rating: 7 Ninja Blades
Kamui is a break-away Ninja trying to live a life of peace in an adoptive fishing village, on the run from his former colleagues.
I just knew Ken’ichi Matsuyama, the actor who plays Kamui himself, looked so familiar with that brooding side shot of his face turned down and hair hanging in his eyes. Turns out I’m right – he played L in the movie adaptations of the Death Note anime, yum. And the fisherman’s wife, a break-away Ninja herself, turns out to be Koyuki, commonly known for her role as Taka in The Last Samurai.
So Kamui was born poor, and to eat he became a Ninja. But like vampires, once you join you can never leave, so when Kamui tries to break away and live a peaceful life, the Ninja come after him and chaos ensues. After an encounter with a fisherman who basically tosses Kamui overboard in a storm, Kamui finds himself on fisherman Hanbei’s own island. The fishing hasn’t been good, so Hanbei decides to go cut the leg off a horse belonging to a Nobleman, so he can make special fishhooks from the hoof. I know it sounds a little odd, but fishermen are very superstitious, and it works out well for him anyway. At first. Of course, that was a Nobleman’s horse you just killed, it’s not like it’s going to go unnoticed. We have the moron who, in love with Hanbei’s daughter Sayaka, tries to inform on her father and steal the fishhooks and yet win Sayaka’s love with the gift of a red comb, all at the same time. A band of visiting shark hunting pirates gives Kamui a great run, both in body and mind exertions. But then, oh then, the village’s water supply is poisoned, they all fall down, and there’s a last battle between Kamui, and pretty much everyone else.
There’s a lot of CGI, over the top Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon-style choreography, and the fight scenes are certainly nothing to sneeze at. But the plot makes me sad, even knowing the tendency a lot of Asian filmmakers have towards tragedy. Kamui is a good guy, and deserved better. Kamui the Lone Ninja gets a rating of seven Ninja blades, in the hopes that Kamui will return to bring revenge to all!
Check out the unfortunately not-subtitled teaser
Tags: break away ninja, death note, hanbei, kamui, ken'ichi matsuyama, koyuki, pirates, sayaka, sharks, taka, the last samurai, the lone ninja
