The Warrior

2001

87 minutes

Hindi, good subtitles

5 Stars

I expected lots of fight scenes, instead, I got lots of gorgeous scenery. The story takes place during feudal India, and the war lord's chief enforcer 'awakens' just before his sword takes the life of a young girl and he allows her and her mother to escape. He tosses his sword onto the ground, and walks away to try to become a man of peace. His road is not easy, but it is beautiful. There is little dialog, lots of scenics, and is reminiscent of Kurosawa. Visually, it is one of the most stunning movies I've seen. Shot on location in the deserts of Rajasthan and the Himalayas. The casting, directing, music, photography are all wonderful. The choreography during opening credits is stunning.

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The Assassins

2012

103 minutes

Chinese, good subtitles

4 Stars

Based on the final years of Cao Cao, one of the most ruthless tyrants of Ancient China. Chow Yun-Fat is wonderful as Cao Cao. He made the old tyrant seem more human, a different take from what I've seen in other movies and or read. Yifei Liu played opposite, and I found her lacking. There was no tension between them, she was wooden, and the primary reason I dropped it from 5 to 4 stars. Kidnapped as a child, along with a friend, they were trained to become Assassins, and to win their freedom they must kill the Tyrant, Cao Cao. She adds little beyond a beautiful face. It turns out she is a princess, but we have no flash backs to give us hints, nothing until the end. Costuming, music, filming, and Chow Yun-Fat are all 5 Stars.

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The Wind Rises

2013

126 Minutes

Japanese, good subtitles  

5 Stars

This is a marvelous story of dreams, inspired by the life of Jiro Horikoshi, who designed the WWII Zero fighter. He wanted to fly, but was too near sighted, so became an aeronautical engineer. He dreamed of flying, he loved the idea of flying, and he designed planes. This film is animation, by the Master animator, Hayao Miyazaki, and spans decades. Beautifully animated and a wonderful story.

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Geisha Assassin

2008

82 minutes

Japanese, good subtitles

4 stars

Lots of action, and lots of screaming by the females. Not lots of plot or story. But, often, that's OK, if you just want action. Kotomi wants to be a geisha when she grows up, to her father's great consternation. He trains her in the martial arts, and when as a young girl she sees her father killed she picks up the sword, learns to use it, and becomes a geisha with vengeance in her heart. In order to get to the man who killed her father she must go through several other fighters, some males, some females. She does, of course, finally earn the right to fight the man who killed her father, thereby bringing the story full circle. It is possibly a cultural difference, but I prefer quieter female fighters than screaming ones.

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Flying Swords of Dragon Gate

2012

122 minutes

Mandarin, good subtitles

5 Stars

For the story, it doesn't rate many stars, but for the photography, the marvelous fight scenes, the costumes, and the laughs, oh yes, the laughs, it's a 5 Star movie. As one reviewer said, it's a "high octane, wuxia free for all" – there are NO laws of physics or gravity in this. The plot (I think there was a plot) had a few holes, but the fight scenes, the costumes, and the laughs. Oh, yeah, this is a terrific and fun movie. Did I mention it stars Jet Li? I watched this movie the other day, and I'm still chuckling. 

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War of the Arrows

2011

122 minutes

Korean, excellent English subtitles

5 Stars

This is an epic story. It is violent, dark, and a story of the hunt. The Manchurians/Mongols invade the Korean town on Ja-In's wedding day. Her brother and guardian, Nam-Yi is out hunting, and the town is decimated, with many killed, and many taken as slaves. Ja-In is taken, and the hunt is on as Nam-Yi and a few cohorts he finds go to the rescue. What makes this movie different from many is the actual humanness of the characters. Their fear and panic shows. Personally, I think I would have knocked Ja-In out to shut her up, but in her culture she was probably quite normal. The beginning is a bit long and I nearly stopped watching at 30 minutes, but came back later and finished the movie. I'm glad I did.

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