Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Director Ryuhei Kitamura proves that his turgid sci-fi epic Alive was a misstep and not a sign of things to come by following it up with Aragami--a fascinating film experiment that showcases both the filmmaker's growth as an artist and the fact that he can still crank out action sequences with the best of them.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Aragami is how the film came to be. After a night of drinking at the Berlin Film Festival, Yukihiko Tsutsumi concocted the idea for a cinematic "duel" between himself and Kitamura. The rules were simple--make a film in the span of seven days, in one location, with two characters--one of whom dies. From this idea, fans were treated not only to Aragami but also Tsutsumi's vastly different take on the idea, 2LDK.

If one wanted to be glib, the best way to describe Aragami is to call it My Dinner With Andre--if Andre were an immortal demon with a sharp sword and a deathwish. A nameless samurai (Takao Osawa) and a fellow warrior arrive at an isolated mountain temple. They've been injured gravely in battle, but the temple takes them in to treat their wounds. Unfortunately, the other warrior doesn't survive the night.

When the Samurai awakens, he meets the temple's lord, a man named Aragami (Masaya Kato) and his oddly quiet female attendant (Kanea Uotani). Over dinner and drinks, Aragami regales the Samurai with tales of his past--and ultimately confides that he's a demon god of war who has grown weary of living. However, since he's a magnificent warrior, Aragami can't just commit seppuku--he needs to die in battle at the hands of a warrior who's his equal. He hopes the Samurai is that man. In order to make the battle as fair as possible, both men are immortal--only a decapitation or a blow to the heart can truly kill them. What follows is a battle to the death that is all the more amazing when one considers it was not only shot, but choreographed in the span of seven days.

In many ways, Aragami seems like Kitamura taking a second shot at Alive--which was a film that featured a lot of dialogue, some action, and a relatively static location--as well as prepping for his upcoming samurai film Azumi. If that's the case, it works quite well in both regards.

While the film is certainly dialogue-heavy (which is a bit of a surprise given that the film's central conceit is an epic battle to the death), Kitamura rarely allows it to bog down the film. Alive was a long, slow slog through a series of speeches that could have been cut almost in their entirety--Aragami doesn't have those issues. At least part of this is attributable to the fact that the film only runs for roughly 80-minutes--making it a departure from pretty much everything else Kitamura has done in terms of length. It's nice to see the director working on a film that is short--it's leaner and meaner than anything else Kitamura has done (yes, even Versus--which is a great film, but also at least twenty minutes longer than it needs to be).

Fans of the director's body of work will be pleased that this outing features all the typical Kitamura aesthetics: hyperkinetic action sequences, dazzling camera work, and computer-enhanced special effects. Working with one set and such a small cast, Aragami is a real test of a filmmaker's abilities--and Kitamura adapts himself quite nicely throughout.

That doesn't mean there aren't some problems, though.

While the film's dialogue is generally good, there's a lot of it. Occasionally, it feels like the dialogue is just there to pad the running time and not to actually provide characterization. Fortunately, Masaya Kato is up to carrying the film even in the few dull stretches--the guy has a genuine screen presence and is a hoot to watch in action.

Fans of traditional chambara film fighting will no doubt be put off by the wire-fu and extensively edited sequences on display here. However, to be fair, at this stage of his career everyone should know these are the kind of fight scenes Kitamura likes to shoot--so, if you're not a fan, just skip his films entirely.

That being said, I found the final showdown to be well worth the wait. Kitamura ratchets up the tension throughout the film until everything threatens to explode. Then, and only then, does he unleash his two characters in their elaborately choreographed dance to the death. The fight does borrow some sequences from other Kitamura films (most notably Versus) but this is entirely forgivable given the shooting circumstances. One brief interlude features our two master swordsmen fighting in the dark, with their blades causing a strobe light effect. This is quite possibly the film's coolest moment.

The best thing about Aragami though is that when viewed with Azumi, it tends to prove that the dreadful Alive was an anomaly more than anything else. This is great news for Kitamura fans like yours truly--guys who were afraid the director had completely lost his edge. He hasn't lost it--he just needs to be more careful when picking his projects.


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening