Red Shadow (2001)

Really Surprised!

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

I was looking forward to this flick since the main character was played by Ando Masanobu, who made an impressive job and performance as "Kiriyama Kazuo" in Fukasaku Kinji's now to be considered cult film "Battle Royale" which was just shot the year before "Red Shadow".The movie itself is not the typical ninja flick, so anyone running to the box office with this piece in mind looking for raw violence and beautiful fighting scenes and such probably will get disappointed. Instead, the flick is spiced up with a humorous approach to things and there is more weight put upon comedy and love than on ninja stunts (and those stunts that are, are quite silly to be honest - but that's how they were meant as well, I'd say!). I thought the story development at times was a little bit weird but I hopefully ended up with figuring it all out. Ando makes a neat performance, although not near as good as in "BR" but this role is quite different, too, and perhaps that has an take on things, too.6/10 for this Toei production, an OK piece of entertainment a Sunday evening.

Based on Yokoyama Mitsuteru's 60's manga series and its subsequent TV Adaptation "Kamen No Ninja - Akakage" (Masked Ninja - Red Shadow; Toei/Kansai TV, 1967), "Red Shadow" is an interesting remake that modernizes Japan's Feudal Past in much the same way as `Wild Wild West' did to American's Frontier History and `League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' did to Europe's Industrial Past. Director Nakano Hiroyuki certainly has a neat sense of style and constructs elaborate and interesting action sequences. While not as over-the-top as the recent `Azumi', `Red Shadow' still is a visual wonder. Masanobu Ando puts in a good performance as the title character but it is singers-turned-actors Hotei Tomoyasu, Jinnai Takanori, Fuji Fumiya and Shinohara Ryoko who impress the most with their performances. Actresses Kumiko Aso and Okina Megumi are stunning as the love interests to Akakage and certainly brighten the screen with their appearances. While Akakage is certainly not in the same league as movies such as `Makai Tensho' (Samurai Reincarnation;1981), `Satomi Hakkenden' (Legend of The Eight Samurai; 1984), or `Jubei Ninpocho' (Ninja Scroll; 1995) I definitely liked the film. `Akakage' is unapologetic in its style and reworking of history but I found its interpretations wonderfully entertaining if a bit flawed.

Granted, RED SHADOW is not suppose to exist in any actual historical timeline. Still, it employs the Ninjas and the Samurai in its story, so one expects some adherence to history. But RED SHADOW has its own agenda, and while the film's fantastical elements is quite inspired and well done, one can't help but get the feeling that it feels a tad silly. Maybe that was the point, but I'm not sure if "silly" works in a movie that has so much violence and death.And yet, RED SHADOW is quite entertaining, albeit in a fluff sort of way.5 out of 10(go to www.nixflix.com for a more detailed review of this movie and reviews of other foreign films)

THE RED SHADOW: I've seen the future of the Japanese "new-age" ninja / samurai cinema and it's the supra-hip RED SHADOW film directed by HIROYUKI NAKANO (of SAMURAI FICTION fame) and starring ANDO MASANOBU (the absolutely psychotic, but absolutely cool Kiriyama from the Greatest Japanese film of all time, BATTLE ROYALE). Hopefully this movie will do to the "new-wave" ninja genre what SEIJUN SUZUKI (BLOOD, PISTOL OPERA, BRANDED TO KILL) and TAKASHI MIIKE (FUDOH, DEAD OR ALIVE, TOKYO MAFIA) did for the modern "neon-pop" Yakuza scene. But all that aside, RED SHADOW, simply put, is a flashy, hip (I know this word keeps coming up), stylish, "live-action" comic book, martial arts comedy made into one long jazzy music video. Just sit back and enjoy because it's nothing but colorful, snazzy eye-candy mingled with mindless high-gloss fluff and it's very, very fun to watch. As for the plot of the movie itself, Ando stars as the ninja, AKA KAGE (the RED SHADOW) and along with his bumbling ninja-buddy, the BLUE SHADOW and their female partner (and love interest), ASUKA (or ASKA, however you wish to pronounce it), they go out on important missions to capture or steal information for their master who's goal is to keep the peace throughout the kingdom which is about to erupt into civil war. As the movie progresses, we meet all kinds of samurai (both good and bad) and the many "specialty" warriors (zany characters you'd see in a fantasy Anime). But the real story starts to take shape when we meet the newly crowned, PRINCESS KOTO (played by MEGUMI OKINA), who's in jeopardy of loosing her castle and army to a traitor from among her own family members. And if this person succeeds, this will surely bring the entire kingdom to the brink of war. So, it's up to the RED SHADOW and company to expose this threat, save the Princess from the evil-doers, and prevent the impending civil war. So from what's you've just read, you can expect it to be very traditional, very simple, pretty basic, and straight to the point. Which (in this case) actually works excellent for this movie. There's no real plot twists to worry about or mysteries to baffle the viewer (the "bad guys" are shown right from the start and their intentions are stated very early on) so it's an hour and a half of quirky, martial arts foolishness (very similar to the much overlooked SCREAMING MAD GEORGE zany KUNG-FU RASCALS flick) and wacky characters doing wacky things. I used to always say that JET LI's super-hero, Kato-inspired, action frolic, THE BLACK MASK was the closest thing to watching a comic book on the tv screen but RED SHADOW now grabs that coveted title. So, kick back, check it out, and simply enjoy.