Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Manji, a highly skilled samurai, becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle. Haunted by the brutal murder of his sister, Manji knows that only fighting evil will regain his soul. He promises to help a young girl named Rin avenge her parents, who were killed by a group of master swordsmen led by ruthless warrior Anotsu. The mission will change Manji in ways he could never imagine.
Takashi Miike's 100th film is a visually striking samurai action piece with inventive, bloody set pieces and strong cinematography that captures both visceral chaos and austere beauty. The immortality premise provides an interesting framework for a revenge narrative, but the plot meanders considerably across its runtime, struggling to balance its episodic manga-adapted structure with narrative momentum. The acting is solid with Takuya Kimura bringing stoic gravitas to Manji, though supporting characters vary in depth. As a Miike film it carries his unmistakable kinetic energy, but the core revenge-and-redemption arc feels familiar within the samurai genre. The ending deflates somewhat, resolving threads in a way that feels anticlimactic given the buildup, leaving Rin's arc particularly underserved.