Bunraku
Metascore
28 out of 100

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 11 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 11
  3. Negative: 7 out of 11
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  1. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Mark Holcomb
    Sep 27, 2011
    70
    Insular and indulgent as it is, though, the movie is never less than a visual treat.
  2. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Alison Willmore
    Sep 28, 2011
    50
    Bunraku comes up frustratingly empty, and just as many of its elements simply bloat an overlong run time. (Demi Moore shows up seemingly to give the film more than one female speaking part.) It looks good, but Bunraku feels like a Frankenstein's monster of references that someone failed to animate.
  3. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: Eric Hynes
    Sep 27, 2011
    40
    Bunraku aspires to be "Kill Bill: Vol 3"; it's more like an ornate pitch for a "Dick Tracy" reboot.
  4. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    Sep 25, 2011
    40
    Moshe, who wrote and directed, creates a boldly Expressionistic alternate reality to background this heavy-on-the-action story, but neglects narrative and character beyond the most basic strokes.
  5. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    Sep 29, 2011
    38
    If Bunraku were serious about subverting or reinventing the genres it's cobbled together, Moore would play the gunslinger or the samurai or the crime boss. But no. All she gets are a couple of scenes that demonstrate that she still looks great soaking wet.
  6. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Andy Webster
    Sep 29, 2011
    30
    Everything feels secondhand in Guy Moshe's Bunraku, a potpourri of genres that ends up a morass of clichés.
  7. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Robert Abele
    Sep 29, 2011
    30
    No image or moment is grounded – every shot is augmented with restless animation, smart-ass narration or video game sounds. The artificiality of it all is smothering.
  8. Variety
    Reviewed by: Dennis Harvey
    Sep 25, 2011
    30
    It's a picture that's akin to a terrarium of plastic flowers -- gaudily decorative, but airless and lifeless.
  9. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Joe Neumaier
    Sep 30, 2011
    20
    It should surprise no one that visually quirky, graphic-novelish, pulp-noir action flicks rarely come through the sausage machine intact.
  10. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Nick Schager
    Sep 25, 2011
    12
    Writer-director Guy Moshe's crime saga is a work of second-generation derivation, weaving together scraps from homages to Westerns, film noir, samurai films, gangster pics, and class-warfare dramas.
  11. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    Sep 30, 2011
    0
    Extremely cool-looking in the manner of "Sin City,'' but clumsily staged, slackly acted and mind-numbingly dull, Israeli director Guy Moshe's English-language fantasy is set in a future when guns, and apparently coherent conversations, have been outlawed.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 19 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8
  1. Sharit
    7
    Bunraku is not for everyone. People who are hungry for another slick action movie, may get disappointed by this movie. The movie is set on a dystopian world, where modern & ancient lifestyles cross paths regularly. After the global wars killing millions of people, guns are outlawed and knives & swords are back. 2 men (Josh Hartnett & Gackt) are out to get revenge against the most powerful man in Atlantic, the Woodcutter. Though having initially disliked each other, they are guided by the wise Bartender (Woody Harrelsen) to team up against the evil reign of the Woodcutter. The plot is simple and sometimes predictable, but makes space for a large number of well-choreographed action sequences. However, each scene has a colorful fantasy-themed dramatic background (probably shot on a Theatre Stage) - which can distract some people from all the tense action happening at front. The uniqueness of this movie is it keeps sending a fantasy vibe through-out, you will either love it or hate it!… Full Review »
  2. NKOAS
    8
    Though debuting in 2010 at the Toronto International Film Festival, Bunraku didn
  3. Javike7
    8
    This is an interesting movie. I love the intro and the play with lights and music. The story line is good featuring a post-war world-war state that is ruled by swords and fist because guns were outlawed. I thought the fight scenes were nifty and not exaggerated. Overall what really draws me to this movie is the background were they combine lighting and paper montage for building and other scenes, for me this was really unique. That and sometimes how the fight and the music seem to be completely in sync. It a good movie that delivers decent entertainment. It won't blow your mind, but I'm sure most will enjoy it.… Full Review »
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