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Azumi
Urban Vision Entertainment


8.0

based on 14 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 8 votes
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MPAA RATING: Not Rated

Starring Aya Ueto, Shun Oguri, Hiroki Narimiya, Kenji Kohashi, Takatoshi Kaneko, Yuma Ishigaki, Yasuomi Sano, and Shinji Suzuki

Based on the manga by Yu Koyama, this is the story of a beautiful young woman raised from birth to become the ultimate assassin.

GENRE(S):	Action \| Adventure \| Drama \| Foreign \| War
WRITTEN BY:	Isao Kiriyama Rikiya Mizushima Yu Koyama (comic)
DIRECTED BY:	Ryuhei Kitamura
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: November 21, 2006 Theatrical: July 21, 2006
RUNNING TIME:	115 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	Japan
LANGUAGE(S):	Japanese (with English subtitles)

Audience Award (Best Danger After Dark Film), 2004 Philadelphia Film Festival

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

TV Guide Ken Fox

Features more than enough thrilling wirework, slow and agonizing deaths, and blood-spattered faces to please even the most discriminating fans of the genre.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

As a moody drama, it falls short, but as lightweight escapism, it sets off sporadic but irresistible explosions of pure cinematic delight.

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

A movie of such cheerful craziness and nonstop ferocity that you can't take it seriously for a second.

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

The tone is bleak and the comic-book violence relentless, but the wirework and Yuta Morokaji's stunt choreography are impressive, culminating in a breathless showdown between the title character (Aya Ueto) and 200 foes.

Film Threat Eric Campos

A little boring and extremely long for what it is, all that Azumi really has going for it are several eye-popping battle sequences, including the climax which is a totally delicious celebration of graphic violence, and some nice camera work.

Variety Ronnie Scheib

Inevitable comparisons to Quentin Tarentino's femme-centered carnage extravaganza "Kill Bill" are not unwarranted insofar as both films featurefeature an abstract, self-conscious, and decidedly post-modern approach to a moribund genre.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

It's a bad idea to get too fond of any character, no matter how worthy he (or she) may appear.

The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck

Unfortunately, the film itself -- though it contains some superbly staged and highly lavish action sequences -- lacks the tautness of its heroine.

Los Angeles Times Mark Olsen

An uneven effort overall that when it is working has a strange, engaging energy that is often overturned by an uncertain staidness.

San Francisco Chronicle G. Allen Johnson

It is probably Kitamura's best film.

LA Weekly James C. Taylor

Failing in its attempts at Zhang Yimou–like poetry, Azumi calls to mind a long, blood-splattered director's cut of a Power Rangers episode.

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

The director, Ryuhei Kitamura, whose earlier films include the cult film "Versus," brings nothing new to the samurai-swordsman game other than some styling shorts for the whelps and a miniskirt for Azumi.

New York Post V.A. Musetto

The story is superficial at best. And the movie is too long.

Village Voice Michael Atkinson

If you're considering the scenario via Japan's ubiquitous pedo-porn tendencies, you're too educated for this exhaustive, manga-based bloodbath, which trails after these angsty teenyboppers on a scorched-fake-earth path through hundreds of growling baddies of every genre size and type.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Ken G. gave it a7:
A lot of well done action. a likable heroine kicking alot of male ass, a fun villian, an action-packed climax, and a lesbian under-tone; what more do you need?

Edd D. gave it an8:
Quite good movie, besides is a low budget movie. In an american version it can´t be better.

C. Henry gave it a4:
Sort of a messy ninja movie, not really all that good. It's fun enough to watch, but don't go looking for decent story or plot or characters... or much of anything. It tries to go too far with not enough gas.

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Azumi Urban Vision Entertainment

Azumi
Urban Vision Entertainment