Starring
Josh Hartnett as a wandering gambler in a nice hat
Ron Perlman as an axewielding crimelord in a horrible hat
Kevin McKidd as a well-dressed psycho
Gackt as a wandering samurai. No hat.
Woody Harrelson as a wise bartender
Demi Moore as Ron Perlman's mistress and really fed up with it.
Mike Patton from Faith No More as The Narrator
" In a world without guns, a mysterious drifter (JOSH HARTNETT) arrives in a strange town terrorised by the ruthless Woodcutter (RON PERLMAN) and his army of thugs, headed by the vicious Killer #2 (KEVIN McKIDD). The drifter is forced to trust a young samurai (Japanese superstar GACKT) looking to restore his family's honour, and the local bartender (WOODY HARRELSON) with his own secret score to settle, as they team up to destroy the Woodcutter's tyrannical and corrupt regime. Using cutting-edge visuals and breathtaking fight choreography, BUNRAKU, also starring DEMI MOORE, is a wholly new and original take on the action and martial arts genre: KILL BILL meets SIN CITY."
I can truthfully say I've never seen anything quite like this film.
The story is that old standby "two blokes team up to face a common enemy" but it's the visuals that are so memorable. "Sin City" and "The Spirit" are the closest parallels I can think of - two other films that go in for a hyper-stylised, comic-book aesthetic - but while they opted for stark blacks & whites Bunraku has something that can best be described as "Musical Theatre" - vivd colours, sharp lines, odd perspectives, snazzy outfits.
Which is why in the opening scene, where two colourfully-attired rival gangs are facing off, I was genuinely expecting somebody to start singing.
Later on "The Stranger" stages a one-man assault on a police station where we follow him from floor to floor laying waste to the inhabitants while looking in from the outside, like peering into a fold-open dolls house. The whole thing is impressive to behold and may well have been done in one continuous shot.
"Bunraku" is a traditional Japanese puppet theatre and in keeping with the theme all the exterior sets are made up of 2D flats that rise like a pop-up book for every scene-change. Sounds daft but it works.
The cast is impressive. Ron Perlman and Woody Harrelson are always worth watching, no matter what they are in, young guns Josh Hartnett and Gackt more than hold their own and the same could be said for Demi Moore.
Everybody does a fine job but for me the most interesting character was Kevin McBride's swordstick-flashing Killer#2. Yes, that's all the name he gets in this film.
Killer#2 may be a bit of a dandy but he's also a ruthless bastard with a tendency to kill his own henchmen when they piss him off. For some reason his broad Northern accent (Mancunian?) makes him just a little bit more menacing. He could well be the best villain the Bond films never had.
I enjoyed "Bunraku" but I can definitely see it being a film that divides opinion. Hell, even while I was watching it, I couldn't quite work out what I thought. This is a film that dances along the fine line between "Visually stunning" and "Pretentious" and that line is different for each person watching.
How much did I pay for this? £1.
Was it worth it? Very much so. Great cast, good, inventive fights and as I've mentioned already, the visuals are some of the most striking I've seen lately. If you fancy something that tries to be a little different "Bunraku" might be up your strongly lit, plywood alley.
Here's the trailer.
Which is why in the opening scene, where two colourfully-attired rival gangs are facing off, I was genuinely expecting somebody to start singing.
Later on "The Stranger" stages a one-man assault on a police station where we follow him from floor to floor laying waste to the inhabitants while looking in from the outside, like peering into a fold-open dolls house. The whole thing is impressive to behold and may well have been done in one continuous shot.
"Bunraku" is a traditional Japanese puppet theatre and in keeping with the theme all the exterior sets are made up of 2D flats that rise like a pop-up book for every scene-change. Sounds daft but it works.
The cast is impressive. Ron Perlman and Woody Harrelson are always worth watching, no matter what they are in, young guns Josh Hartnett and Gackt more than hold their own and the same could be said for Demi Moore.
Everybody does a fine job but for me the most interesting character was Kevin McBride's swordstick-flashing Killer#2. Yes, that's all the name he gets in this film.
Killer#2 may be a bit of a dandy but he's also a ruthless bastard with a tendency to kill his own henchmen when they piss him off. For some reason his broad Northern accent (Mancunian?) makes him just a little bit more menacing. He could well be the best villain the Bond films never had.
I enjoyed "Bunraku" but I can definitely see it being a film that divides opinion. Hell, even while I was watching it, I couldn't quite work out what I thought. This is a film that dances along the fine line between "Visually stunning" and "Pretentious" and that line is different for each person watching.
How much did I pay for this? £1.
Was it worth it? Very much so. Great cast, good, inventive fights and as I've mentioned already, the visuals are some of the most striking I've seen lately. If you fancy something that tries to be a little different "Bunraku" might be up your strongly lit, plywood alley.
Here's the trailer.
That's all folks.
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