The film "The Princess Blade" is a beautiful Japanese revenge tale.
Opening Friday at Madstone Theaters, this movie is the story of a bleak future. In an isolated land, a corrupt monarchy struggles to retain power and a secret clan of assassins will kill anyone for a price.
Young Princess Yuki (Yumiko Shaku) is a vicious member of the House Takemikazuchi. This clan of former noble guards became assassins after their monarch fell, leaving them disgraced and unemployed.
A zealous member of the house since childhood, Yuki has never known happiness. Much of the movie revolves around her search for happiness; the rest is brilliant action sequences of Yuki sword slicing through a gang of bad guys with really bloody special effects.
While on a mission, Yuki is confronted by her slain mother's former bodyguard Kuka (Yoichi Numata). Kuka reveals that Yuki's mother was actually the queen and her true murderers were none other than Yuki's current clanmates, the Takemikazuchi. A family trinket is passed along as proof of the tale's truth and revenge is sworn. On the way, something wonderful happens - a lot of brutal fight sequences.
Fleeing the Takemikazuchi, Yuki meets and develops feelings for Takashi (Hideaki Ito), a young rebel with a bloody past. Takashi helps her realize that happiness is out there somewhere, probably in another country.
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Before Yuki can give up her sword, the Takemikazuchi find her, forcing a final desperate battle. And of course, Takashi's past is catching up with him and things don't look good.
Can the star-crossed lovers find happiness and escape their murderous pasts or are they destined to pay for their crimes?
Director Shunsuke Sato, a relative newcomer to Japanese cinema, has crafted a strangely beautiful film full of stark scenery and treacherous ideals. Donnie Yen orchestrated the action and his past credits include "Blade II," "Shanghai Knights" and "Iron Monkey."
Special effects creator Shinji Higuchi does a fair job of blending computer graphics with human models. Though not always convincing, the effects are consistently creative giving them a coolness all their own.
Not since "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" has reading subtitles been so enjoyable. It may be true that not everyone who attends college is excited about reading, but honestly, it's worth it to see this film.
Shaku may not be speaking English, but she's speaking the language of a skilled and super-cute, samurai assassin - it's an ancient dialect. The fight scenes are fast, violent and usually end with enough blood loss to get the American Red Cross worked into a tizzy.
While the imagery didn't always make sense, the cinematography was stunning in its portrayal of such a depressive landscape. The story was richly developed with memorable characters and seemingly well-translated dialogue.
"The Princess Blade" is worth watching simply because it's different than anything else showing. It's got style, action and most importantly, it doesn't suck.
