K_Todorov Ryuhei Kitamura's entry for the "Duel" project is a 70 minute samurai movie taking place in an old abandoned temple.It's a slow opening build up. Two men, one a wounded samurai, the other a mysterious monk living in a forgotten temple spend their time in conversation, waiting for the storm outside to end . Their backgrounds and motives become apparent establishing "who" are these two men and setting up the scene of confrontation between them. Unlike most other movies this one lacks a clear antagonist, the two leads are described as men of honor each with his own different point of view. So when their duel begins it becomes even more effective as it is not just choreography and camera works that makes the battle good but also because both these men are likable. Kitamura's decision to keep the battle for the final part of the film proves to be a correct one, as tension builds up between the two leads with each and every revelation, setting their motivation for whats coming.Considering that the whole movie took place in just one room, the fight scene was pretty impressive with Kitamura demonstrating some very nice camera-work, following the swordplay in an almost perfect rhythm. The choreography is also top notch once again proving that Kitamura is able to create memorable and stylish fight scenes without the necessarily needed high budget. Considering that the whole battle took place in just one room. The ending while a bit too similar to that of "Versus" fits the story's direction nicely with a ironic "the hunted becomes the hunter" type finale. "Aragami" is not an over the top, high-paced, non-stop as "Versus" instead it relies more on character to set it's tone for the finale. And with just about the right length so that it doesn't begin to drag on too much, Ryuhei Kitamura's Aragami is a very enjoyable samurai film.

scobbah When you're preparing yourself to tune in to a Ryuhei Kitamura movie, you know that the experience will be intense, original and it will most likely make you hunger for more. I am a fan of this director and 'Aragami' didn't disappoint me. The plot were at first quite mystic to me when reading it, but I got caught up fast with the plot once the movie had started. Kitamura's movies in my humble opinion often have great dialogs but 'Aragami' has something beyond this - the dialogs are superb. Anyone doubting in Japanese movies should give this a try if you have a special liking about samurais and mystical magics. Another great reason to not give Hollywood a second thought. This movie quickly turns out to be one amongst my favorite Kitamura movies. 9/10!

lost-in-limbo Two wounded samurai fleeing from their enemy end up at a remote temple in the mountains. Two days later one of the samurai (Takao Osawa) awakes to find out his friend is dead, but he's healed. The owner (Masaya Kato) of the temple invites the warrior to stay the night to have some drinks before leaving. During their discussions it comes clear that the host is not a mere mortal but a powerful demon named Aragami, the god of battle, and he has been fighting all who enter the temple for centuries. So now begins the challenge for the young samurai.Well, the film doesn't have a whole lot to offer, really. It felt rather disjointed at times and that's probably because it was made in seven days. It's incredibly slow and fairly padded with a lot of ponderous dialogue and quiet stretches. The plot is really nothing much, with it basically about two warriors stashing it out from sharp conversations about themselves, or on morals on war and the sizzling sword fights between them eat up the scenery. When it comes to the superbly choreographed battle sequences, which are exciting and slickly done, you know why you stuck through the thick amount talk and slow beginning to begin with. The climax that it slowly builds up to is well done and in creditably effective. Sound performances are given by Kato and Osawa. The dominating temple is what hits you straight away with a fairly Gothic take with a lot of dark tones and dim lighting within. Also, the stylish photography totally stood out, but not everything worked out or fitted in perfectly. Some touches involving the script, the plot retreading old ground, pacing for this type of film (especially since it's only 70mins long) and soundtrack felt odd, but hey that's probably just me? Oh, by the way I did enjoy the moments of humour, especially the black humour that was evident. It's a fair effort by director Ryuhei Kitamura.Just don't be expecting a fully blown action film, but also don't expect anything too meaningful, as you will be fully disappointed if so. Although, if your looking for something completely different you can't go wrong here. It's a very simple plodded film and nothing more.

rstehli Yeah this movie is about the Aragami, who is immortal, and his quest for death. He tricks a warrior into becoming immortal as well, and they fight it out. 1 room, two actors, many fights. A very cool movie, maybe not quite up to par with this director's other work, but still fun to watch. The plot is surprisingly well developed, but some ideas in the fights are recycled from other films. While the movie starts out slow, it actually has a plot that you can understand, unlike many Japanese movies that deal with any type of mythology. I guess you could call the movie serious, but it has a sense of humor and is just made to be entertaining. If I had to compare it to an American movie I would say... Mortal Kombat without any stupid catch phrases or comic relief. I mean, its a barebones story as an excuse to have two sweet characters fight each other. And honestly, it was made in a week.