ereinion This was Christophe Gans' first movie that he directed all by himself and as such a truly satisfying and impressive work. It was a rather unique film of its kind: a French-Canadian adaptation of a Japanese Manga comic. It was also rather unusual for the 90's, since comic-adaptations weren't as common as they are today. This was truly a rather unique and inspiring work.The cast is not absolutely top notch but Mark Dacascos, Tcheky Karyo, Rae Dawn Chong and Mako are to be seen and all of them deliver. On the Japanese front we have Masaya Kato, who plays an ultra-deadly and vicious Yakuza boss Ryuji Hanada and does it well, and then-still beautiful Yoko Shimada as his wife, the seductive, calculating and just as deadly Lady Hanada. Julie Condra was previously a TV soap actress and this is by far the best movie she has ever starred in. Considering that, she gives a good performance as Dacascos' love interest. Byron Mann, then coming off a featured role in the stinker The Street Fighter, appears as Freeman's somewhat uneasy ally. This is also by far the best project he's ever been in and he does OK in his part.There are quite many visually breathtaking scenes and the fighting scenes are well choreographed and well shot. The music and atmosphere are great. Even though Gans would perhaps outdo himself with his next project, Brotherhood of the Wolves, this was his first gem and a work to be taken seriously. In the heap of other mostly uninspired martial arts films with an Asian theme, this one clearly stood out as powerful and original in its time. There is both action, romance and sex scenes as well as an interesting plot to enjoy in here. As well as the performances of Dacascos, Karyo, Shimada and also Condra, who add depth to this film. I give it a clear 9.

Golgo-13 Crying Freeman is based off a Manga and tells the tale of the Freeman, a tattooed assassin (played by Mark Dacascos) "brainwashed" to kill for a secret Chinese crime syndicate. And kill he does (often in slo-mo); he is skilled with guns, swords, and what have you! Anyway, in the opening double hit, a female (of course) artist is witness to the violent act. He lets her go, for now, but the rule is no one can see his face and live. He is sent back to snuff her out but as he waits in her house, he finds a painting of himself. He realizes that this woman is not a threat and in fact, has some kind of feelings for him. When she finally arrives, he cannot kill her. Now, in addition to the Mafia who want revenge for their two slain men, Freeman's own group decided he broke the rules and must die for it (after one last hit, of course). There are many more ins and outs to the story but I think you get the idea. There is a decent helping of good, violent action and this is probably the film's strong point. Still, the general atmosphere is monotone and the plot drags at times. If you can find a copy, it's worth viewing, I guess, but not for $25. Christophe Gans' Brotherhood of the Wolf (also staring Dacascos) blows this out of the water. By the way, Freeman sheds a tear from time to time, hence the title. I forget what the exact reason was though…it's just his thing.

dbborroughs I've read the manga and seen the anime. I've now seen the live action film and like the earlier versions of the story I was entertained but not overly so.The plot of the movie has a girl witnessing the assassin known as the Crying Freeman killing several targets. (He's so named because he sheds a tear for each person he kills). She flees the scene of the crimes, and then waits for him to find and kill her. He does find her, but he does not kill her. They end up together. This turn of events along with a power void at he top of yakuza brings about a series of bloody clashes.A workman like production, this is a good little thriller that's not particularly special. It plays in many ways like a supped up TV movie, having the feel of a production that was made with an eye on every market in the world. Its a movie that will entertain you but won't stay with you very long after you've seen it.Honestly this version of the story made the least impression of all on me and I had to sit and think a while to try to remember, if indeed I really saw this movie or not.Certainly not a bad movie, its more middle of the pack. Its the type of thing that will entertain you while its on but won't really hang around in your head for very long after you've finished watching it. If you run across it on TV its worth trying.To be honest the worst thing that I can say about it is even though the actor playing our hero has no presence its still an enjoyable time waster.

Phil Arthur From movie crazy Christopher Ganns, the man behind the French Cinema success of 2001 Brotherhood of the Wolf and the film magazine Starfix, comes a tale based on the famous Japanese manga, the Crying Freeman.The story centres on a deadly assassin who works for a secret Chinese organisation. The one thing that makes this ruthless killer unique is that he sheds tears of regret each time he kills. One day an American artist witnesses him executing three Yakuzza leaders. She becomes obsessed with this mysterious killer and begins to fall deeply in love with him. The Yakuzza clans seek vengeance for their leader's execution and in an attempt to hurt the assassin, take the artist prisoner. They soon regret ensuing the wrath of the Crying Freeman, China's both most deadly and compassionate killer.The Crying Freeman is a film of disappointment; it is one big let down. Having watched Brotherhood of the Wolf prior to this, I was expecting a film full of stylishly choreographed Kung foo and a heart warming quest. I expected Dacos to be on top form and blow me away, boy was I mistaken. The Crying Freeman is bland and unexciting. I found it impossible to relate to the main characters and found the plot overall as boring as a Sunday afternoon at grandmas, only without the free twenty pence mix up. I find it soul destroying that one of my favourite films, Brotherhood of the Wolf, could of come from the same directorial mind as this dross. As a film professional I don't often turn films off but this is one of those few exceptions. The only way I could force myself to sit through till the end was to harbour the comforting thought that soon I will critically destroy this evil and wipe it from the earth forever, to be honest I would rather have endured Chinese water torture and if the KJB are reading show your captives this and I'll guarantee they'll talk. On the other hand could this just be a case of cultural ignorance on my part. After all I don't read nor even like Manga animation and what do I know of the Yakkuzza. Can a lack of cultural understanding spoil the interpretation and therefore enjoyment of a film? Perhaps I should spend weeks researching Japan and their organised crime in order to get the most out of the film, I think not.1/5