G.I. Samurai

I just finished watching the 139 min version (widescreen) with some friends and we were blown away. I won't bother repeating what others have said. What the filmmakers do with the concept is unexpected and fun. The huge battle is exhausting. Afterwards we were stunned to find there was still nearly 30 minutes left to go but that didn't keep us from being completely involved and entertained.

There is one thing that nearly ruined it and that was the horrific music/songs. Blues, Country/Folk and Rock Ballads do not belong here and every time they are used we all broke out in laughter. It's hideous. You have been warned but the story and storytelling keeps you grounded.

There are several outstanding moments that make you appreciate the talent behind the camera. There are many uses of silence as well as slow-motion photography that work beautifully. I really wish I could erase the music but alas.

Seek this out. It's fun, it's different and it takes you to places you wouldn't expect and that's very refreshing.

I would firstly say that somehow I remember seeing this movie in my early childhood, I couldn't read the subtitles and I thought Sonny Chiba was Sean Connery. But I did really like the concept. If you are not able to at least partially suspend your adult scepticism and embrace your inner seven your old you may want to avoid this movie. That said, having just watched the restored 137 minute version on DVD I have to say I enjoyed it, though not as much as when I was seven ( I remembered the ending ).

There are aspects of the movie that are worthy of criticism , the first 15 minutes and final 15 minutes both have some really comic moments, my favourite being the contrast between scenes acted out in the final 10 minutes and the curious choice of backing music ( listen to the lyrics ).

For an action film there is a great deal of focus on the personal stories of certain soldiers and the social dynamics of the squad as the strain of their time travel takes its toll. By the ending of the movie I had decided that this was a good thing, when seven I though the 'relationship' guff was a bad thing.

For an action film there is also plenty of gratifying gory action, especially a couple of epic battle scenes between the platoon and hordes of Shogun era warriors. The makers of the movie have ensured that as many deaths as possible are bloody and, lets face it, humorous. I thought this was a splendid aspect of the movie when I was a kid, and I am not ashamed to say that I still do.

I also like the fact that the modern day soldiers in general don't spend the movie walking on egg shells trying to avoid altering the space time continuum, they've got heavy calibre machine guns, mortars, rocket launchers, a tank and a helicopter and they're hell bent on making feudal Japan theirs. Which is what I'd like to think any vigorous IMDb user would do in their boots.

In short the movies worth watching, it makes the viewer regret that there are not more movies made with a similar premise, and at the same time offers some hefty hints as to why a movie like G.I. Samurai is so unique.

High concept movies don't get much higher in concept than G. I. Samurai, which is about a group of military personnel and their equipment getting transported back in time 100s of years, to samurai times. Once there, they get involved in a great many battles and ridiculous action ensues, especially for what feels like most of the second half.

At 140 minutes, I feel like it's way too long. There are also some uncomfortable/awkward moments here and there that soured things a little. But at the same time, I enjoyed quite a lot of it, and I liked how gonzo it was. It found a good deal of things to do with the wild premise at hand, and in that way, it definitely didn't feel like a waste or a missed opportunity.

"Who is Sonny Chiba? He is... he is bar none, the greatest actor working in martial arts movies today". So explains Clarence Worley in True Romance, a man who clearly knows his shizzle when it comes to Asian action stars. G.I. Samurai is the third flick I've seen from the dirt-cheap, 4-film Chiba box-set I bought from ebay, and it's the third winner in a row, a hugely entertaining sci-fi tinged action/adventure that ploughs through its 139 minutes like a 50-calibre machine gun through an army of warring-era Japanese soldiers.

Chiba plays Lt. Yoshiaki Iba, leader of a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force squadron that 'slips' through time, arriving in feudal Japan, where they join forces with a power hungry samurai planning to become the country's next ruler. The script doesn't concern itself with the whys and wherefores of the squadron's predicament, quickly glossing over the time travel nonsense in order to concentrate on the job at hand: pitting the modern-day soldiers, with their powerful weaponry, against hordes of warriors armed with swords, arrows, spears and throwing stars (oh yes, there will be ninjas!).

A couple of quieter moments do allow for that other all important staple of exploitative Japanese cinema—gratuitous female nudity—as several of Iba's men go AWOL for a rape and pillage spree, while a few others pay a visit to an obliging local widower; for the most part, however, it's loud, relentless, and bloody stuff, with Chiba proving Clarence to be right on the money with his assessment of the star: whether suspended from a helicopter firing a machine gun, riding a horse while firing a bow and arrow, or taking on a warlord with a broken sword, Sonny kicks serious ass.

Apart from controversial acting, directing, plot etc. there is one particular aspect of this movie thats is actually bad unconditionally.

If one would judge by "Sengoku Jieitai", one would conclude that JGSDF is the worst disciplined and trained army in the world, assembled by drafting idiots with criminal tendencies.

Samurai tactics against modern soldiers, shown in the movie, is remarkably decent to my surprise. It might even work IRL - well, if modern soldiers were indeed that stupid and untrained. Modern soldiers' tactics is just plain ridiculous - "WTF are they doing?!!" was all I could think about watching the otherwise spectacular final battle.

In my opinion, this movie creates a very bad image of JGSDF.

It also seems that there's not even single one positive character - anyone who's not an extra is either plain bad or just repulsive person. Even Lt. Iba (Sonny Chiba) - being badass - is also bad and an ass.

Well, at least we have two badass guys here.