Red Blade

Not sure why Hollywood struggles to make movies like this one. Its martial arts but it isn't. A drama with some funny scenes. The action that in Hollywood is usually only for that, here can be used for comedy, drama or part of the plot. Its nor really a martial arts movie. More martial arts used as part of the story. Mako the main character is played very well but never over the top. The fight scenes were good without the gore & violence (there is some but its fine for older children) for gore's sake. The scenery is not big budget tho never was missing anything. The direction & script are great. A full story, well told without feeling like you are missing something. often you feel in these kind of movies like something was left out in order to make the story believable. There are a couple of edits that could have been smoother otherwise I might have given it 10 stars. I know I'll watch this again. I know there are critics that reviewed this movie poorly. I think they are looking for a more Hollywood approach with more production & characters. But they totally miss the point. If they did the big production, you would have lost the qualities & charm that make this movie so enjoyable. Even the ending was not predictable. Neither was the entire movie. No Hollywood ending either. Just another thing that made me enjoy this movie so much. The story has its ups & downs & ups & downs & ups. Its been a while since I enjoyed a movie this much. I will have to seek out other movies by Takahiro Ishihara, the director.