I Want To

"GI Samurai" sees Sonny Chiba and some other guys get transported back to civil war stricken feudal Japan for no particular reason, and much carnage ensues. It's a rather over the top essay of sword vs. machine gun that ultimately yields some interesting results.

The plot essentially runs along the rails that you might expect from the title; initial fish-out-the-water antics ("what is this flying metal box?" etc etc), "aren't we better off here" discussions and ultimately a huge battle. The latter is proof that the film doesn't take itself seriously at all, the carnage taking up most of the second half as samurai army battles Chiba's platoon; a face off one would fully expect from the title but it still manages to overwhelm with its inventiveness and extravagance. It's certainly one of the most unique battle sequences of its time and doesn't drag despite its extended length.

Chiba gives a gruff performance as Iba, initially a good leader but someone who finally finds himself questioning his own morals as the situation slowly has an effect on him. This is certainly one of his better vehicles from his terrific CV. By the final act the two worlds have had such an effect on each other you have to wonder if it was a bit of nihilism on the part of the writers, as they seem to be asking "weren't we better off back then?'. But this is maybe reading a bit much into was can generally be described as a hugely entertaining two hours of (almost) non stop action.

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.

I have a pre-cert copy of this film, which is under the title 'time wars' and it runs at an even shorter time than the 110mins version mentioned here by other users. My copy barely hits 60 mins and the hacked editing shows in a very obvious way. There is little explanation of what is going on; the prostitute from the past seems to be still working at the brothel in the late 1970s; a Samurai appears riding a horse down the street in the 1970s for NO reason and while the ending is reminiscent of Macbeth there is a much a much stronger feeling of MacDuff to the whole finished product. I would like to see an unedited version of this in relation to what people are saying about it as my memory of it is as an instigator of Family arguments

BO!

"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.

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.