Samurai Marathon

I pretty much enjoyed this flick. It was a pretty simple story, bunch of ppl wanted to go on a healthy run, they all have their reasons, the local Lord wants everyone to be at peak physical condition after seeing the incoming westerners and their weapons, promises the winner a gift/request of their choice. Then drama. Especially that last half hour when the stakes get high and the direction gets intense. As a film its pretty engaging, as a Samurai film not like Blade of the Immortal level of swordplay, the characters feel pretty tragic and likeable. I give it my 9/10 because 6 is way too low, 8 is more accurate.

It is literally a film about a marathon, so there's not much action. It is interesting though, to see people cheat in the marathon even back then!

Samurai Marathon is apparently based on a true story, or, at least, on true events. That is why the movie was just a bit ... I wouldn't say boring but it lacked intensity. Usually, with samurai movies you expect action scenes that can take your breath away, wonderful speeches about greatness and deep emotions. Here, you get nice characters, but a flat story.

The action scenes were okay, but just a bit boring. The characters, moreover, were interesting, but they were too many to follow and that's why the movie couldn't handle them and they ended up falling through the cracks and disappearing.

The performances, as expected, were brilliant. The movie was packed with Japan's big names (I mean Sato Takeru was one of the leads and that is enough reason to watch this one).

So, overall, six out of ten.

When the credits roll and the show is over, one feels like they have actually run through the beautiful landscapes of the Yamagata Prefecture, thanks to remarkable lights and a superb cinematography. With a balanced mix of humor, action and tragic moments, Bernard Rose has managed to release something personal, beyond the parody and tribute to the genre. The ensemble cast is superb, the young actors and the more experienced ones are all popular stars in Japan.

I'm used to seeing Japanese movies which are way over-the-top and crazy. I'm thinking of Machine Girl, Prison School, Battle Royale, etc. But some of their movies are sort of a documentation of Japanese history and culture. This one was presented with both a sense of drama, and a sense of humor. This movie is high quality. I gave it only six stars; because I rate movies on how much I enjoyed them, not on their perceived quality. Seen on Tubi, the free streaming site.