DVD Synopsis: Kamui: The Lone Ninja is an epic adventure unlike anything you've ever seen before. With a cast bursting with Asian cinema's hottest talent – including Ken'ichi Matsuyama (Death Note Trilogy) and Koyuki (Blood: The Last Vampire) – this stunning fantasy-adventure packs a real punch: extreme martial arts action and heart-stopping set-pieces all played out by a cast of deadly ninjas, fierce warrior clans, treacherous pirates and fearless shark hunters! From a young age Kamui has been considered something of an outcast, even within his own ninja clan. Disillusioned with the laws and principles, which dictate that he must use his skills to kill others, Kamui chooses to leave his past behind him and go in search of true freedom. But for a ninja liberation comes at a price and the only way to escape the bonds of the ninja brotherhood is to die. Now a fugitive on the run from his clan, who are determined to hunt him down and eliminate him for his betrayal, Kamui finds himself constantly fighting for his life and unable to trust anyone. He eventually finds some solace when he meets an indomitable fisherman who saves his life and invites him to settle with his family. Unexpectedly, the arrangement brings Kamui face to face with a long-forgotten nemesis of his, another renegade ninja with a deadly score to settle. Meanwhile, the ninja army hunting Kamui is setting a trap from which there can be no escape... (120 Mins)

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Views: Based on the manga by Sampei Shirato (of which I am a fan of), Kamui: The Lone Ninja tells the tale of a young ninja warrior who breaks free from his clan and goes on the run. As his old master and former clan members attempt to track him down and kill him, Kamui finds himself washed up on the shore of a small fishing village after being thrown overboard from a boat owned by Hanbei, a fisherman who just cut the leg off a horse belonging to the brutal Lord Gumbei. Seeing it as fate in having him wash up in his village, Hanbei offers to let Kamui stay with him and his family until he is better and ready to go. As it turns out, Hanbei's wife, Sugaru, is also a defect ninja who escaped from the very same clan 14 years previous, and soon, Kamui makes the connection. Promising Sugaru that he is not there to kill her, the pair agree to keep the truth of their past lives hidden for the chance of a peaceful future in the village. Of course, trouble isn't far behind and a local idiot decides to turn Hanbei in for his crimes. Sentenced to execution, Kamui and Sugaru set out on a rescue mission that all goes to plan, but soon find themselves at the mercy of the Watari men who save them from a vicious shark attack on their trip home. Forcing themselves into village life and helping to provide for the locals, the Watari soon reveal their true nature and it doesn't take long for the two defects to realise they are in danger, which calls for them to put their ninja skills to full use in order to stay alive and protect those around them!

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I really enjoyed Kamui: The Lone Ninja, and probably just as much as the more popular Azumi from Ryuhei Kitamura. Director Yoichi Sai delivers a film that stays true to its original source material, both in terms of storyline and visuals, with many scenes looking like they were taken straight out of the comic book and quite a few scenes that would easily fit into an Akira Kurasawa epic. While there are moments of questionable CGI, it doesn't distract too much and is often used to bring the comic book scenes to life – including some of the wilder action scenes such as the shark attacks, fights in the air, and advance ninja moves. Although he has only directed 20 films since the start of his directorial career in the early 80s, Yoichi Sai still makes Kamui a worthwhile watch with plenty of colour, great action scenes, and nice character development that all provide a well-balanced film, yet at the same time, still allows for a little more fun than most of the straight-laced samurai and ninja movies out there...

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From the smallest background character to the supporting characters with more vital roles, everyone gives a great performance throughout the film. The super-popular and handsome Ken'ichi Matsuyama leads the way as the titular Kamui, delivering a great performance as the ninja warrior. Having started his acting career in 2002 after appearing in the television show, Gokusen, the model turned actor has managed to rack up almost 80 credits to his name is just 2 decades including films like Kamachi, Vanished, Detroit Metal City, Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler, and Norwegian Wood, and made a fantastic impact playing roles in both the Death Note and Gantz series. Also starting her career as a model before turning her hand to acting, Koyuki stars as Sugaru and does a great job in all departments. The late 90s would see her on-screen in many television shows and movies including popular J-horror Pulse (Kairo), Ryuhei Kitamura's Alive, and made her Western debut alongside Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai as well as appearing in the live adaptation of Blood: The Last Vampire. Hong Kong superstar Ekin Cheng stars as Kamui's ninja master, and while it's a role that anyone could have played, it was still nice to see him appear in something a little different. Veteran actor Kaoru Kobayashi stars as elderly fisherman Hanbei, returning to work with director Sai after his wonderful leading role in Quill: The Life Of A Guide Dog, and Hideaki Ito – star of Takashi Miike's Sukiyaki Western Django, Terraformers, Lesson Of The Evil, and other hits like When The Last Sword Is Drawn, 252: Signal Of Life, and The Princess Blade (which was choreographed by Donnie Yen and Kenji Tanigaki) – stars as the menacing Watari leader, Fudo, who gets to take on Kamui in the closing battle.

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The gorgeous cinematography is handled by Jun'ichi Fujisawa, a trained eye who has been shooting films from the mid-80s including titles such as Yoichi Sai's Quill: The Life Of A Guide Dog, Gunhead, 9 Souls, and many more. He is joined by Tomoo Ezaki in what would be his feature film début and between them, deliver a host of beautiful shots that capture the story of Kamui well. These visuals are backed by an equally gorgeous score delivered by the popular Taro Iwashiro, a talent that has been behind the music on many hit films for the past few decades including animations such as The Dog Of Flanders, Rurouni Kenshin: The Movie, Bong Joon Ho's Memories Of Murder, Azumi, Shinobi: Heart Under Blade, The Sinking Of Japan, 252: Signal Of Life, and a host of John Woo titles including Red Cliff 1 & 2, The Crossing 1 & 2, and the disappointing Manhunt. Donnie Yen stunt team regular and director of his action-comedy Enter The Fat Dragon, Kenji Tanigaki, handles the action along with choreographer Takahito Oh'uchi – who also worked with Yen on Flash Point, SPL, and Special ID. Both as an actor and choreographer, Kenji has worked on many great Hong Kong titles over the years including Tokyo Raiders, Shinjuku Incident, Silver Hawk, Hidden Man, and the Rurouni Kenshin live-action movies from Japan. Having worked as the stunt double for Scorpion in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Kenji started working with Donnie Yen on Shanghai Affairs going through the years on the most (if not all) of his projects right up to the late Benny Chan's final action opus, Raging Fire, with Yen and Nicholas Tse as the stars. Throughout Kamui, Tanigaki provides plenty of exciting action scenes with many moments of wire-enhanced battles that stay true to the comic book, but enough grounded hand-to-hand ninja battles to please any fight fan. The final 20 minutes in particular are a treat!

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While not perfect, Kamui: The Lone Ninja is a great movie overall with plenty of entertaining values and a great cast onboard. It's a shame we just haven't got to see any sequels as yet from the same team, as this story was only scratching the surface of what the original source material offers. Now over a decade later, it's more likely that the story will sooner get the remake treatment than bring back Matsuyama as the titular character and Sai as director. But here's hoping...

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Overall: Well acted and directed, Kamui: The Lone Ninja is a great adaptation of the classic manga that offers plenty of great action and visuals to keep viewers entertained!

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DVD Extras: Press Conference of Premier Screening, Red Carpet Features, Cast & Crew Greetings, Trailers