Shura Yukihime (2001)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Shinsuke Sato

Writers:

Kazuo Kamimura (comic)
Kazuo Koike (comic)

Release Date:

15 December 2001 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi

Plot:

In the near future, Japan is ruled once more by a monarchy. But, rebels opposed to this rule seek to overthrow the government...

Plot Keywords:

Rebel | Assassin | Gas Station | Female Warrior | Wound

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Hideaki Ito	...	Takashi
Yumiko Shaku	...	Yuki
Shirô Sano	...	Kidokoro
Yoichi Numata	...	Kuka
Kyusaku Shimada	...	Byakurai
Yôko Chôsokabe	...	Soma
Yoko Maki	...	Aya
Naomasa Musaka	...	Kiri
Yutaka Matsushige	...	Anka
Shintarou Sonooka	...	Chain Wielder
Takashi Tsukamoto	...	Takashi's Friend
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
L.B. Bartholomee	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version) (as Lowell Bartholomee)
Russell Bartholomee	...	Takashi's Friend (voice: English version)
Kimberly Dilts	...	Yuki (voice: English version)
Dom Elsnor	...	Chain Wielder (voice: English version)
Lyle Faubert	...	Anka (voice: English version)
Robert Fisher	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version) (as Robert S. Fisher)
Samuel Harlow	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Sammy Harte	...	Additional voices
Jessica Hedrick	...	Aya (voice: English version)
Joey Hood	...	Kiri (voice: English version)
Grant James	...	Kuka (voice: English version)
Judson L. Jones	...	Kidokoro (voice: English version)
Jason Martoni	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Ellie McBride	...	Soma (voice: English version)
Michael T. Mergen	...	Renkyo (voice: English version) (as Michael Mergen)
Russ Roten	...	Byakurai (voice: English version) (as Russ Rotan)
Adam Sultan	...	Takashi (voice: English version)
Chan Yeuw	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)

Also Known As:

The Princess Blade (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence.

Runtime:

92 min | Germany:92 min (Berlin Film Festival) | USA:93 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

DTS | DTS-Stereo

Certification:

New Zealand:R16 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-15 | Argentina:13 | South Korea:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Australia:MA | Germany:16 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:PG-12 | UK:18 | USA:R

Company:

GAGA Communications

Trivia:

The statue in the industrial district of the town actually resembles the producer of the movie, not Stalin.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: During many of Yuki's fight scenes, it is painfully obvious that a male stunt double is used for all the violent hits, slams, falls, and drops.

Movie Connections:

References The Princess Bride (1987)

disappointing

once we accept that the world we're looking at is in an alternative universe that developed along the same lines as our own, the fantasy element of this film is a little easier to bear.

unfortunately, even allowing that, the plotting is just way too heavy-handed and convoluted to be very much fun.

there are a lot of action scenes in this film - choreographed by the great Donnie yen - and for the most part they are well-done and very violent, which suits me fine; but they do have one big problem - Shaku Yumiko as Yuki - she doesn't know how to fight.

being a long sword best used held with both hands, the katana, or samurai sword, requires the body's complete and focused energy. in some styles, you swing it from the hips, in others from the back-bone; but if you have to swing it from the shoulder, you better have strong legs, because that's where the energy is really going to come from. if you swing from the shoulder alone, with no chi flowing from other parts of the body, you might as well be swinging a broom - definitely not the single lethal stroke the katana is designed to accomplish.

well, but that's what she does - she swings her katana from the shoulders. no wonder she gets banged around so much in this movie.

this can't be yen's fault, he's too well versed in traditional fighting techniques; and the other performers do fines. i think we're just stuck here with a young actress who lacks confidence. to some extent, that wouldn't even be her fault. no, it's the casting director, the producer, and the director who must take the blame for this one.

from the synopsis, i was expecting much more; instead, i got much less.

by the way, she doesn't act all that convincingly either.