Dororo (2007)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Akihiko Shiota

Writers:

Osamu Tezuka (comic)
Masa Nakamura (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

15 March 2007 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

48 body parts taken by demons, 48 fights to win them back.

Plot:

A female warrior who was raised as a man joins a young samurai's quest to recover 48 of his body parts from 48 demons and to avenge her parents death.

Plot Keywords:

Based On Comic | One Word Title | Martial Arts | Based On Comic Book | First Of Series

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Satoshi Tsumabuki	...	Hyakkimaru
Kou Shibasaki	...	Dororo
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kumiko Asô
Eita	...	Tahomaru
Hitori Gekidan
Satoshi Hakuzen
Mieko Harada	...	Yuri
Yoshio Harada	...	Jukai
Taigi Kobayashi
Kiichi Nakai	...	Kagemitsu Daigo
Kenji Oka
Anna Tsuchiya

Directed by
Akihiko Shiota

Writing credits
Osamu Tezuka		(comic)
Masa Nakamura		(screenplay) &
Akihiko Shiota		(screenplay)

Produced by
Takashi Hirano	....	producer

Stunts
Kensuke Sonomura	....	lead stunt double
Hiroyuki Yoshida	....	action coordinator

Other crew
Siu-Tung Ching	....	action instructor
Rika Higano	....	set translator

Production Companies

• Asahi Shimbun Newspaper, The
• Dentsu
• Hokkaido Broadcasting Co.
• Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS)
• RKB Mainichi Broadcasting Corporation
• Stardust Pictures (SDP)
• Toho Company
• Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS)
• Twins Japan
• Universal Pictures
• WoWow
• Yahoo Japan

Distributors

• Long Shong Entertainment Multimedia Company (2007) (Taiwan) (theatrical)
• Toho Company (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Madman Entertainment (2008) (Australia) (DVD)
• Mediatres Estudio (2007) (Spain) (DVD)
• Mediatres Estudio (2007) (Spain) (TV)
• Sarawak Media (2009) (Malaysia) (DVD)
• Splendid Film (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) (2007) (Japan) (TV)
• Universal Pictures (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Visual Filmes (2008) (Brazil) (DVD) (TV)
• Vscape Enterprise (2007) (Malaysia) (DVD)

Special Effects

• D.I.G (digital compositing) (as Imagica/VFX)
• Hammerhead (visual effects)
• Imagica West (digital effects)
• Linda / Animaroid (visual effects)
• Links Digiworks (motion capture)
• Links Digiworks (visual effects)
• Studio Galapagos (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Cineo Camera  camera equipment supplied by
• Continental Far East  Dolby consultant
• Imagica  digital intermediate
• Imagica  film processing
• Nihon Shomei Co.  lighting equipment supplied by
• Shu Tokki  grip equipment supplied by
• U'Den Flame Works  stunts
• Warp Station Edo  exterior sets

Runtime:

Hong Kong:139 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Hong Kong:IIB | South Korea:15 | Japan:PG-12 | Australia:MA | Australia:MA (2008) | Netherlands:16 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Japan

Company:

Asahi Shimbun Newspaper, The

Good for what it is, but...

Dororo is a great genre film. It's an adventure movie kind of akin to a live action 'Ninja Scroll'. In fact, by keeping a simple, straightforward plot (boy's father pledges a number of his unborn son's body parts to demons in exchange for power - years later the boy is a man, and back for revenge) it elevates itself head-and-shoulders above most films of it's kind, as well as the manga and anime equivalents, which tend toward overly complicated and downright convoluted, soap opera-ish plots.

On the other hand, it falls prey to many of the problems of those genres - perpetuating the trend. Problems that include science defying scenes (a little in a fantasy film is O.K., but it gets to a point where... well, suspension of disbelief becomes impossible... no one, let alone an infant is going to survive even a minute without a heart) of which ludicrously over-the-top wire work is just one small part.

To be fair, action movies have been getting dumber, and with more "gimme-a-break" moments worldwide (any British action film starring Jason Statham, or recent Hollywood efforts such as 'Wanted'), still, it leaves one asking do we really need another film in this vein? Movies like Dororo', and 'Hero', are a far cry from the believable samurai pictures of a master like Kurusawa and Mizoguchi.

Still, it's pacing is far better than most, resisting the temptation to have non-stop fight scenes, and a dash of restrained humor thrown in for good measure. And it's fun to catch all the little homages to other films - everything from 'Edward Scissorhands' to 'A Fistful of Dollars'.

If you love the genre, you will love 'Dororo'. If you even like the genre, you will probably really like 'Dororo'. If you don't, it's definitely not going to convert you, and despite it's superiority within the genre, is unlikely to impress you favorably.