Kamui Gaiden and Cast Me If You Can at the Viz

Perusing the Viz Cinema's December schedule, I notice they are screening Cast Me if You Can from December 10 to 18. Cast Me if You Can was one of the films I enjoyed at the 2010 Mill Valley Film Festival.

I'm glad the film is getting a limited release in the Bay Area. I hope it finds an audience in Japantown.

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I swung by the Viz earlier this week to see Kamui Gaiden. There was a colon in the title in the film but I won't quibble.

Kamui Gaiden reminded me of a Japanese version of The Treasure Hunter from the 2010 Chinese American Film Festival. There were a lot of special effects (some of which looked fake) and not much plot or character development. I fell asleep for most of the last 30 minutes. There was a neat trick where a horse's leg was cut off but that was little respite from the two hour ordeal. The plot involves a ninja on the run from his cohorts. He encounters a fisherman and his family. His paranoia leads to tragic consequences.

The film starred Ken'ichi Matsuyama who I previously saw in Detroit Metal City and the Death Note films. He was unrecognizable to me. The actor is truly a chameleon and the role of Kamui was nothing like his roles in the other film.

I didn't find many redeeming qualities in Kamui Gaiden and frankly wished I had spent the two hours doing something else.

Kamui Gaiden starring Ken'ichi Matsuyama; Japanese with subtitles; (2009) - Official Website