From the director of Versus - Azumi!

[Latte Thunder]

I'm a sucker for a movie with ninjas and I liked Versus despite it's inherent flaws so I figured I'd give this baby a chance.

Unlike Versus, this one has a story and dialog. Unfortunately, the story is overly complicated for a B picture and the dialog is some of the most nauseating I've ever heard. With this in mind, it's still not a bad flick. Basic premise: A samurai sick of endless warring in early feudal japan is charged with task of training a team of assassins to kill the lords in power who insist on waging war. He builds his team by helping children of the victims of the endless wars and after years of training, they are ready to kick ass. The best of the pack is Azumi, a really hot chick in a little blue outfit. She's the strongest and the fastest. Together, they have to kill three warlords. But this isn't as easy as it sounds.

So story and dialog aside, this has some of the most imaginative battles I've ever seen. Coming from the Riyuhei Kitamura, I'd expect nothing less. This time he has more money in his pocket to make it and employs a lot of computer effects. The action is as stylized as Versus with less bad-ass posing. There's a good deal of blood, but it's not the splash-fest that Versus was.

Watching Azumi is like the first time you saw a John Woo movie. You can't believe some of the stunts they're doing and it's all high flying. It just has to be seen to be believed.

Take my word and check it out sometime. It's a lot of fun.