Have you ever had that feeling of sheer giddiness when you watched a film? You know, that tingling sensation located somewhere between your lower abdomen and upper pelvic that tickles you in a delightful manner? It's a tremendous feeling that could rival the orgasm! Well, maybe not, but it gets damn close. I've felt this sensation in only a handful of films. The first being my adolescent viewing of MORTAL KOMBAT. I couldn't sit still when the fire roared behind the logo of the dragon. Other memorable moments were the first twenty minutes BATTLE ROYALE, the last minutes of EQUILIBRIUM, the opening of FIGHT CLUB, and no doubt, the whole film of VERSUS. Leave it to Ryuhei Kitamura to make yet another film that hits my film pleasure zone over and over again.

AZUMI is based on the manga with the same name. Having never read the manga (except for the exert from the Deluxe Edition DVD), I really can't tell you all that much about how the film stacks to the manga. What I CAN tell you is how utterly amazing this film is. Ryuhei doesn't waste time with the opening. As soon as the quick introduction is over, you're blasted into the middle of our group of protagonists' training session. As with VERSUS, AZUMI contains some of the flashiest camera work to date. Some of the shots in this film that seemed to be effortlessly brought to life by Ryuhei, are the same shots directors like Quentin Tarrtino can only dream about. Each character gets their own glorious moments of "coolness." Practically every character in this film ooze the "bad ass factor." Aya Ueto as the kick-ass Azumi can probably be called the epiphany of "woman that can kick-ass." When you take a stunningly attractive female lead and give her jaw-dropping sword skills, you get an equation that is guaranteed to please and entertain. Add a superb supporting cast of seasoned veterans and Kitamura regulars (meaning, the VERSUS cast), you've got yourself quite an eccentric troupe of actors.

The gem of VERSUS was its adrenaline-fueled action scenes. The best part about it all was that VERSUS was made on a shoe-string budget! Imagine what would happen if you gave the director more money to play with! The action is definitely the main drawing point of the film. Unlike the cross of melee and ranged weapons of VERSUS, AZUMI is primarily a melee fighting film. You won't be seeing two guys shooting each other at point-blank distances, but you will see arrows getting slashed. Although the hacking and slashing can be criticized for being a tad bit repetitive at times, in the bigger picture of things, AZUMI's action pars up well with VERSUS. There are enough imaginative and creative elements allocated to each scene to keep the viewer feeling like something new is served to them. Also, at certain times, Ryuhei's big-budget Hollywood-ish visions are marred by the painfully apparent lack of funds. I don't need to mention these moments specifically, because they scream "NOT ENOUGH MONEY WAS PUT IN THIS SCENE," but it happens so few and far between that it's a forgiveable factor. For every shot that looks shabby, Ryuhei makes it up with thirty other shots that'll grab you by the balls and rock you. Honestly, in the last thirty minutes of the movie, there'll be so many moments when you go "Holy...........that was sweet," you'll forget those shabby shots. I don't want to ruin anything, but the finale involves enough people that if you stacked them on top of each other, they could probably touch the tip of Mt. Everest. Through its short-comings (which are very rare), the action in AZUMI is still an A+ ordeal with it's mind-blowing choreography.

This isn't your normal period Japanese flick. The soundtrack is filled with catchy tunes that's a cross between traditional Japanese music, techno beats of clubs, and rocking guitar riffs. Even the costumes are more anime in nature. From Azumi's bright and colorful attire to the Sajiki Brothers' crazy armor, this film reaches out for more colorful than more traditional. But I mean come on, if you wanted to watch a traditional period piece, go watch ZATOICHI or something by Akira Kurosawa. Ryuhei's purpose here is to serve the same old generic formula we have all seen, but serve it in a way that can still manage to impress the pants right off of us.

AZUMI marks Ryuhei's bow to bigger budget films. This is a man who knows how to use his cast and crew to show us a vision that can make us cream our pants. There's no doubt about it, Ryuhei is on his way to claim the spot of Japan's most renowned international director. AZUMI cross-breeds action, humor, and emotion into one big triumph of film-making. Although on the outside, the sets are more ambitious and the fights are more grand in scale, at it's heart, AZUMI is still just like VERSUS: it's all about sitting down and having fun. Ryuhei Kitamura once again provides us with 2 hours of pure entertainment!