Product Details

• Actors: Masatoshi Nagase, Daisuke Ryu, Tadanobu Asano, Jun Kunimura
• Directors: Sogo Ishii
• Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: Japanese
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Tokyo Shock
• DVD Release Date: September 28, 2004
• Run Time: 138 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002JP2VG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,242 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Starring Tadanobu Asano (Ichi the Killer Zatoichi 2003) and Masatoshi Nagase (Pistol Opera Suicide Club) Members of a warrior clan are being mysteriously beheaded at Gojoe Bridge. A former Buddhist monk and his grave robbing sidekick set out to unmask and destroy the powerful evil forces that lurk at Gojoe. A lavishly produced special effects-filled super-charged samurai fantasy!System Requirements: Running Time 137 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE UPC: 631595041385 Manufacturer No: TSDVD-0413

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting movie, with some caveats, August 1, 2005

By 

Tensegrity Dan "daredevil_30" (Berkeley, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gojoe: Spirit War Chronicle (DVD)

This is a beautifully directed movie, by notable director Sogo ISHII. But it is definitely NOT an "action packed epic" as described by Amazon. And the fight scenes are unusually and imaginatively depicted, but they are not "extraordinary" in the usual sense. In short, this is not an action movie nor is it a traditional samurai or martial arts film. It is really a metaphysical fantasy film. "Gojoe" is to samurai films as "Blueberry" is to westerns.

I am annoyed that it is getting poor reviews by people who were expecting some sort of Wu-Tang Baby Cart Master Killer blood and guts actioner. But it's not their fault that this film is incorrectly marketed.

People who will enjoy this movie:
- fans of director Sogo Ishii's slower paced films, e.g. "Angel Dust"
- fans of other foreign cinema especially Japanese cinema, e.g. Rashomon (although I would never claim it is in the same league as such a classic)
- those who like cerebral, beautifully shot films
- people with an interest in Japanese mythology or Shinto, but okay with it addressed on an obviously simplified level

People who are looking for the following should avoid this movie:
- action (though there is some)
- fast pace
- linear story
- everything spelled out and explained
- humor
- romance

The high points of this film include the beautiful imagery, intense slow-burn acting of Daisuke RYU as Benkei, good performances by all the supporting cast, pretty nifty costumes, a really awesome climax.

Oddly enough, I found Tadanobu ASANO, who I usually love, to be only so-so in this film. Maybe it was his bad hair.

The reason I give this film only a 4 is that it really is a bit long. Nonetheless, Media Blasters did do the right thing by including the full international version, instead of the cut version.

The DVD features are great, with both the original Japanese dialogue, nicely done subtitles, an English dub track, and some nice "making of" featurettes.

This is an interesting, unique film but only for the right audience.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Movie!!!, September 5, 2005

By 

Rafael Mayoral-Parracia - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gojoe: Spirit War Chronicle (DVD)

i dont understand what there isnt to get about the film or what not to like. the cinamatography is awesome, the storie plot is one of the better, more original ive seen in a while, i dont understand what the problem other people see with its special effects; the blood flow was great and realistic, not computer generated like in the new zatoichi film. i only had one qualm with the film and everything else really makes up for it; some scenes are grainy like they missed something in the editing process, but its nothing i hold against the film greatly. i rented it from blockbuster and have been thinking about buying just so i could add it to my collection. p.s. it's true people with ADD shouldn't be critics

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, March 12, 2005

By 

Gian Andrea - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gojoe: Spirit War Chronicle (DVD)

I just watched the movie and thought it is not bad. A little difficult to understand maybe without 40 minutes of scenes which were cut. The guy who wrote that this is not a metaphorical movie is a little clueless. And if you are looking for a "sword flick" don't buy this movie at all. The point of this movie is not fighting. Rather, what is the meaning of being a demon or a man. The main character, Benkei, is indeed a "demon" who tries to redeem himself from violence and becomes a man, but is drawn back to his demonic nature by the prince Shanao, who becomes a demon driven by revenge. The two characters are each one face of the same thing, and mutual destruction is the only possible end to their confrontation. Watch it if you are prepared to give some thought to it but don't expect an action flick or you will be disappointed. And think about that, people who kill and commit cruelty in wars for example, are they humans? Or rather demons in nature?