Fast hands and a little kung fu will get you a long way.
Despite being a big fan of Woody Harrelson, I had never heard of this movie before my current streaming service suggested it, and what a treat it was!
The plot is classic in a way that it could have been from an old western movie or maybe from an old japanese samurai movie. And in a way it is actually both! It has a lot of classic features and qualities but also a new high paced and fresh feeling to it. Well done. Also a cool take on the “no guns”-policy by the way.
As mentioned I am a big fan of Woody Harrelson, and despite not playing as crazy as he sometime does, he does deliver a classic good performance here.
I am also becoming more and more of a fan of Josh Hartnett. The last couple of film I have seen him is he has done a good job and this movie is no exception.
The actor called Gackt does an acceptable job here, but his makeup makes him look a bit like a girl. I do not know if this was intentional, but it got me confused a few times.
Ron Perlman is his own classic self. One art ugly, one part scary and to parts brilliant.
The thing that sets this movie apart from others is the visual style. I was really amazed! It really does look like it is part of an origami setting combined with a pop-up book. It is carried out to the fullest.
In general the music is very well fitted to the mood of the movie. My favorite part is when the two heroes are fighting their way through the killers and Number 2 is tapping a beat with his sword-cane. That beat is still stuck in my head a few days later.
Watch this if you like westerns and/or samurai movies. Watch it if you like visually impressive movies. Watch it if you like Harrelson, Hartnett or Perlman.
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