Crazy Samurai: 400 vs 1 centres around the legendary samurai Musashi Miyamoto (Sakaguchi). He was a real-life figure and reportedly had an undefeated record of 61 duels to his name. The film is a huge exaggeration of his skill though and not based on any historical record of the man.
In 1604, Miyamoto Musashi attacked the Yoshioka family at their dojo and defeated master Seijūrō and his younger brother Denshichirō in two duels. To save their reputation, the Yoshioka family decides to fight back with all 100 family members and hire an additional 300 samurai. Now Musashi sets out to defeat all 400 enemies in his most famous battle.
Based on an idea by iconic director Sion Sono, Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1 follows Miyamoto Musashi (Tak Sakaguchi) as he leads an assault on the Yoshioka family in 1604. After defeating their master Suijuro and his younger brother Denschichiro, the Yoshioka family is left in disarray. In order to reclaim their family honor, all 100 family members defend themselves against their attacker, hiring an additional 300 samurai to ensure victory. Against all odds, Musashi decides to accept the challenge and try to kill every man that stands in his way.
Directed by Yuji Shimomura, Crazy Samurai has a wild concept with? less wild execution. Don?t get me wrong. There?s a lot to like about Crazy that makes it an intriguing watch. Shot almost entirely in one take, Crazy has a unique look and feel to it. While modern ?one shot? performances often use digital trickery to make it appear authentic, Crazy actually feels like one exhausting battle to the death. As they watch Musashi face wave after wave of samurai standing in his way, one can?t help but be amazed at the man?s commitment to the concept. Set against impossible odds, Sagakuchi shows off some incredible skills (and cardio) as he wields his sword against an endless string of trained foes. Rarely ever allowing him a moment off camera, we see the toll that the battle is taking on him, giving it an element of realism that few other period films can do. (In fact, when he finally moans, ?How many more of them are there??, we believe his frustration and exhaustion.)
There's been an argument for years that modern samurai films have got too flashy. Too much CG blood, too many whipping swords, too many opponents. Crazy Samurai Musashi takes a different tack: Amp up all those elements, then slim them down to their most elegant incarnations, then just film the longest sword fight ever.
The script (yes, there is a story) by Sion Sono takes the uncategorizable filmmaker back to the samurai tale - a genre he hasn't touched since he co-directed Kenkichi with Sakaguchi almost a decade ago. For this, much as his arguable forebear Takashi Miike did with 13 Assassins, he reaches into the history books. The real Musashi was one of the great philosopher-swordsmen, his battles and duels the stuff of legend and the inspiration for dozens of books, plays, and films (including the Samurai trilogy, starring Toshiro Mifune). The battle that elevated him up the ranks of his single-handed destruction of the Yoshioka School, including its three heads and dozens of students. In Crazy Samurai Musashi, the dozens become hundreds, after Musashi assassinates 12-year-old Yoshioka Matashichiro, the final head of the school (if that sounds rough, it's worth remembering that Musashi was 13 when he won his first duel).
An impressive feat of physical endurance exists at the center of Crazy Samurai Musashi, as lead actor Tak Sakaguchi cuts his way through nearly 600 opponents over the course of 75 minutes in a single, unbroken take. Screening as part of the 2020 Fantasia International Film Festival, the latest from director Yûji Shimomura is meant to depict one of the most famous battles in the career of legendary samurai Miyamoto Musashi, as he faces off against an army of henchman and mercenaries hired by the Yoshioka clan.
Crazy Samurai is an iPhone game developed by Chengdu Huanqiu Shidai Technology Co. Ltd. that puts you in control of a samurai fighting in an arena against waves of enemies. The game's objective is to defeat all the opponents to unlock new weapons and armors to improve your combat effectiveness.
The game offers hundreds of insane weapons for your samurai to use, making it an exciting and challenging experience. The controls are smooth and intuitive, allowing you to move your samurai with ease and perform different combat moves. The graphics are visually appealing and add to the overall experience of the game.
Overall, Crazy Samurai is an entertaining game that keeps you engaged and wanting more. The game is free to download, making it accessible to anyone who wants to experience the thrill of samurai combat.
As you might imagine, the action is relentless, but concessions are made to capitalize on the whole 77-minute, no-cut thing, with choreography a bit safer, more grounded and less bombastic than what you might expect from a big samurai film. Most of the blood-letting is of the CG variety, though there are some cleverly hidden blood packs throughout the showdown to ensure that Musashi is covered in the stuff by the end.
Save for a brief intro sequence and an incredible final scene, this is a true, single-take film, meaning there are no hidden cuts to be found (that I could spot); Shimomura even writes water breaks into the script, allowing Sakaguchi to take a brief respite before jumping back into the fray and slicing up dozens more hapless samurai.
760c119bf3