Like a modern bard devoted to preserving his country's collective imagination, versatile director Yoichi Sai brings his sharp, elegant vision to Kamui, the big-screen adaptation of the celebrated seventies manga Kamui Gaiden.
Sai is a graceful keeper of the mysteries radiating from legend, a faithful interpreter of social criticism and an adroit choreographer of action and martial arts. With Kamui, he has crafted an awe-inspiring, sweeping ninjaepic that crosses the genre's thresholds, destined to appeal to a wide audience and satisfy even the most demanding and sophisticated tastes.
For an outcast in the rigidly hierarchical society of seventeenth-century Japan, the only possible road to redemption is to become a ninja, an unorthodox fighter skilled in the art of stealth. However, the ruthless world of ninjas causes some to desert in search of freedom. One such fugitive is Kamui, an invincible warrior who has decided to follow his heart and betray his despicable clan with its culture of abuse and injustice. Japan's hottest talent, Kenichi Matsuyama, plays the rebel ninja, giving his most spectacular performance to date.
On the run, Kamui abandons secluded forests and dark mountains for the blinding light and beauty of the ocean. He crosses paths with Hanbei (Kaoru Kobayashi), an indomitable fisherman who is always on the lookout for the perfect bait, the one that will ensure abundant fish for his beloved family. When Kamui washes ashore nearly dead on a little island, Hanbei happily brings him home and nurses him back to life. However, Kamui's arrival does not sit well with Oshika (Koyuki), Hanbei's dear wife, who senses the danger the sea has unexpectedly brought them. Nevertheless, Hanbei and Kamui's encounter is a fated one, destined to change both men's lives for better or for worse.
Pirates and shark hunters, luminous frescoes of daily fishing and hunting violence, underwater fights and magnificent ninja action scenes form the background to this heroic tale of life and death. Sometimes brutal, always exquisitely refined, Kamui puts a purely contemporary lens on an ancient soul and fills it with the rush of sheer entertainment.
Giovanna Fulvi
Yoichi Sai was born in Nagano prefecture and worked as an assistant director on Nagisa Oshima's
In the Realm of the Senses (76) before making his directorial debut with
Jukka No Mosquito (83), which screened at the Venice International Film Festival. His other films include
All Under the Moon (93),
Doing Time (02),
Quill (03) and
Blood and Bones (04).
Kamui (09) is his most recent film.