SHORT TAKES
BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL directed by Takashi Miike
Playing like a samurai spin on the western True Grit, this action fantasy is from the prolific Takashi Miike, whose stylishly violent films, such as 2011’s 13 Assassins, have won him international cult status. Here, he’s adapted a manga comic series about lone super-swordsman Manji (Takuya Kimura), who is blessed – or perhaps cursed – with self-healing immortality. That indestructibility proves useful when orphaned tomboy Rin (Hana Sugisaki) persuades him to help her avenge her parents’ murder, which pits the katana-wielding pair against one fabulously costumed baddie after another. Their 141-minute quest does get repetitive. But the combo of inventively gory action and mad melodrama makes it OTT fun.
IN CINEMAS NOW Russell Baillie ONLY THE BRAVE directed by Joseph Kosinski
This based-on-a-true-story action film is a rousing tribute to America’s rural firefighters, who hack and shovel on the front lines of raging wildfires. Beneath the faint whiff of gung-ho propaganda and a musty macho-ness lies a tale with a timid and honest heart, exploring the inner struggles of its Arizona-based crew rather than just setting your local theatre aflame with over-fuelled action. Josh Brolin, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Connelly and Miles Teller give convincingly gruff and tortured performances.
IN CINEMAS NOW James Robins