Saturday 12 May 2007

The Princess Blade (2001)

The Princess Blade is an interesting hybrid swordplay action/science fiction/alternative history movie. Yuki is a young woman who belongs to a clan of warrior ninja assassins. The plot involves the power struggle within the clan as well as Yuki’s involvement with a member of an anti-government rebel group. The action sequences are stunning, but it’s not just an action movie - there’s a focus on the heroine’s motivations and her relationships as well. Yuki has a destiny, and it involves more than just killing. She has great skill as a swordswoman but her real strengths lie elsewhere, in her growing understanding of the nature of power and responsibility and the uses and abuses of violence. It’s an intelligent, very stylish and very entertaining movie with a fine performance by Yumiko Shaku as Yuki.

7 out of 10

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