Crazy Samurai Musashi: Longest long shot in cinematic history (As of release) and worth a shot if you're an action fan!

 

Sakaguchi has enjoyed a career resurgence as of late. The enigmatic martial artist always brings his all in whatever venture he's involved in. Ever since bursting onto the movie scene back in 2000 with the unforgettable Versus, his screen presence and awesome action due to his martial arts background made him something of a star. Somehow, he got lost in the shuffle in the 2010s despite appearing in Why Don't You Play in Hell? which was by all accounts a thoroughly enjoyable movie. He came back with a vengeance with 2016's Re:Born, an action packed, riot of a movie. 

The question on everyone's minds was how would Sakaguchi follow such an awesome comeback? The answer we received in the form of 2020's Crazy Samurai Musashi: 400 vs 1. What a follow up it turned out to be. The movie is based on legendary swordsman, ronin and accomplished author, Musashi Miyamoto himself! When I first heard that Tak Sakaguchi was portraying Musashi Miyamoto, I was curious as to how it would turn out. Despite it being a low budget affair, it made great use of what it had to work with. 

In a brief overview, there are technically three scenes. The first scene focuses on the disgraced clan and it's leader as they have hired some mercenaries to bolster their numbers to reach that of 400 (as seen in the title). In a slightly forested area, they lay in wait, an ambush prepared for the legendary swordsman. Needless to say, their plan goes awry when Musashi unexpectedly leaps out of a tree, cutting down the would be leader. It is then that we transition into the second and longest of the three scenes, the battle between Musashi and the 400 mentioned previously. It is this second scene where the movie changes pace and sets itself apart from all other action movies ever made.

What follows is the longest one shot sequence in cinematic history, which lasts an approximate 77 minutes and features Tak Sakaguchi slaying men left and right. I enjoyed the camerawork as it made sure that Sakaguchi was never out of frame as he cut his way through slews of foes. He was always mostly towards the centre of the screen and we could follow his every movement as he made his way through the village. Now, the movie's low budget ensured that there wasn't many locations to film in but the movies makes great use of the village and the nearby forest. The location of the battles seem plausible and at least look somewhat fitting for the era in which this particular movie takes place. 

Moving through the village and the fallen victims of Musashi's blades, the fighting is only momentarily halted by very small breaks. I really liked this aspect as it showed Musashi as human, growing weary after defeating foe after foe. These short breaks allowed him to reenergize and was no doubt a welcome thing for Sakaguchi. One of these breaks involves a nice little sequence in which the protagonist attempts to take cover in a nearby building and recover, only to be discovered by the building's occupant, a young lady. Musashi pleads with her to keep quiet but, she swiftly betrays him, calling out to the enemies nearby and forcing him to meet them in combat. 

Now some reviewers of the movie have stated that they believe that there is no tension anywhere in the movie. I disagree with this notion as there's a building tension throughout as Musashi becomes exhausted and then after slaying hundreds of enemies, he comes across the gravest threat. Face to face, he meets the greatest swordsman amongst the now, mostly dead clan. I love the imagery of the sudden, inexplicable rain as they begin to clash swords, it gives it a big fight feel and adds atmosphere. With the swordsman having some lines, he comes across as more of a threat than any of the mobs Musashi faced. This fight also features the best choreography of the movie. 

Once Musashi has dealt with his greatest adversary out of the 400, we transition into the final scene. Taking place many years after the events shown on screen previously, it shows Musashi and his remaining enemies preparing to face off to end the slaughter once and for all. The movie ends just as they begin to clash. 

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie despite some flaws and a lack of budget. Tak Sakaguchi showed remarkable stamina as he fought his way through the 77 minute long take and showed that he still has what it takes to carry a movie as a leading man. I also enjoyed him destroying an arrogant opponent in swift fashion on his way to the village, that scene was hilariously satisfying. On the negative side, the choreography was a little too repetitive with many of the same strikes and slashes used repeatedly, but that's understandable with the sheer amount of time of the one shot sequence. 

I do believe that it is worth a viewing at least once if action is your thing, it's not perfect by any means but is perfectly serviceable. I'd probably give it around a 7 0r 8 out of 10 if I had to give it a score.