Bunraku

In a world without guns, the woodcutter is the most powerful man west of the Atlantic. This has made him many enemies. Two drifters arrive in town both with similar, yet different goals. Both with a grudge against the woodcutter… both likely to die without the others help.

The Problems:

There is a point, at which, Josh Hartnett’s character goes up against one of the killers one on one, and they set up for what could be an awesome trapeze battle… but the buildup is all for naught. I get what they’re going for, with the idea that the hero can’t be good at everything, but in something like this, where the story is a little cartoonish in and of itself, it would have been amazing to see a choreographed trapeze fight. I guess I’ll just have to hold my breath on that one until I can find one in another movie.

Demi Moore’s character dies at the end of the film… at least, I think she does? The death itself is so quick, and then so quickly overlooked to get to the “big fight” at the end, that it felt really hollow, and meaningless. When it shouldn’t have, because her character has just managed to drag herself out of her own defeatist outlook on life and sacrifices herself by getting a pair of scissors to save another girl. It just felt wrong to end her like that.

What I liked:

The film has a very visually enticing quality. It’s somewhere between stage-production and Pop-up book. And they used lighting in a way very reminiscent of stage production, which I heartily enjoyed. It’s something I haven’t seen much of in the way of film and it made the movie a lot more fun than I think it might have been otherwise. Sure, they could have done the film a different way, played it much more “straight” but as it is, I think it’s amazing in its novelty factor.

The cast is Lovely. Kevin McKidd as Killer Number 2 was a lot of fun. He was a villain I enjoyed for the pure audacity of him. He’s smug and a smooth talker, who can kick your ass, all without dislodging his pince-nez. Woody Harrelson isn’t as goofy as he usually is, playing the sedate, limping bartender, but he’s got an air of that child-like nature to him, that you see any time someone picks a fight around him.

Oh, and I really want a translucent claw-foot tub now.

Overall:

I’m telling anyone I know who likes films to watch this. I feel like – as long as you don’t mind a little violence – it’s definitely worth your time.

Run Time: 124 minutes

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