Unforgiven

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... Unforgiven (2013)!

Original image located here. Accessed 20th February 2026

Hollywood has a reputation of taking movies that originated in Japan and remaking them - Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven being one such example. So what happens when it goes the other way?
This movie is a Japanese remake of the Clint Eastwood magnum opus (pun intended) of the same name. It takes a western and reworks it into a samurai setting. Well I rank Unforgiven as a long-standing favourite so this seems like a challenge worth rising up to. 

The first thing that leaps out is that this movie is set in the Meiji era, the period in Japanese history that saw the end of the samurai era and the beginning of modernisation (and would be very familiar to fans of Rurouni Kenshn). This also means that there are firearms in this movie but given that this is a remake of a western it somehow isn't surprising. It should also be noted that this is set in Hokkaido which is a setting never really addressed in many Japanese films (most likely due it having it's own can of worms but that's another story). 
So how does this stack up against the original? Well like any remake it can't really escape the shadow of the original. And to that end, it does follow the plot of the original closely. It also shares some truly stunning imagery - and even replicates some shots wholesale. And it certainly understands what made the original work - even if there is somewhat less subtlety and the ending was altered. 
Still this was a compelling watch and I'm glad I saw it. 

Rurouni Kenshin: The Final

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... Rurouni Kenshin: The Final!

 Original image located here. Accessed 7th July 2023

I first became aware of Rurouni Kenshin in 2000 - the same year I discovered Queens of the Stone Age. As such it didn't take much to combine the two: "K-K-K-K-K-Kenshin!!!"

*crickets chirping*

Moving swiftly along, given that I saw the Beginning last week, it is therefore a natural progression that I would watch The Final. And this movie is of particular interest as it's an attempt to cover the Revenge arc - which was never covered by the original anime (well there was the Reflections OAV but we don't talk about that one...). Of course, I did know what the Revenge arc covered beforehand so it is interesting to see how this would stack up.

Its interesting to watch this having watched the other movie the previous week before (even if it was released second). Because they're both like night and day. Beginning is grim, with desaturated colours, realistic fight sequences and a tragic air. Final is colourful, Wire-fu all over the place and a theme of redemption. And again, the LA cast have the mannerisms of their animated counterparts down pat with freakish accuracy. 

Obviously this is working with the strengths established with the previous movies which is well and good. But what as an adaptation?

Well it follows the same story beats but this is where the filmmakers have to deliver something news that wasn't already covered in previous adaptations. So this adaptation is a loose one but it still feels lacking. Most of the side characters get the shaft and some moments don't have the punch that they should have. Guess the Revenge arc will never have a proper adap.. wait, there's a new Kenshin anime? Coming out this year?

Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning!

 Original image located here. Accessed 30th June 2023

Back in 2020, i saw the first Live action Rurouni Kenshin movie and liked it enough to have a look at the rest. But, as is often the case with me, I never got around to it. However, as of now, I was able to find the final two - Final and Beginning - on Netflix. Of course, I will be missing out on the middle two but having seen that portion of the Kenshin story in animated form, I can feel confident that I can skip that part.

As for this? Well it's the LA adaptation of Kenshin's background as an assassin - which was done previously with the Trust/Betrayal OVAs. And much like said OVAs, much of the mood is carried over: This movie is grim, lacking in colour, bloody and the tragedy still hits like a truck. And in a way it does improve over the OVAs as it dispenses with some of the arty diversions for a more tighter narrative. Much of the strengths of the first movie, the cast and the visuals are carried over but they still work even when placed under such a grim light.

I have to say: Of all the Live action adaptations of well known manga/anime, this is hands down the best. But then again, when the source material is so strong you can't really do a bad job of it, right? 

Rurouni Kenshin

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Rurouni Kenshin (2012)!

Original image located here. Accessed 27th March 2020

Twenty years ago, I had my first exposure to the anime that was Rurouni Kenshin. And, much like many people, I thought it was awesome. Later that year I watched the Memories OVA and doing so truly cemented my interest in Kenshin.
So perhaps it was inevitable that I would come to the series of live action movies that had been produced under the Kenshin brand.

If anything this movie is clearly aiming for a large audience. Granted it has a ready-made audience as this is based on a widely-loved manga/anime series, but there are various indicators of working beyond such a fanbase: The budget is clearly a big one, the fight scenes are stunning to behold and as an action movie it works well.
As a fan of Kenshin, I could recognize the important elements of Kenshin and some key story beats. This is clearly an adaptation of the first manga arc and it does it well with handling of key characters and even adding parts that were only introduced later in the manga. So i did enjoy this movie but would appear that being a fan of Kenshin helps - because I watched this movie with the gf, with it being her first exposure to Kenshin, who was left baffled.

But of course, this movie is the first of a franchise, so it would be interesting to see what happens next in the sequels....