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What happens when you combine a samurai without a sword and an outlaw in a world without guns? You get the film Bunraku, a martial arts and western hybrid set in a post-apocalyptic dystopian future, and this month’s Under-Rated review! 

After a nuclear war, guns have been outlawed in the hopes that man will finally abandon his destructive ways. However, the desire of power still drives men to kill using knives and fists. Gangs battle each other over control of the underworld while those in power hold influence over every aspect of society. Nicola the Woodcutter is the man on top, an aging criminal warlord without equal who longs for a worthy challenger. Those loyal to Nicola, led by his right hand man Killer #2, keep the land east of the Atlantic under their reign of terror. 

                              A samurai and a cowboy walk into a bar... no really, it's in the script!

Enter Yoshi, a samurai seeking to avenge his father by finding the man who stole his clan’s talisman. He crosses paths with a mysterious Drifter who tends to speak with his fists and has an agenda of his own. Under the tutelage of a wise but eccentric Bartender, Yoshi and the Drifter use their fighting skills to wage war on Nicola’s gang and end their rule once and for all. 

            Hartnett regretted asking his barber for a shave after discovering he had paid full price to see Pearl Harbor.

I want to stress that this is not a bad movie, but it is indulgent. Bunraku is highly stylized, mostly shot in front of a green screen and featuring very interesting backgrounds. Traditional martial arts film fans may not care for the way the story is told, with a strong emphasis on narration and backgrounds that seem almost made of paper. However, just as the title Bunraku comes from the old Japanese puppeteer art of the same name, the movie itself is a bit of a metaphor. We humans are like puppets to our own desires and our own legacies of violence continue to shape our existence. It is up to us to rise above these sins and become the good people, the heroes that we want to save us.   

                                       When Ron Perlman tells you he can pull off white guy dreads, you smile and agree.

The movie has an interesting cast, a mix of big stars and indie names. Nicola is played by Ron Perlman, who is freakin’ awesome. (Seriously, I met the guy at a comic con, he is top notch.) He plays an intelligent cold and calculating badass who bemoans his present state of boredom and on some level seems almost remorseful for the many deaths at his hands. Killer #2 is played by Kevin McKidd (Trainspotting, Rome) who really steals the show. He is a suave but vicious henchman who kills his enemies with a style and flair that makes you really think McKidd was having a blast with this role.

                                       McDreamy? McSteamy? Meet McKillyouwithafuckingsword... What? Too long?

The Drifter is portrayed by Josh Hartnett, who has really had an interesting career. He’s gone from a heartthrob to a more eccentric indie actor having taken roles in The Virgin Suicides, Sin City and 30 Days of Night. I think he did okay in the role as the Drifter, but something about him just doesn’t come across as bad ass as he should. Yoshi is played by Japanese singer-songwriter turned voice actor turned regular actor Gackt. In his first live action role, I think he did really well. He came across as a believable ronin, trying to find his place in a strange world while searching for the man with his clan’s talisman. 

                                   "I present to you this katana I stole from the set of Ninja Assassin." 

The Bartender is played by Woody Harrelson, who does a great job as a manipulative but sage-like mentor to both the Drifter and Yoshi. The acting wasn’t anything amazing, but the role really didn’t require much. I think he did make the most the role he had, though. Demi Moore was in the movie… for some reason. She plays some former lover of Nicola’s. Honestly I don’t know why she was in the movie; any actress could have played the part. It was small and added next to nothing to the story; the role really only served to give Nicola more screen-time and in that respect it was a plus. I also have to add that he narrator was Mike Patton, former lead singer of Faith No More, so that’s awesome too.

                                                              "Come on... call me Ashton."

Now this movie is far from perfect. At times it’s more style over substance. The story isn’t really all that spectacular, being more a cliché of revenge than anything else. What drives the movie is that it’s just fun to watch. It’s an indulgent little flick with lots of violence and gimmicky moments like slow motion punches or throwing something into the air, beating up a bunch of guys and then casually catching the object. It’s basically a popcorn movie for geeks, combining mindless action with samurais, westerns and martial art flicks.

                                                                   "No really, white men can jump!"

Aside from the complaints I’ve made, I only have two other problems. The first is that this takes place after a nuclear war, yet we see no evidence that such a cataclysmic event ever took place. There’s no radiation, no ruins, no wastelands… you know, the kind of clichés you normally have from post-apocalyptic settings. Now, the film takes place some time after the war and the timeline is very vague. Maybe everything was rebuilt and all the radiation is gone. Still, it seems weird. There’s really no evidence. Honestly I think it was made as a backdrop to explain the lack of guns, which makes some sense for the film. Arguably it was the advent of guns that ended the reign of the samurai. If everyone had guns there would be no need to fight with melee weapons. But to use the idea of nuclear war conjures up images that I never saw in Bunraku.

                                     Woody Harrelson acting as a bartender? I'm sorry, I just don't see it.

The other problem I have is that the ending felt slightly anti-climactic. I won’t go into it as I don’t want to spoil the movie, but I kind of expected more for some reason. However, there is still a lot of cool fight sequences and violence leading up to the end, so it wasn’t a huge disappointment. Again, this is my opinion. You might see the movie and say “What the hell, Toaster? Are you high?” To which I reply “Man, I hope so. Why else would I be snorting lines of Pixie Stix?” But that’s really none of your concern. 

                       Josh Hartnett performs all his own stunts... and can fly. Okay fine, he doesn't perform all his own stunts.

So I definitely recommend checking out Bunraku. It really is a fun stylish movie that has the feeling of a loving homage to martial art movies and westerns. If nothing else, see it for Kevin McKidd’s performance. He was so freakin’ awesome in the movie, you have no idea.