Crazy Samurai Musashi (2020)

Crazy Samurai Musashi functions both as a feature film and as an experiment. The film was to depict a single samurai fighting off 400 opponents; the experiment was to make the bulk of the movie an uninterrupted 77-minute one-take combat sequence.

The conventionally filmed portions of the film are inoffensive, but highly incomplete in terms of storytelling. They give us a general idea of the nature of the conflict, but explicitly lack fundamental setup and resolution. In this way, it falters as a feature film.

However, it must be said that the 77-minute one-shot sequence is a production feat of small wonders. The staging is intensely impressive given the number of bodies on screen and the necessity to then get them off screen organically. Choreography ranges from middling to pretty incredible. Certain slashes and clashes are particularly impressive, such as those with repetitive strikes coming from multiple foes. Admittedly, due to the constraints of the one-shot, it does occasionally feel like watching kids fight in the woods with sticks; head chops stand out as a particularly weak move visually. That said, its experimentation is mostly rewarded during this sequence.

Other visual successes of the experiment include decent-looking digital blood (which is always mildly shocking when encountered), the choice to use handheld shooting throughout to keep the setting and action dynamic, and the simulated storm near the end.

Attention to realism helps ground the otherwise over-the-top action sequence. Our hero must take breaks for water, occasionally narrates to himself, and counts his fingers after dispatching foes. This represents some ingenuity given the production limitations, but does not meaningfully add to our story.

After an intense bout and boss fight, the 77-minute sequence ends prematurely, with combat still ongoing. We are thrown seven years later, where Musashi encounters conflict once again. This final sequence does little other than to establish Musashi's grim, competitive outlook. Again, we find ourselves with little in the way of story.

Ultimately the results are clear: as an experiment, Crazy Samurai Musashi is a success. It exceeds its limitations in terms of action and partially overcomes monotony with its changing setting. Unfortunately, as a feature film it is incomplete, appearing to offer a frame for the action sequence rather than an actual story. Anyone interested in samurai movies or one-takes will do well to give Crazy Samurai Musashi a watch; viewers seeking a conventional watch must look elsewhere.