Protraph Lack of good storyline.

AutCuddly Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Phillida Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

kxyang Violent, great soundtrack, and full of action.This movie has a good story This movie has good music This movie is bloody as hell This movie has an evil villain This movie has emotion This movie has a sexy asian woman lead This movie is awesome

gercs A story about feudalism in Japan is something that I find interesting. The era, when the shogun reigned, when feudal wars sparked here and there, was full of chaos and bloodshed. "Chaos" and "bloodshed" are common catchphrases, but what draws me to these stories is that this era in Japan is something mysterious for me. Perhaps, it is the effect of the country being not too open during that period, and the main question is: What happened in Japan's deep countryside when the shoguns reigned? Although the Western world has their own share of wars, the wars in Japan were arguably more bloody and violent. When depicted in film, it becomes a piece of entertainment in many dimensions. As we all know, what usually makes these films good is a profound story about trust and betrayal, coupled with the showcase of sword-fighting skills and war strategies. The inner conflict and the clash of philosophies are more interesting than the physical depiction of the war itself.The premise of "Azumi" is rather compelling because it is about young assassins. They were children used by the Tokugawa shogunate - deployed as assassins in their teenage years - to assassinate feudal lords who were capable of initiating another large-scale conflict. I was curious on their character development and the possible inner conflict that may arise when they face the world. The film did tackle these things, but the result was rather disappointing. Although there were some profound scenes, it did not delve into these things deeper, and generally, the portrayal was rather uneven and touched only the surface. It went more to the typical action movie side, and went further even beyond believability in the combat skills and endurance of its characters. As the film progresses, I'm becoming convinced that I am just watching an action fantasy flick despite its compelling historical references. If you are looking for an action movie and you don't really care about the story that much, then you may find this film thrilling; although you might be disappointed if you are looking for realistic fight scenes. In fact, it's the thrill and mystery together with some intriguing characters that enabled me to finish watching this film.

lewiskendell "No matter how much I try to escape...I can't avoid it. I have no choice...I am forced to kill."Azumi is a pretty standard Asian action flick with a little drama mixed in. It's a better watch than most, though, because of several pretty emotional twists and turns that the story takes. You come to care about several of the main characters, and the things that happen to them are handled in a way that makes them have an impact, without killing the momentum of what's an action movie at its heart. I can't comment on how carefully the plot sticks to that of the manga, as I haven't read it. Azumi is an orphaned girl raised with 9 other orphans by a master swordsman. He plans to one day unleash them as assassins to kill the various warlords that are responsible for the devastating, re-occurring wars throughout Japan. As the designated day for the plan grows closer, Azumi and her companions face one final, brutal test, and then go out into a world that is far more complicated than the secluded environment they were raised in. The fanciful and stylized fight choreography isn't the best that I've seen, but it more than suffices. There are times that the warriors standing around in the battle scenes waiting their "turn" are hard to ignore, but that's a pretty minor complaint. There are some pretty cool and memorable moments, as well. The battles are frequent and entertaining, and the levels of bloody carnage are noticeable, without being overly gratuitous. There isn't any definite thing I can point to as the main reason why I liked Azumi so much. It's true that it's another of countless similar sword-fighting movies set in ancient Japan, but it's well-made and enjoyable. If you'd like a satisfying action flick with a very pretty girl as the lead and a few genuinely sad moments, this is a good movie to try.

tobba_lobba The movie kind of left me pretty skeptic from the very start. I mean, if this guy is so concerned with making peace, why on earth would he train 10 assassins to go and kill a bunch of people? It's not the smartest way to make peace I've heard of... And then he tells them to kill each other so only half is left. And they obey, like mindless zombies. Which is really odd because in the previous scene it was obvious they were all a bunch of fun loving and innocent kids. And then soon afterward they're not traumatized in any way, in stead they're joking around and laughing like the rest of us. Not to mention the girl later on who almost gets raped and has all her friends killed before her very eyes. But she just smiles and carries on like nothing happened.The fight scenes were OK. But they got pretty tedious after a while. 2 hours and 20 minutes is pretty long for a movie with no plot to talk about. And you never really knew who you should want to win, because pretty much all the characters were ass holes anyway. There was nothing that made the 'bad guys' seem like bad guys. And there was nothing heroic about the heroes either. So basically the movie was just a an excuse to have a bunch of guys get killed on screen with some nice action choreography slapped on top. The only obviously bad guy in the movie was that white clad dude. But he was also the weakest character, simply a typical anime stereotype.I give the movie a six out of ten, feeling pretty generous. Because I did still enjoy the action, and there were some touching moments, however surreal they felt.