Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

One of my favourite movies is a little Japanese anime called "Ninja Scroll". It's based on a historical period in Japan, with actual clans and leaders mentioned in the background to the story, but with that said, it goes on to tell a rather fantastical story - the heroes and their enemies, even the normal looking ones, tend to have abilities almost on a par with superheroes and the like. But it works for two reasons: (1) it follows the rules it establishes for its world (2) it succeeds in creating an atmosphere in which those kind of feats seem possible (as long as you are able to suspend your disbelief as anyone must in order to enjoy something like it, or the Avengers films, or Lord of the Rings, etc).Azumi failed in both of those aspects, and on top of that was probably as contrived as a movie could get. And that's where we can start to see who the intended audience for this was - probably quite similar to the main cast, who were young good looking 'idols' it seems....the Japanese equivalent of casting Marky Mark in a movie really. So if you have very VERY few demands of a movie when it comes to a plot being even a tiny TINY bit realistic, then this badly CGI'd bloody actioner might be good for you. Otherwise, if you want something similar, with better fight choreography, plot, acting, character development, and even sets and costumes, check out "13 Assassins" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1436045/?ref_=nv_sr_1)...you won't regret it. Or if you want something even better on the character/plot side of things (but definitely not so bloody), "The Twilight Samurai" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0351817/?ref_=tt_rec_tti) is also excellent.

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.

I expected more from this movie. I knew it was going to be an action movie but it just never really worked that well. The first half I enjoyed...but as soon as the story moved onto the other characters except for Azumi was when I felt that the movie lost its focus. Also I know its based on a manga but how can someone survive thats been stabbed so many times whilst his friend dies from a few slashes? I love Uteo Aya in this. Shes very pretty and her acting was good. The settings were beautiful and the fight scenes were alright but it was lacking something and I can't quite put my finger on what it was.If you have time to spare watch it and make your own judgement but I felt it was pretty average.

After a bloody battle, a General promises a Priest that he will train assassins, to bring about peace in the land. Years later, 9 boys and 1 girl, Azumi, are trained for the task.After having to kill someone close to her before she begins the mission, she carries it out without questioning. Not until she meets Yae a member of a group of traveling performers does she question what she is doing, until an act of violence, makes her realize where she belongs...Azumi is based on a Japanese comic. And you can tell from the direction of the movie by Ryuhei Kitamura that he's tried to capture the style of a comic book. I'd never heard of the comic book so don't know how close the movie is, but as a movie, it is fantastic. Not only in the fast paced direction, but also in a wonderful performance from Aya Ueto as Azumi. Despite only being a young girl, she handles the bloody action scenes very well, and in the quieter moments conveys Azumi's thoughts and fears.The rest of the cast all do well. As I've mentioned before in reviews, it's always hard to tell if a performer is doing well or not when it is in a foreign language, but I will watch a subtitled movie (which Azumi is) over a poor or badly dubbed movie.But first and foremost this is an action movie, and it delivers this brilliantly. From the smaller fights, up to the massive climax as Azumi fights on her own against a couple of hundred! Oh, and it is bloody. You get the feeling that there were crew members just of camera tossing buckets of blood onto the stunt-men and actors at times!!While this movie will probably never be regarded in the same league as some of the samurai movies from the past, it is exciting, violent, bloody and very impressive. And definitely worth watching.