Wow! Such a good movie.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

I love Tak and all but Samurai School sucks sweaty balls. The main issue I have is the conception. It just didn't tickle my pickle. I can't really explain it in detail but I just don't give a f@$# about a samurai school. The movie wasn't really funny either. But oh well. What can I do? If you like crap then good for you.

BE A MAN! SAMURAI SCHOOL is a very fun little film from first-time director (and martial arts sensation) Tak Sakaguchi. Set at a hidden academy that teaches wimps how to be men (think of a low-rent Hogwarts), the first half of the feature follows a group of ragtag freshmen who can't seem to go seconds without getting their butts kicked by the near-tyrannical faculty. Then, when an old expelled student returns and demands that the school be given over to him, the freshmen must band together, save their school, and become men.The premise is silly, but BAM!SS certainly has its heart in the right place. It pulls no punches about what it is, and constantly tosses the audience a self-referential wink when things occasionally become rough. Playing on Japan's infatuation with machismo, the feature pokes fun at social constraints and stereotypes while remaining fun throughout.The acting, at times, is a little wooden and a few of the side stories could have very easily been jettisoned in favor of a bit more action, but overall, there are very few complaints. When the s*it hits the fan in the second half, we're given a very solid revenge story - coupled with some genuinely funny humor. A well-placed kick to a bear's head is a very funny piece, as is a cadet's attempt to lift an un-liftable flagpole.While it may not appeal to a lot of US audiences, BAM!SS will certainly find a niche in the States and gather plenty of fans. Writer/director Sakaguchi has proved himself not just a formidable force in front of the camera, but now also behind it.Go ahead, enroll in SAMURAI SCHOOL. Its a lot of fun.

Young men are sent off to an elite Samurai school where they train to be real men and national leaders. Taught fighting and humiliated if they fail in a task one wonders if the teachers are trying to kill their charges. Things become deadly when an old wash out returns with allies to take over the school.Damn, I've made it more exciting then it is. Supposed biting satire of Japanese society, the Japanese macho ethic and the stock characters that inhabit its mass media this is a quite dull, been there before martial arts send up that has some stylized and wholly unremarkable action scenes and a keen fashion sense. It looks exactly like you'd expect a comic or animated series come to life should look but its plotting is as clichéd as the weakest of the comics (It becomes what its satirizing to the point of boredom). I'm sure if you click with its often silly over the top feel you'll have a good time, but I'm guessing you'll be like me and wonder why some people have been saying this is the next big thing. Honestly its not bad as such but its been there and done that, not to mention too long at two hours for what is a couple of loosely connected set pieces. I'd take a pass or either borrow it from a friend or wait and hope for cable.

While the title might lead an unwary viewer into thinking this might be related to the Cromartie High School anime and film, it isn't. There are resemblances especially the school setting and the Elvis haircuts but this is based on another manga.The film, which takes place in the present day, follows several young men as they enter as first year students in a secret Samurai School that trains the elite of Japan's society. The students are tormented as part of their training and any defiance against the teachers is punished by weird tortures. Some of the people in the school have incredible powers, one for example can cut stone in two from a distance with his sword. Several of the new students start to create a bond with other when an expelled student from the past returns with an army of super-fighters who defeat all the older students and several of the teachers. It leads to a death match where only the new students are left to defend the honor of the school. As much a spoof of Japanese stock characters as about Japanese notions about "being a man", the film is fun and moves along at a good pace. The production is very good looking and the actors are all over the top. The action is decent and the humor works for this westerner. It's a little over long as the final battle starts to resemble a TV wrestling match where the fighters are hamming it up for the audience but you might like it.