Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Shanger Gully *Contains Spoilers*The film started off promising. I didn't buy into the whole "real karate" stuff so I didn't mind if some of the fighting was unrealistic, in fact I quite enjoyed the whole one-strike-fatal-blow scenes. My problem was the whole "not attacking no matter what" principle that the main character was drilled into implementing into his life. I don't believe that there is any martial art that would prevent you from attacking when it is needed to defend yourself or another person from someone who has evil intentions.Giryu came across as very pathetic in trying to stay true to this philosophy, his initial refusal to help save the girl who contributed to saving his life was absurd. Especially considering that she was being kidnapped and was destined to be raped/prostituted yet the karate expert didn't want to attack because of some pseudo-philosophy from his dying sensei. I found this ridiculous. The movie was essentially trying to push an irrational message. Taikan's character irked me in some ways, it almost appeared that because he saw the logic in actually using his karate (not maliciously at first) that he was immoral and bound for a life of debauchery.The final fight scene seemed boring and overly dramatic, inconsistent with the earlier fight scenes which I think were pretty well done. Overall this film could be worth a watch if you want to see something a little different to other martial arts movies, but it does have some big flaws in the plot which in my opinion lets it down.

kwingate I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss kobushi's comments out of hand, even though I disagree -- I actually liked this movie a lot. His comments point to a central controversy in the martial arts world today, which is essential, I think to understanding this movie: Do the "traditional" arts such as karate, jujitsu, and their Chinese predecessors have any relevance at all in a world full of knives & guns? Does kata have any relevance in a world of folks who watch "mixed-martial artists" on pay-per-view and can learn how to kill with their bare hands in 10 easy Krav-Maga lessons? The movie seems to throw that question out there, and answer it with a resounding: YES! I've never heard a martial arts instructor (any style) say to ONLY use defensive techniques (even aikido has its atemi-waza) but that would be the Okinawan tradition of "karate ni sente nashi" (no first-strike)taken to its logical extreme -- if I can block every kick or punch, then in the very purest sense, I could never hit or kick you back (without violating the precept) -- nor would I need to. I'm not recommending the philosophy or even saying it is possible (even Giryu gets beat up), just trying to make it understandable. One other sine qua non of some of these traditional styles was "ichi-geki-hissatsu", (one-hit, certain death) which is visually demonstrated throughout the movie: I've personally been hit with most of the techniques Taikan uses in the fight scenes, and none came close to killing me, but if you're fighting for real, for your life or loved ones or country or king, and you've trained for full-power, that's another story, and these guys obviously were and did.That the army forced the school to teach the military is reminiscent of Gichin Funakoshi's coerced immigration to the Japanese mainland from Okinawa for exactly that purpose -- to bring "Chinese Hands (karate)" to Japan renamed as "Empty Hand".In the end, even Taikan realizes that the game is not so much about being the baddest guy on the block, or taking home the most trophies or the master's belt, but about the character you build inside along the way.Personally, I find these fight scenes a lot more interesting and in their own way more realistic than those chop-socky movies where guys (or gals) throw devastating full-contact kicks and punches at each other for 10-15 min., bow to each other, and walk away.

prestonnaclk9 This is truly a great film. Original and refreshing in its presentation. Sure, the plot can be easily deduced, but the environment, film direction, pure beauty of clean karate used appropriately makes this movie a real winner. The picture is beautiful, cinematography excellent. You develop a real connection with the characters as well. The movie is also suspenseful and engaging. The fighting scenes are spectacular. It also captures the historic period of 1930's Japan very well too. You can even learn something by watching this movie. There are lessons of life to be learned and you can come away feeling very satisfied that your time was well spent.This is one of those movies where after watching it you say, "Wow."

foodi Disregard kobushi's review. His years of experience practicing karate have apparently clouded his judgment considerably. No one save perhaps himself and a handful of others cares a hoot about the true to life mechanics of real-world karate. Suffice to say his approach to the film is laughable in its narrow-mindedness.The film presents a deceptively simple and elegantly told martial arts fable, set against a backdrop of an increasingly militarized japan. The fight scenes , tho admirably staged and completely credible (and shocking in their immediacy), are merely the seasoning on a powerful tale of good vs. evil. The stylistic flourishes and acrobatic excesses which plague most other martial arts movies are completely absent, and that is a welcome and long overdue development. The script seamlessly fuses the protagonists' journeys of self-discovery with the setting in which the story unfolds. The director's calm, measured approach is refreshing in its economy, a rare thing in a martial arts film. There is a charming honesty about the whole project that makes it difficult to resist.. As the two protagonists wrestle with their own diametrically opposed natures and strive to discover the secret of their training, the inevitable standoff between them is subdued but satisfying, like the film itself. The supporting characters (and I'm thinking mainly of the evil army general), though two-dimensional, are well-written and performed. The acting is uniformly excellent, a laudable accomplishment since apparently many of the martial artists are non-actors..More than likely the film will be derided by the ADD generation, but i thought it was a welcome return to the style of old Japanese classic films (Reminiscent also of early Bruce Lee movies, in content as well as in spirit). It isn't pretentious or abstruse enough to be labelled an art film, and it shuns the spectacle of mainstream schlock. Kuro-Obi is a humble, poetic film both funny and moving.. and is adorned with a beautiful musical score. a resounding 8/10