Brainsbell The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Orla Zuniga It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

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.

Leofwine_draca A typically intense – not to mention insane – example of a Japanese B-movie, that actually feels like an EPIC thanks to its non-stop action, carnage, chaos, and plenty more besides. The plot is one of those simplistic one sentence ideas you can just imagine some powerful executive in an office had "let's see a war fought between samurai soldiers and modern army officers!". The execution is splendid, gory, violent, and everything else that you could hope for. The time slip itself is hilarious, a plethora of cheap flashing lights and plenty other weirdness which set the time of production firmly within the 1970s.Once the action starts to beef up it doesn't let up at all, right until the climax. The last thirty-forty minutes depicts a war between modern and ancient soldiers and is as gratuitous, exciting and adrenaline-pumping as you could ever hope for. Top-notch choreography by martial arts legend Sonny Chiba and some outstanding makeup effects/costumes help add to the realism. Hard man hero Chiba also stars as Iba, the tough, power-hungry lieutenant who leads the modern day army, and his acting skills are as good as ever. I love the scene where he turns into a hard-ass at the end of the film, riding horses and kicking backside all over the shop. It's one of his best performance and I would put this up there with THE STREET FIGHTER as his two best movies. "Don't cry – fight!" is one of the many classic lines he gets to deliver at the film progresses.Those of a squeamish disposition note, this film is full of gory bullet hits and some damned explicit decapitations which seem to come out of nowhere! Gotta love those arrow hits, though, which are truly hilarious. Anyone who has seen a '70s Japanese samurai film will know the level of violence to expect from this one. The war itself is the best part of the film, a truly frenetic and often horrific experience showing the true terrors of warfare; the action and death is often enhanced by an experimental soundtrack in which moments of dead silence add to the viewing experience. Animal-lovers would also be well advised to look elsewhere as the film has dozens of violent horse falls, where the horse's legs are yanked out with wire leaving the horses crippled and likely to be sent to the knacker's yard. No wonder this was extensively cut – in an extremely bizarre way – for its 18 certificate UK release. Cut or not, this is an outrageous and dramatic movie which despite being downbeat offers up an amazing good time. Check it out!NB: Since I wrote this review, I've bought the DVD under the better title, G. I. SAMURAI. Seen in a widescreen print, with an extra thirty minutes added to the proceedings, I'm now convinced this is a masterpiece which belies its B-movie budget. The cost of kitting out the hundreds of Samurai warriors must have been huge and the authenticity is spot on throughout. The opening time-slip isn't too bad and in fact is the only moment in the whole film that the thing feels cheesy. Elsewhere the viewer runs the gamut of emotions from A-Z, from happiness, and outlandish joy, through to sadness, and downbeat misery. Suspense is top-notch throughout and great performances from an entire cast – especially the actor who plays the samurai commander ally. I love this film to bits.

BA_Harrison "Who is Sonny Chiba? He is... he is bar none, the greatest actor working in martial arts movies today". So explains Clarence Worley in True Romance, a man who clearly knows his shizzle when it comes to Asian action stars. G.I. Samurai is the third flick I've seen from the dirt-cheap, 4-film Chiba box-set I bought from ebay, and it's the third winner in a row, a hugely entertaining sci-fi tinged action/adventure that ploughs through its 139 minutes like a 50-calibre machine gun through an army of warring-era Japanese soldiers.Chiba plays Lt. Yoshiaki Iba, leader of a Japan Ground Self-Defense Force squadron that 'slips' through time, arriving in feudal Japan, where they join forces with a power hungry samurai planning to become the country's next ruler. The script doesn't concern itself with the whys and wherefores of the squadron's predicament, quickly glossing over the time travel nonsense in order to concentrate on the job at hand: pitting the modern-day soldiers, with their powerful weaponry, against hordes of warriors armed with swords, arrows, spears and throwing stars (oh yes, there will be ninjas!).A couple of quieter moments do allow for that other all important staple of exploitative Japanese cinema—gratuitous female nudity—as several of Iba's men go AWOL for a rape and pillage spree, while a few others pay a visit to an obliging local widower; for the most part, however, it's loud, relentless, and bloody stuff, with Chiba proving Clarence to be right on the money with his assessment of the star: whether suspended from a helicopter firing a machine gun, riding a horse while firing a bow and arrow, or taking on a warlord with a broken sword, Sonny kicks serious ass.

spasmo dunson I got the Sonny Chiba, 4 disc collection because of one movie..."G.I.Samurai". I was not disappointed. The plot in a nutshell is... a small group of Japanese Defense Force soldiers go back in time 400 years and fight samurais. Made in 1979, this movie delivers some ultra-battle action! The group of about twenty guys, led by Sonny Chiba, whose character's name I can no longer remember, find themselves propelled backwards, somehow, to feudal Japan, via a "Time Slip", (this movies alternate title, among others). The special effects are somewhat shoddy but they work. Not only are the men flung back into time but get this, a tank, half-track, jeep with .50 cal. machine gun, supply truck, helicopter and a freakin' patrol boat also! They find themselves in the middle of a feud between the local warlords, one of whom takes a fancy to them. They decide to team up with this guy and take over ancient Japan. Forget about messing with the space/time continuum,in battle after battle, many, many samurais and foot soldiers are gunned down, blowed up, and generally done away with, without regard to the historical consequences. The soldiers have a seemingly inexhaustible supply of ammo. Clocking in at over two hours, we have all sorts of Japanese tomfoolery to contend with. There is some truly awful music sprinkled throughout,some with English lyrics. I liked this movie, a lot. There are so many things about this movie to like and few reasons not to. I cannot remember all the elements in this movie...there was just too much going on. Ha. The soundtrack was Japanese with English subtitles. I understand there is a chopped up, English language version out there too, which should be avoided.

Score_The_Film I just finished watching the 139 min version (widescreen) with some friends and we were blown away. I won't bother repeating what others have said. What the filmmakers do with the concept is unexpected and fun. The huge battle is exhausting. Afterwards we were stunned to find there was still nearly 30 minutes left to go but that didn't keep us from being completely involved and entertained.There is one thing that nearly ruined it and that was the horrific music/songs. Blues, Country/Folk and Rock Ballads do not belong here and every time they are used we all broke out in laughter. It's hideous. You have been warned but the story and storytelling keeps you grounded.There are several outstanding moments that make you appreciate the talent behind the camera. There are many uses of silence as well as slow-motion photography that work beautifully. I really wish I could erase the music but alas.Seek this out. It's fun, it's different and it takes you to places you wouldn't expect and that's very refreshing.