| Blade of the Immortal | |
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&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Blade_of_the_Immortal_(film).jpg) Japanese film poster | |
| Japanese | 無限の住人 |
| Directed by | Takashi Miike |
| Screenplay by | Tetsuya Oishi[1] |
| Based on | Blade of the Immortal by Hiroaki Samura |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | Takuya Kimura |
| Cinematography | Nobuyasu Kita[2] |
| Edited by | Kenji Yamashita[2] |
| Music by | Koji Endo[2] |
Production companies | |
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Release date |
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Running time | 141 minutes[4] |
| Countries |
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| Language | Japanese |
| Box office | $8.4 million |
Blade of the Immortal (Japanese: 無限の住人, Hepburn: Mugen no jūnin) is a 2017 samurai action film starring Takuya Kimura and Hana Sugisaki and directed by Takashi Miike. It is based on the successful manga series by Hiroaki Samura.[5][6] The narrative focuses on the immortal samurai Manji (Kimura) who becomes the bodyguard of an orphan teenager named Rin Asano (Sugisaki) as they go on a journey of vengeance against the members of the Ittō-ryū samurai who killed the child's parents.
Miike explored different themes in the story, such as revenge, but in a more complex manner, as he saw Manji as a "dark hero", while the production team found it difficult to write multiple fight scenes to fit the film's duration. The director chose Kimura for the role of Manji due to the actor's popularity, something which he felt was similar to that of the manga. Sugisaki, on the other hand, was chosen for her energetic role in a commercial. The film premiered out of competition at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival,[1] and was released theatrically in Japan by Warner Bros. Pictures on 29 April 2017.
Grossing $8.4 million at the box office, the film failed to meet expectations; however, the film received generally positive reviews from critics for the handling of the fight scenes and the relationship between the two protagonists. It also achieved good sales in Japan and abroad with its home media release. Samura expressed satisfaction when watching the final product.
- ^ a b c Hipes, Patrick (12 May 2017). "Takashi Miike's Blade Of The Immortal Scores U.S. Deal With Magnet Releasing – Cannes". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
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hwreportwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL (18)". British Board of Film Classification. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
- ^ "無限の住人(2017)". Allcinema (in Japanese). Stingray. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (10 November 2016). "Live-Action Blade of the Immortal Film's 1st 2 Teaser Trailers Introduce Cast". Anime News Network. Retrieved 18 December 2016.