Walked into this film cold on Netflix, didn't know anything about its cast, crew or "Manga" heritage, but I'm watching this thinking, "This is clever filmmaking." Everything I respect about samurai & assassin movies is tied together nicely here. Not quite a comedy, but this over-the-top yet subtle Japanese humor that made me go, "Damn, this is fun."
Not sure what a spoiler would be here: Our hero gets the job done, doesn't kill anyone, so a win-win all around? Props to Mr Okada, and Mses Kimura & Yamamoto are delightful as well. Are we supposed to know what their real relationship is before the Osaka sibling pretense? Doesn't matter. I was actually wondering if this film was a success in Japan, and how this director would work with an Anglo cast. Apparently there is a sequel, I'll watch that next. Hope it's as fun as this original.
