Brave: Gundžó senki

It's a B-movie, an obvious B-movie, but a very expensive B-movie by Japanese standards. Plus it's overstuffed – it's got lots of characters, they all definitely have a lot to say, they're also from the manga source material, but they just don't fit into the movie, so they're just sort of there, all flatter than a Chinese swimmer's chest, and in the rapid sequence of events you have no chance to like them. Except for one, but he was simply given enough screentime, and was particularly well played by Miura Haruma, so his character felt much richer than the others. There's sentiment in this, of course, as it's Haruma's last film... but he was just a great actor. On the other hand, Suzuki Nobuyuki's character and his portrayal of it annoyed me terribly and felt like a fist in the eye. And then there's the action: the film isn't afraid of blood and is fairly to the point. From point A to point B and back again. Story-wise, it's choppy. It's on the low side of three stars, but I'll give it an extra one for Haruma. I think I'm turning into a cynic... A weaker 4 stars. (27.08.2021)