AllMovie

Ryuhei Kitamura follows up his propulsively violent gorefest Versus with the slightly more thoughtful and character-driven Azumi, which is definitely a step forward for the filmmaker. With Versus, he demonstrated a distinctive virtuosity in shooting fight sequences, and little else. Azumi offers a more coherent story line and a semblance of character development along with the absurdly stylized, sardonically witty mayhem that the director's fans expect. Azumi develops an unlikely friendship with Yae (Aya Okamoto), a goodhearted circus performer, who tries to sway her away from her violent ways. But, as Azumi points out, "There are so many evil people in the world. Someone has to kill them." While the teen assassins are mostly young and pretty, the villains are a delightfully motley crew. There are the Sajiki brothers, a grisly pair introduced attempting to maim each other in an arm wrestling competition. There's the stoic, clever Kenbei (Kazuki Kitamura), the pragmatic "monkey-faced" ninja Saru (Minoru Matsumoto), and the amazing Bijomaru (Jô Odagiri). The fey Bijomaru, with his otherworldly swordplay skills, is an entertaining nemesis for Azumi, and whoops with girlish delight at the prospect of doing battle with a true warrior. Odagiri makes an unforgettable impression in the role, but unfortunately there's more than a hint of homophobia in the character's conception. Despite that ugly facet, Azumi is undeniable fun for action fans.