Afro Samurai Director's Cut

Submitted: Fri, 08/01/2008 - 12:56
Author: Erik Hogan


Afro Samurai Director's Cut
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Kelly Hu, Ron Perlman
Runtime: 125 minutes

At its core, Afro Samurai is a tale we've seen before, a lone samurai's quest for vengeance against those who have slain his master/father/mentor ... yadda, yadda, yadda. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. But instead of reheating the leftovers of the genre, director Takashi Okazaki (Explorer Woman Ray) has cooked up a delicious anime masterpiece.

Okazaki skillfully blends touches of spaghetti western, science fiction, fantasy, and pop culture into this bloody tale of revenge. The stylish animation and rhythmic bass pounding score by the RZA separate it from the pack. Oh, and did I mention it features Sam “the Man” Jackson.

Jackson plays two parts, the self-titled star and his foul-mouthed sidekick Ninja (who is more or less than he seems). Our hero is man of few words, communicating in menacing glares and the occasional growled one-liner. While Ninja delivers the classic Samuel L. Jackson lines we've come to know and love. The dynamic of watching the dueling personalities share the screen is hilarious and ultimately heart wrenching when the true nature of their relationship is revealed.

Our story begins with the death of Afro's father at the hands of the villainous gunslinger Justice (played masterfully creepy by Hellboy himself, Ron Perlman) who claims the number one headband for himself and by default becomes the best swordsman in the land. Only the owner of the number two headband can challenge for the title of number one. So Afro's destiny becomes clear early on. Gallons of blood are spilled and countless body parts hacked off on his path to revenge and the ultimate showdown.

The landscape is never fully explained, it's a hodgepodge of feudal Japan and futuristic cyberpunk society. Seeing a robot ninja use a cell phone or a Shaolin monk firing an RPG temporally stalls the suspension of belief but doesn't ruin the fun of it all. You just have to accept it and move on.

Throughout series you can see touches of homage to The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Return of the Jedi, The Warrirors, and Lord of the Rings to name a few. A true treat for cinemaphiles, like myself, who dig spotting obscure references.

Afro Samurai is without a doubt one of the finest anime titles I've seen in a long time. A solid well plotted story, great voice acting, amazing visuals, and three times the legal limit of blood spurting decapitations.

Five out of five Afros.