The story is just another take on Versus, a movie previously done by Kitamura. There is nothing new here and it's pretty talky. While that is not a bad thing per se, there is nothing in the dialogue that makes it really worth while. And as mentioned, we have seen this better in "Versus" before.You could say it's a bit of curse for Kitamura. But I do wonder, why he chose to make his part in the "Dual Project" (two movies by Japanese directors with the same starting premise, the other being 2LDK), a Versus copy, instead of coming up with an original idea. It would have benefited much. I do know though, that some people did like the dialogue and some people here, like the fight scenes too. The latter are good no question, but you have to endure quite a bit of dreadful "nothing happening" until you get to those. The movie is definitely too long

Aragami the demon god of battle, is one of the most awe inspiring samurai films ever created. Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura Aragami is an action packed adventure and will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole way through.During Japans medieval period many wars were waged many men died; however one samurai is about to engage in a duel that could be the end of his existence or the beginning of a new life. When two samurai seeking refuge from a great battle stumble upon an old temple they had no idea what they were getting themselves into, days later one of the Samurai (Takao Osawa) awakes to find that his friend has died and he learns a dark secret about his host the eccentric Miyamoto Musashi (Masaya Kato).The cinematography for Aragami is unlike anything I have ever seen, the combination of dark lighting and splashes of vibrant color make this film one of the most interesting samurai movies in existence.I enjoyed this film very much and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys samurai movies another fun fact about this film is that it was filmed in 7 days as part of a challenge to create a feature length film with 1 setting in 7 days called the Duel project.

Aragami is Ryuhei Kitamura's film which was shot with a few rules in some sort of Japanese Director's Challenge (The other was Yukihiko Tsutsumi's 2LDK). Some rules were that the films must be of feature length and shot within one week (Aragami was filled in 8 days). The movie must take place within one room with 2 competitors fighting to the death.Originally, I found out about this movie after watching 2LDK and found out about this challenge. I thought it was an interesting concept and would like to see how some of today's American directors could tackle such a project. Although I liked 2LDK, Aragami was simply the better movie. At times, the style and dialog (or lack of) reminded me of something from Quentin Tarantino.The very basic plot is that Aragami (Masaya Kato), who, incidentally, is the God of Battle, challenges a samurai (Takao Osawa) to a fight to the death. Aragami is tired of living and can not commit suicide nor die of old age or other natural causes. He must be killed in battle, as he is the God of Battle. He immortalizes the samurai by feeding him his deceased friend's liver and the fight was on.Surprisingly, this basic plot did not seem to drag on for too long and was just about the right length. The fight scenes, mostly involving swords, were pretty good and at times, the dialog was humorous. This is a good recommendation if you know what you are getting yourself into.

Made in one set, with three principal actors, and over seven days, Aragami impresses far more than the more immature Versus. Setting himself the task of shooting an action movie in one room (itself a possible contradiction in terms) the constraints ultimately make for a much more satisfying and engrossing experience than his previous, overrated breakthrough film - which was too carelessly off the wall and derivative to impress this viewer. As a project Aragami also contrasts strongly with the much more opened out Azumi (another personal favourite), which replaced the gloomy interiors and philosophising of Aragami with something much more kinetic and light hearted.At heart Aragami is a film about knowing who you are, and both Osawa (who has since appeared in the less concentrated Sky High) and Masaya Kato are excellent in roles which, like chamber music, leave every flaw in performance likely to be exposed. Obviously written at speed, the film's pay off could have been more enlightening (but perhaps a touch of obscurity in this sort of thing is a benefit, especially at a time when Hollywood genre efforts typically feel obliged to spell everything out), but fans won't argue too much and interpretations are easy to make. The wonder of the film is that the director was able to stage and direct two action scenes - one short, one more extended - with such gusto and convincing moves, given the tight shooting schedule and limitation of the set, while still allowing himself time for empathetic set ups during slower moments. It requires the ingenuity and confidence of a Roger Corman to bring this thing off, raising such stuff above straight-to-video fodder, and Kitamura succeeds magnificently.Ignore those who claim the film is 'too talky', for none of the chat is wasted (there's none of the narrative indulgence seen in the recent Sky High, for instance), the actors have enough presence to carry it off, and time spent with them never palls. Over 79 minutes nothing drags, and the changing relationship between the samurai and the goblin provide constant interest. The developing duel between the two principals neatly reflects back to the friendly rivalry between Kitamura and his fellow director Tsutsumi which originally initiated the film. If you are tired of bloated Hollywood mega-buck productions and want to get back to the basics of purposeful dialogue, imaginative stageing and thought-through editing - in short, lean, popcorn pumping cinema - then this is a film you need to see.