In a bleak and heavily stylized future world, two disparate characters are united in purpose. Yoshi (Gackt) is a samurai warrior, and The Drifter (Josh Hartnett) a tight-lipped loner. Making the acquaintance of a wise Bartender (an appropriately cast Woody Harrelson), they take on all the minions of a powerful, hirsute crime lord named Nicola the Woodcutter (Ron Perlman).
Complete with loopy narration by Faith No More frontman Mike Patton, "Bunraku" is pretty goofy stuff, stuffed with various gimmicks. The script has some amusing dialogue, but in the end is pretty routine; one might wish that the filmmakers spent as much time working on the script as they did the visual design. And the film is admittedly a real eyeful in terms of images. The production design, cinematography, and visual effects are first rate. The film is also enough of a curio to make it moderately interesting. It combines elements of martial arts epics, Spaghetti Westerns, post-apocalypse dramas, live-action comic books, and film noir, making it an original mixture of genres. The action isn't the best one will ever see, but it's perfectly serviceable, with the good guys taking some real lumps on the way to the final showdown. The music score by Terence Blanchard is one of the best components.
The cast is variable, as some of them come off better than others. Perlman mumbles his way through his role. Demi Moore is utterly wasted as the object of his affections. Harrelson's bright presence helps quite a bit, and Kevin McKidd has a fun part as the villains' primary henchman.
The bottom line: this serves up some adequate entertainment for people who want to relax their brain for a while. At two hours and five minutes, however, it definitely goes on too long.
Filmed in Romania.
Six out of 10.
