User reviews

Some spoilers may follow.

"Crying Freeman" is one of my favorite movies ever. I can watch it again and again many times. This movie is first of all a work of art. It is uncanny beautiful, in every small detail. Almost each episode I can watch through as if it were a picture of a talented artist. Graceful, elegant, very aesthetic - CF is a masterpiece of visual art. I fell in love with it when I first saw the starting credits: a wonderful katana sword turning and revealing the title in a flash: "Crying Freeman". And the rest of the credits, no less beautiful. I thought that if the creators of this movie could make the opening title so stunningly beautiful, then the movie itself would not disappoint me as well. And it didn't. But besides visual beauty, CF has a marvelous plot, actors and... Well, I'll simply say the whole blend of all things that make a movie is perfect in the "Crying Freeman". And again, when I try to describe my impression from some part of the movie, I can think of only one word - beautiful. No, even "fair". Yo Hinomura, deadly and elegant, as a katana blade. Beauty of death. And his another side - soft and artistic. Beauty of art and poetry. Emu O'Hara, fair and tender. Beauty of peace and modesty. Lady Hanada. Even she has the beauty - of pride and honor. Beauty can be found in every detail.

And deep layers that accompany each Christophe Gans' movie... You might watch "Crying Freeman" a hundred of times and on the hundred and first you'll something you haven't seen before.

I am very grateful to all the people that made the creation of "Crying Freeman" possible.

I've never supported the idea of discussing underrated or overrated action movies, because basically, they are all the same. Crying Freeman proved me wrong and I am thankful. Even a 90s action might earn your respect.

Yo Hinomura/Freeman is an assassin who is captured killing Yakuza mobsters. As he risks his life in a bloody battle for leadership and respect, a beautiful woman falls in love with him, offering her help.

First, I want to note that Crying Freeman is one of the most beautiful action movies, ever shot. It's not the "gunshots" that make it attractive. It's not the experimental directing style that provokes your curiosity. It's the lightly, rhythmical plot development. There are a couple of very beautiful shots that you'll never find in a Steven Segal film. The creators show how much they care about that story which is based on anime series. I always like movies that are made out of artistic passion and love for the particular genre.

Crying Freeman, unlike most 90s "boom-boom" flicks, tells a story about honor and human will. Freeman is a perfectly shaped character, quite likable, although he is not "the guy who saved the world". Silent and prepared, dangerous and wise. I never asked for such things before watching the movie and I am sure nobody has. Maybe that is why I loved it.

It's the depth of the story that made the movie very different for me. This is arguably one of a kind film that depends on its own style. Crying Freeman is almost modest and unambitious which is something, I personally, haven't seen in the past couple of year. Christophe Gans's movie promises to remain a classic if future generations manage to look through its "soul".

Of course, comments about the cast could hardly be made. Due to realism purposes, the creators have gathered a cast of almost unknown performers who do their best and in my opinion, succeed, delivering good performances.

The bad points are almost imperceptible. I kinda disliked how some scenes are way too dark. I've always hated that in movies. Yes, it is more authentic, but you can easily miss a character being killed or something like that. I had hard times, recognizing the villains in the third act, because some of them are killed in the first half on the movie.

Crying Freeman makes us realize we were in a big mistake. There are action movies about moral values.

This is one of the best movies you'll ever find! It may be a b movie but it has more class than 10 blockbuster-megaproduction-movies together. The story along with the atmosphere is fantastic, beautiful locations, the acting is quite good, and most of all, the directing is superb. For a debut and a limited budget, the director: Christoph Gans (brotherhood of wolf) made something no one could expect. The story is put on the screen driven by first class camera work and effects, varied with the most stylish action scenes ever made. Beautiful details, special moves, original killings and many slow motion gunbattles(also in a original style) makes every actionfan happy during the entire movie. If you don't like the story (witch would be surprising) you certainly wanna watch this beauty for the actionscenes alone. Christophe Gans takes obviously his influence by directors like john woo, but does this without copying and manages to create a style of his own. He's one of the greatest. Personally, i think it's better than the matrix because it's not so excessively and far-fetched, makes the action more real. In fact, its actually wrong to compare it with the matrix, it's a totally different movie. It's more right to compare it with movies like the killer (john woo) for example. For me, this movie is on my all-time favourite list, and the director has a place in my heart like robert rodriuegez, Tarantino, john woo, johnnie to... Bottom line: If you like non-usual (action)movies that try to be something special, with a little more storyline and competent actors, and/or action packed movies with loads of original and impressive shootouts, this is your thing, no doubt!

I keep seeing this movie compared to anime or martial arts movies, and while I can see its roots in both genres, Crying Freeman is not really either. It might be a genre to itself.

Years ago I read a book named "The Painted Bird" that I thought deserved to be taught as a classic because its clean, spare style deserved study. But what really set it apart for me was that it was permeated with violence - it was about WWII and life under the brutal rule of Nazi invaders - but its treatment was so spare and clean it somehow rose above its subject matter into the mythic and poetic.

That's how this movie struck me. It is violent without being blood-soaked, has some highly charged eroticism without sinking into porn, and says more with the star's silence than could ever be told with dialog. The filming style is as spare and beautiful as I remember the text in "The Painted Bird" and can't be separated from the overall mythic impact of the movie.

I'm not saying this is a world-changing movie. It didn't give me some sort of epiphany, and at my age I'm no big fan of martial arts movies or anime cartoons. I'm just saying there is something quite beautiful about the way this movie fits together that elevates it above a subject matter that could have been cheapened into a spatter flick or bloated into a pure CG actioner. It's worth watching if only to sink your mind into the elusive, mythic quality that sets this movie apart.

Crying Freeman is an adaptation of a manga series of the same name. While I have no reference point to the source material, I am most reminded of John Woo(The Killer in particular and that really is not a bad thing). I am not implying that Crying Freeman is on par with The Killer, which it is'nt. But there are some similarities between Yo and Jeff from The Killer, as both men share a code of honor, prefer a life of non violence, are proficient at their occupation as professional hit men and throw everything out the window for love of a beautiful woman. Mark Dacascos is good in this and one of the most underrated action actors out there. This was directed by Christophe Gans(who reunited with Dacascos in Brotherhood Of The Wolf, a personal favorite). Obviously, it would not be fair to compare this to either Brotherhood Of The Wolf or The Killer, but it does have enough of its own flair and more depth than most of the more standard action movies out there. Crying Freeman does rely heavily on standard action conventions though there are times where it has elements that would be way to artsy to be seen in a Steven Seagal flick. Familiar to American viewers, Mako and Rae Dawn Chong appear as well. While somewhat flawed, I think overall Crying Freeman is a cool little action flick.

Some assassin who cries like a ninny every time he kills someone is seeking to leave the life of crime after meeting some broad but the underworld won't allow it and all that crap. Crying Freeman is a very stylish action movie and one of the only good movies Mark Dacascos has ever done considering he constantly wastes his magnificent talents on crappy movies no one likes unless they are mentally deficient. (a depressing sigh) Oh well. Crying Freeman is based on a Manga. I disdain Manga but I thought the story was good. The stiff acting didn't help it all that much but meh. The action was really good and really stylish. It does use a lot of slow-motion and it can be annoying for some people but I think the use of slow-motion was very effective, the way it captures its brutality and the beauty of Mark Dacascos brilliant martial skills. That sounded gay. Speaking of gay, you'll get to see Mark Dacascos naked keister as well. Oh yes guys.

This film is very stylish and has some nice set-pieces. There is lots of high-kicking, slow mo firing of weapons and crims in suits, very reminiscent of Hong Kong actioners. The man playing the lead role is a very talented athlete. However despite its style, Crying Freeman is a bore. Its script is quite frankly silly and features some terrible dialogue that the low-rent actors can't do anything with. It also takes itself WAY too seriously, thus removing any dumb but fun element from proceedings. It's not fun, it's just dumb. I'd give it 5/10 at a stretch solely for its impressive visual style.

Many critics didn't appreciate this movie. They mentioned the thin plot. They said that the movie contained too many stereotypes. They complained about thin dialogues throughout the movie. They criticized the editing of the action scenes. They said the movie was too slow paced.

All these critics are partially right. Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed this movie. For a debut movie, Christophe Gans did the best he can with a very low budget.

Even though a lot of scenes were turned in Canada or in the studios, the movie still has an exotic touch as it is set in Seattle in the United States of America first, later in the beautiful city of Vancouver, Canada and towards the end even in mainland China as well as in different places in Japan.

Apart of the settings, the corpse paintings are well done, the Asian costumes are well chosen and the fight scenes with or without arms have some kind of aestheticism at some points without being too pretentious.

The rather unknown actors at that time with the charismatic Mark Dacascos and the solid Julie Condra also did a good effort. Even though the story is not always credible and somewhat predictable, the connection between the two main actors is definitely there. They have known each other on the set of this film and became a couple that actually married and got three children until today. That's why the soft love story is more than just professional acting as it seems and surprisingly authentic.

The movie is in fact a real life adaption of a famous manga and anime series but in comparison to many similar adaptations, this kind of movie can also easily please to those that don't know the original. I usually dislike the whole manga phenomenon. I think it's overrated and has taken the place of many other and more intriguing cultural aspects of Japan. It's a little bit like sushi as there are so many better Japanese foods than this one. But I happened to adore this movie without caring for its origins. A fan of the original series may analyze this flick from a wholly different point of view.

This movie is basically a solid action movie with a good dose of suspense, different exotic cultural elements flawed by a few stereotypes, some soft porn moments that never get too far but also some calm and quiet parts with emotional moments that give the characters some depth and development. The balance between fast paced passages and slow moods is well found in my opinion. Fans of intelligent suspense flicks may find this movie too simple. Action fans would like to see more martial arts aspects. But those who like more than just a couple of genres will surely adore this movie as a whole and recognize its diversity.

The movie won't win a price for exquisite and philosophical dialogues but I prefer the quiet silent and mysterious character of a skilled killer that has fallen in love with his victim to one of those films with endless chatting and pretentiously cool proverbs at each three minutes. I prefer the rude shooting scenes and the rare but well done martial arts moments to car chases without an end, big set explosions or soulless computer effects. This movie is rather grounded and simple. It's easy to watch. But it's sympathetic and still varies to be intriguing enough to watch this flick more than just once.

Anybody that likes a simple but honest action movie with a romantic side story and some exotic Asian elements in a reasonable running time, should try this film out. Anybody that is waiting for something explosive, innovating or profound should go for a bigger production.

Normally I would just give this film seven points but it had a certain kind of magic that is hard to describe but that really addicted me. I already feel the need to watch this movie again. I would also like to show it to some of my mates which doesn't happen very often. This flick is a surprising little gem.

Yo Hinomura (Mark Dacascos) is Freeman, an assassin for the Chinese order The Sons of the Dragons, sent to Canada to deal with the Yakuza who are causing trouble in their homeland. When beautiful artist Emu (Julie Condra) witnesses Yo at work, she becomes his next target, but when the killer comes a-calling, intending to bump off his witness, he winds up falling in love with her instead.

There's more than a little of the John Woo about Christophe Gans' live-action manga Crying Freeman: assassins and gangsters with a code of honour, an innocent woman caught in the middle of a bitter feud, lots of juicy bullet squibs, and more ballistic action and swordplay than you can shake a katana at. Of course, that in itself doesn't guarantee a good film, and Crying Freeman does suffer a little from an overly-ponderous tone, not helped by an excess of slow motion (another Woo trademark). There's also a disappointing lack of martial arts from its talented star Mark Dacascos.

The good news is, however, that the positives outweighs the negatives: Dacascos puts in a fine central performance as the regretful killer who sheds a tear with every mission, the cinematography is great, the violence is satisfyingly brutal (and suitably balletic), and Gans balances the action and the romance confidently. The result is a stylish film that, while no classic, should still be well worth the time for most action fans.

6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

This movie is a handicraft to admire and a truly spectacular action treat in its own original way. First, lets consider that it is not made in Hollywood, and let me say that is probably the reason that this movie is as excellent as it is, otherwise it would have been made casting the most famous actor at the moment, and using excessive explosions and parafernalia. If you haven't seen this one, don't waste another day, it is really worth it, but do not expect the stupid cliches, and colorful pretty waste of Hollywood action movies, this movie is something else, and the acting is superb.

Marc Dacascos plays his best role ever as the "Freeman". The movie tells a tragic story about a ordinary man who was turned into the worlds most efficient killer,and how he tries to save the women he love.

The acting is very good and you can see that they spared no expense making one of the best martial-arts/action movies of the decade.

Marc Dacascos get to show us that he is truly one of the greatest martial-art actors out there.The movie is brilliant directed and the fighting scenes just amazes me.

But if you are expecting a "die hard" action movie you are wrong,because this movie also has a story to tell.

Great story,YOU GOT TO SEE THIS ONE.

There was very little need to make this film. It is a live action version of the first Crying Freeman anime film, from way back in '88, which was in turn a rendition of the Japanese manga. As a film, it is one step up from Xena: Warrior Princess - very low budget, very bland, and extremely boring. All of the stylish elements of the anime are gone, as are the impossible fight scenes and the subtle emotional shifts only possible in a Japanese film.

Seriously, pass this by unless you're a fan of the anime features and want a good laugh. If you've never seen the anime films, rent them. They're a bit dated, but better than a lot of the usual "big guns/big boobs" anime flicks made between then and now.

Marc Dacascos is well cast in this role. he has a Manga like face that seems very perfectly symmetrical and too innocent to be a killer. Which adds to the legend that the Freeman is simply a hermit artist, a potter who keeps to himself and, were it not for the Sons of the Dragons, would have stayed that way.

The movie is a close adaptation to the Manga without trying to do the inimitable. Marc Dacascos is an acknowledged martial artist and acrobat which adds only to the credentials he brings to the movie. Of course, as all avid manga watchers will know, there is always a perverted dimension to the Manga movies. This is not so apparent in this movie adaptation, but suffice it to say that the romantic interest in this movie, has a face which seems so beautiful and tender, it could have come right out of a Japanese novel.

Superb watching. I recommend it to anyone who liked the Manga.

Now, I am not familiar with the Anime that this 1995 movie is based upon, so how true the contents of this live action movie is to the source material, I have no idea.

I sat down here in 2022 to watch the 1995 movie "Crying Freeman" for what must be the third time now since 1995. And each time the movie is every bit as entertaining and enjoyable as the previous time. So writers Christophe Gans and Thierry Cazals definitely managed to put together something wholesome here.

The character gallery in "Crying Freeman" is pretty good, as it is rather detailed and director Christophe Gans does let the audience get to know the major characters in the movie rather well. And having a great cast ensemble to bring the characters to life on the screen most certainly also played a big part.

It is no secret that this movie is carried rather well by Mark Dacascos (playing Yo Hinomura, aka the Freeman), and it is also the main reason for why I return to watch it every now and again. But aside from Mark Dacascos, the movie also have some nice performances by the rest of the cast ensemble.

Visually then "Crying Freeman" is rather good. Lots of nice cinematography throughout the course of the movie, and there is always something to take it for a first time when you sit down to watch the movie.

There is a good amount of action, gunfights and martial arts in "Crying Freeman", complimenting the detailed storyline rather nicely. And the action in the movie is nicely choreographed and equally so brought to life on the screen.

If you haven't already seen "Crying Freeman", then I can warmly recommend you do so, should you ever find yourself with the opportunity to do so.

My rating of "Crying Freeman" lands on a well-deserved seven out of ten stars.

Some parts were a little too long. But Yoko Shimada was one of the BEST parts of this flick. I lived in Japan for a long time and miss being able to see her in TV series and other Japanese movies.

Does anybody know where to find her Japanese films or TV series online (other than the original Japanese studio or networks)? I forgot the title of one. But she's the head of a crime family and has to take matters into her own hands. Not a ripoff of Gokudo no Onna Hito (Yakuza Wives). The only way right now to get one of these is to have a friend there get it (which can cost up to about US$70). If you can find these please get in touch. Thanks!

I loved the Crying Freeman Anime and this live version is better than I anticipated. Mark Dacasco is believable as Freeman and there is good chemistry between him and Julie Condra. The movie could have been better had they used subtitles during the Japanese and Chinese dialogue as this left holes as to what was going on. Overall a decent B movie.

i enjoyed this film very much. i hadn't known a film had been made of the comic series and i'm glad i found out.

the only thing i found disappointing was the fact that they dubbed Tcheky Karyo's voice over with Ron Perlman's. i don't know why they did that, it kind of ruined that character for me, as i'm a bug Tcheky fan... he's got a great voice and a lot of nuance is lost from the dub-over.

both main characters look like they were plucked right out of the comic book. i was pleasantly startled to see the faces of the comic come alive like that.

great movie. great entertainment. you'll spend a very satisfying couple hours watching this one. :)

I gotta confess - I liked Crying Freeman much more back in the 90s. A couple of days ago I tried to watch again but failed (I used the forward function a lot of time) - the action looks dated and totally unbelievable, and reminded me of Star Wars. No matter how many guys (Stormtroopers) and how close standing: they manage somehow to miss the target. I bet even untrained people (not to mentioned tough pro killers) would not fail that much. So what's left: some good ideas, some stylish scenes, but that's not enough to call Crying Freeman a classic or have to watch.

This has always been one of my favourite action films. Like the Matrix, this is like a manga cartoon brought to life, with superb visuals that build a great atmosphere in the film, and also some top action, great music and direction and a very good cast.

Amazingly this has yet to be released in the United States, this is shocking, the film is very good and easily beats a lot of dull and poorly produced action films that have come to the big screen in recent years. As I'm from the UK it doesn't effect me but I feel that America is missing out on a B-movie gem.

The cast, at its time of release, were all pretty much unknowns. All of them were very good. Mark Dacascos is brilliant in the lead, he is one of my favourite action stars and has been since I first saw this. He is a better actor than the likes of rivals Van Damme, Schwarzenegger, Seagal, Lundgren and the hordes of action men below them. He is also an amazing martial artist as well. He moves like a cat, with such grace and agility, and he is also willing to do his own stunts in this, and his other movies. The lovely visuals of the film and Gans subtle direction really help the two leads, Dacascos and Julie Condra, to draw you in. Dacascos especially, he has great eyes and really becomes immersed in his roles something which rival stars just can't do. Some scenes are wonderfully shot and performed, they really draw you in. Two in particular are the first meeting between Yo (Dacascos) and Emu O' Hara (Condra) and also a love scene between them later in the movie, well the pre intercourse moments that is, after that it was more sweaty bodies rather than immersing acting. Julie Condra is also very good. This is the only film I have seen her in but I am a fan, she is pretty and has great eyes as well. She and Mark Dacascos have an obvious chemistry in the film and subsequently they became married in real life. Also worthy of mention is Byron Mann, he was excellent as Koh, the Freemans guide, he has to make sure that Yo stays in line. Mann was really great in a decent role, one scene was really good. In a flashback when Yo remembers when he first became the Freeman, he recalls him meeting Koh. Koh then gives this great speech `you are the Freeman, you serve the sons of the dragon.....etc'.

The plot is fairly basic, Yo is the Freeman, this means he is an assassin for an ancient Chinese warrior cult called the Sons of the Dragon. He is really being controlled by them against his will. He is witnessed by Emu O' Hara when he is assassinating a target. This of course means he has to kill her, but of course he falls for her. Its a real comic book story about Yo's emotional struggle between the Woman he loves and the people who control him. He wants to break free from them but this upsets the people he works for, putting himself and Emu in danger. It is a comic book film, realism and seriousness is not important, this is pure fantasy. It has inspiration from comics, it has elements of a swashbuckler and romance, all elements that Christophe Gans is interested in. He had similar themes in his recent hit Brotherhood of the Wolf. Ithought Brotherhood was slightly better but both have a magic quality and in both movies Mark Dacascos steals the show.

Patrick O' Hearn's music is very atmospheric, and really combines well with the cinematography which itself makes this film look far beyond the $15 million it cost to make. Finally, Gan's direction is excellent. He hits the mark with the action, the romance, drama and has made an at times enthralling comic book fantasy. There is a mystical quality throughout the film and the audience is always drawn in. Gan's and Dacascos seem to combine to great effect. This is by no means a classic movie, it has some moments of bad actors from some support players and occasionally stretches probability to extreme levels, but overall it is an enjoyable and criminally unknown film.

There is also an amazing end action scene at the end that is quite long, which includes Mark somersaulting off 15 or so feet high buildings and also a fantastic swordfight that was choreographed by Gans and Dacascos. 9/10

This is absolutly the best movie i´ve ever seen with Mark Dacascos. If your looking for a pure action movie with a little sentimental touch then this is the perfect one. It is just one little thing i don´t like and thats the lack of blood, Mark shoots the bad guys and it looks real cool but where is the blood. But generally this is a very good movie so if you haven´t seen it, please run to your nearest video store and rent it couse it´s worth every dime.

Slow-motion scenes appear too much.

It's a good idea, but the movie is boring.

The atmosphere of the film is very good but does not stand out later.