Blade of the Immortal (2017) on Netflix
Manji, an immortal samurai, cannot be killed. Rin Asano asks him to serve as her bodyguard while she hunts Kagehisa Anotsu, whose Ittō-ryū swordsmen killed her father.
- Netflix3.3/5
- IMDb6.7/1020,811 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes86%
Trailer
Plot summary
Manji follows his commander's order to kill a corrupt lord, then goes on the run with Machi, his sister, whose mind has broken. A band of rōnin seizes Machi to claim the bounty on him. He gives in to their demands, and they kill her anyway; he cuts the whole band down and is left dying. Yaobikuni puts sacred bloodworms in his body, and they heal him. Fifty-two years pass and Manji does not age. Rin Asano asks the immortal to be her bodyguard while she avenges her father, killed by Kagehisa Anotsu and his Ittō-ryū.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Blade of the Immortal (2017)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Takuya Kimura, who played the immortal samurai Manji, suffered a major wound while filming Blade of the Immortal and was unable to walk for several days.
- Blade of the Immortal was produced and advertised as the 100th film in director Takashi Miike's career, though Miike did not know about the milestone, saying he was always busy developing films; he was satisfied to reach it.
- Hana Sugisaki was cast as Rin Asano because of her work in a TV commercial for instant Chinese stir fry food; Takashi Miike was inspired by the enthusiasm she showed in the advert.
- When Takashi Miike first pictured Takuya Kimura as Manji, his coworkers told him the actor would not take the part, but Miike still picked him, citing Kimura's film experience.
- In May 2017, manga author Hiroaki Samura said he had rejected Hollywood's suggestions for a live-action adaptation because of the changes Westerns tend to make.
- A special features featurette called "Mangi and the 300" says the hyperviolence of Blade of the Immortal was modelled in part on the earlier film version of 300 about the Spartans.
