Akira Kurosawa's Samurai 7 - Vol. 5: Empire in Flux (DVD)

Based on Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa`s legendary martial-arts epic SEVEN SAMURAI, the action-packed anime series SAMURAI 7 offers an anachronistic spin on the film`s famous parable of vigilante justice. This time around, the story takes place in a futuristic feudal society ravaged by years of brutal warfare, where the lawless bandits terrorizing the rural countryside are a terrifying mutant amalgam of man and machine. One particularly poverty-stricken village decides to battle the mechanical menace by hiring a band of nomadic samurai for protection, resulting in a ragtag assemblage of masterful swordsmen with their fair share of personality quirks. Atmospheric and stylish, SAMURAI 7 does Kurosawa justice with topnotch storytelling and gorgeous animation rendered in a muted palette that evokes the source material`s black-and-white cinematography yet remains completely vibrant and visionary. In volume five of the series, the samurai deal with the death of Gorobei, while Kambei, seeking answers, embarks alone on a perilous quest. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.