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DVD Review
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Director |
Osamu Dezaki
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Cast |
Gregory Snegoff
Mike Reynolds
David Povall
Tony Oliver
Edie Mirman
Karlyn Michelson
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Distributor |
Manga Entertainment |
DVD Origin |
United Kingdom |
DVD Release Date |
26th February 2007 |
Running Time |
93 Minutes |
Number of Disks |
2 |
Certification |
18
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Reviewed By
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Ryan McDonald
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Buy this film
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GOLGO 13: THE PROFESSIONAL (2000)
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Golgo 13 follows the exploits of taciturn professional assassin Duke Togo (AKA Golgo 13), a combination of John Shaft, James Bond, Rainier Wolfcastle, and Major Kusanagi Motoko. His latest assignment sees the father of a recently extinguished target wanting Golgo 13 dead, as the hunter becomes the hunted. Along the way, he manages to do the horizontal mambo with every woman in sight. What a guy!
Confession time. I’m not really a fan of anime, nor do I really know all that much about it. I’ve enjoyed several episodes of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, and like most people I’ve also enjoyed Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and Ninja Scroll. But for the most part, I find anime a little too tech-oriented, all robots and such (either that or tentacle rape stuff, which is just weird, too weird for even for my tastes). So I came to this film with trepidation and not a helluva lot of insider knowledge. Thankfully, for the most part I enjoyed the film, even if it’s not really my kind of thing.
One of the best things about this film is also in some ways, its most dated element; the animation. On the one hand, there is no denying that animation technology has advanced a lot since the early 80s when this film was made, and it often shows- it’s pretty blocky stuff. But on the other hand, it is made up for by the inventive use of split-screen, skewed angles, and yes, lots of violence and nudity (if you liked the film Heavy Metal, you really gotta check this one out!) to distinguish it from the rest of the pack. The film is clearly going for a more cinematic style, even if the technology can’t quite get it to that level. The film also has a cool opening credits design that (depending on which version you are watching) shows early CGI work with a very 007 flavour and cool theme music. One area where the film actually surpasses even the best episodes of Ghost in the Shell (which was often a little too talky for me) is in the action department. There’s a lot of it, frequently, be it of the violent variety or sexual in nature- you can never get bored by it. The film even throws Nazis into the picture. Not just that, but swinging Nazis! Now that’s entertainment! If only they remade this with more modern technology…nah, censors would probably see all the ‘goodies’ neutered from the film.
The film does have its drawbacks, though these aren’t serious enough to drag the film down too much. In fact, I’m almost tempted to give the film a high rating simply because it didn’t bore a relative newbie like me and lots of other people are going to like it. Initially the film, whilst agreeably focusing more on scenes of sex and T&A, keeps cutting back and forth between characters without really setting the story up. I found it very difficult to work the plot out, initially, but let’s face it, that can often be the case with films from this part of the world. Secondly, the lead character, whilst enjoyably stoic and granite-jawed, really needed a few flashy characters around him to brighten things up, but aside from a slimy henchman who isn’t really in the film enough, there’s little colourful support. Well, at least the women are hot (Uh-oh, there I go again...).
The film (a 2-Disc DVD package) comes equipped with a few extras, including a very brief interview with the film’s producer who talks about the genesis of the film, what they were aiming for etc. Most importantly, we also get a terrific audio commentary by writer Jonathan Clements (recorded in early 2007) who gives a great deal of fascinating information about the film, the Manga that inspired it and its connections to James Bond (which are pretty obvious to anyone watching the film. Golgo 13 is like Connery’s suave Bond mixed with Dalton’s glum Bond). There is also an interesting sneak peak at a Hellboy animated film, which looks cool, and also shows sketches of it. We also get a bunch of Manga trailers, including Robotech, Noein, Naruto, Tactics, Karas, and Ghost in the Shell: 2nd Gig.
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Score
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6 / 10
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