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Martial Arts Movie Review
Budo: The Art of Killing

Director: Masayoshi Nemoto

budo: (J, lit. martial way) The way of achieving insight or enlightenment through martial arts.

Budo: The Art of Killing begins with a scene featuring two samurai kneeling in seiza; one, about to commit ritual suicide; the other, his second who will presumably behead the man he is attending in order to give him a clean and dignified death…

By now you’re probably getting the picture with regards to the tone and subject of this film. Budo is just about everything a serious Japanophile could want in a martial arts film, including demonstrations of the various budo by highly skilled native martial artists; a serious and fairly accurate treatment of the Japanese martial, cultural, and religious influences that have culminated in what we now know as the modern budo; and lots of anime (okay, that last one I threw in just to see if you’re paying attention).

A Quick Sidebar For A Little Budo History…

While the term “budo” is most often used in reference to the Japanese martial arts in general, I specifically chose the definition above because it most accurately describes the true origins of the term. In case you aren’t aware, the budo (referring to the modern Japanese martial arts, as such) came about as the result of there being a lot of professional warriors around with no one to kill after the total unification of Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate.

Lest all these deadly warriors sit around crying in their matcha until they committed mass seppuku, they began turning to religion to give their lives meaning and direction once more. Thus came about the marriage of the ideologies of Zen Buddhism and early bushido, the so-called warrior code… as well as the blending of Zen Bhuddism and the bujutsu, or “warrior arts” – the original pure fighting systems of Japanese warriors of the classical periods.

The result? Budo, as a moral philosophy, a pseudo-religion, and various expressions of martial art. In fact, this is likely where we actually derive the term “martial art,” since the goal of practicing these fighting arts at this point turned from pure and efficient killing into a physical ritual meant to bring inner peace and calm to the practitioner.

Now, Enough With the Martial Art History Lesson…

Enough history… let’s get on with explaining what makes this such a kick-ass DVD:

First off, this is vintage Fighting Black Kings-era Japanese martial arts. Personally, I have a tremendous amount of nostalgia for these 70’s-era martial arts film documentaries like The Warrior Within, Black Fighting Kings (a.k.a, The Strongest Karate – nearly impossible to find on DVD now), and Budo. These old films treat the martial arts with an air of mystery and respect that more recent television documentaries seem to lack. Indeed, there is a certain elegance about them that has been sorely lacking in the treatment of martial arts documentaries in recent decades…

Second, this is some of the most beautiful footage of Japanese martial arts I have ever seen. The cinematography is fantastic, the backdrops stunning… and honestly, when you watch this movie you are going to see some of the most elegant displays of martial skill you’ve ever witnessed. Also, these folks live it, and I mean LIVE IT. When you see the close up of the tonfa that have been chopped up by swords during practice with live blades, you sort of get this tightening feeling in your lower gut, and you can’t help but think, “Damn, these folks do not mess around!” Then you realize… this is what they mean when they say “budo.”

Finally, the transfer of the footage to this martial arts DVD version has been beautifully executed. To show as much of the original screen action as possible, the distributors chose to display the film in a window box format, which incidentally looks great on a large screen television. Sure, there is some artifact that is visible in the film now and again, which is something to be expected in a film of this age. However, in no way does it detract from the beauty and visual impact of the on-screen action. If anything, I believe it adds to the overall flavor of the film.

All-in-all, whether martial arts aficionado, practitioner, Japanophile, or all three… Budo: The Art of Killing is a must-have addition to your martial arts DVD library.

Click here to get your copy of Budo: The Art of Killing at Amazon…