Hideaki Ito Movies

Maverick Japanese director Takashi Miike re-teams with longtime writing partner Masa Nakamura (Andromedia, The Bird People of China) for this Western inspired by Sergio Corbucci's violent 1966 classic Django. It's been hundreds of years since the Battle of Dannoura, yet the Genji and Heiki clans are still feuding. In this poor mountain town, there is rumored to be a great hidden treasure. Genji gang leader Yoshitsune is sure that his white-clad warriors will find the treasure first, but Kiyomori and his red-clothed Heike gang aren't about to walk away empty-handed. When a mysterious lone gunman with an incredibly fast trigger finger rolls into town, everyone wonders which gang he will join. As betrayal, deception, and cold-blooded murder become commonplace, the silence of this once-quiet mountain town will be broken by the piercing echo of gunfire and the air will become dense with the smell of death. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A group of Coast Guard trainees undergoes a grueling training course in the hopes of joining an elite team of search and rescue scuba divers in Eiichiro Hasumi's Umizaru (Sea Monkeys). Their drill sergeant, Hara (Tatsuya Fuji, star of Nagisa Oshima's erotic drama In the Realm of the Senses), is as taciturn and demanding as they come, and a few trainees distinguish themselves quickly. Senzaki (Hideaki Ito of The Princess Blade) and Mishima (Ken Kaito) are clearly the strongest and the toughest, while Kudo (Atsushi Ito) is the runt of the litter. Hara teams the cocksure Senzaki with clumsy Kudo, and the pair have trouble completing their missions. Kudo continually slows Senzaki down, but they share in the punishment. While the rest of the trainees openly mock Kudo, Senzaki defends him and tries to inspire him. One night on leave, Senzaki runs into Kanna (Ai Kato), a pretty local girl who works for a Tokyo-based fashion magazine. Kanna has come back to town to care for her sick mother, but she has little patience for the antics of the "sea monkeys," as the locals refer to the trainees. She gets drunk, however, and winds up in bed with the equally inebriated Senzaki, leading to much confusion and embarrassment the next morning. Kudo eventually wins over the rest of the team with his determination, but Senzaki continually butts heads with the unfriendly Mishima. Kanna's budding romance is derailed by a career crisis, and tragedy strikes the team before training is through. Umizaru, based on a popular manga, had its international premiere at Subway Cinema's 2004 New York Asian Film Festival. The film features the music of Journey. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

In a time when demons and ghosts threaten to bring total devastation to a powerful kingdom, betrayal from within the powerful ranks of the ruling emperor threatens to bring an entire civilization to its knees in this supernaturally charged martial arts epic from director Yojiro Takita. As dark forces hold a suffocating grip on a once powerful kingdom during the Heian period, the emperor employs the help of the Onmyoji in keeping the malevolent spirits at bay. Though the coming birth of the emperor's heir offers a glimmer of hope for the kingdom's future, an intimate betrayal leaves the fate of the kingdom in the hands of Seimei (Mansai Nomura) -- the most powerful of the Onmyoji. As Seimei prepares to do battle with his former master Doson (Hiroyuki Sanada), the powers of lightness and dark come together for a battle that will determine the fate for generations to come. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi