Okay, for the three people in the world who have found this film but haven't actually heard the backstory, here's the short version: 2 Japanese directors place a bet with one another about who can make a better film in 7 days, 1 location, 3 actors, and 1 has to die. "Aragami" is one-half of that bet (the other being "2LDK"--IMO, "Aragami" wins).

It's important to have a little context when seeing this as it'll make you appreciate it all that much more. Now that we've dealt with the peripheral nonsense, let's get into the good stuff.

"Aragami" is a movie that gets better and better as it goes along. You really have to watch the whole thing to appreciate it (and please ignore the [other reviewer] on this page who referenced the running time at over 2 hours--the film clocks in at 80 minutes--the last 30 being mostly action--unless he has some super, uncut, "only guy in the known universe to have it" version that we missed out on). This film will deliver, but it takes some patience.

After 50 minutes I started thinking, "Okay, the premise is cool and I like what they're doing here. But this is a Ryuhei Kitamura film, when do I get to start witnessing some broken sternums and whatnot?" The answer, at just about the 50-minute mark. Once it gets going it doesn't look back. You get the trademark Kitamura style. At that point, the film starts hovering around the 4-star level. By the time you see the final scene you'll be grinning ear-to-ear and realizing just how awesome this movie really is. The payoff is well worth it (especially for Kitamura fans, ever more so for "Versus" fans).

I've done you a favor. Knowing when the action kicks in, now you can sit back and enjoy the story unfolding knowing exactly what you're getting (and when). As for the story, read the summary. The acting is very tight. The story is cool. The action is very, very well done. And it all plays out well given the constraints of the bet.

This movie should play well for those Kitamura fans, fans of "cult" style action flicks, those with some artistic sensibilities looking for something a little different. Although I wouldn't recommend this as an entrance into the Kitamura world. Check out "Ultimate Versus" first. If you dig it, then go out and pick this up. And, it gets better with subsequent viewings, too. Enjoy.

I am a fan of Ryuhei Kitamura, I loved AZUMI, VERSUS, THE MESSENGER and even ALIVE.

First of all, let me give you a history of ARAGAMI THE RAGING GOD OF BATTLE (aka: Aragami:duel). This film was shot as a challenge/wager with the director of 2LDK, the rules being: shoot and finish the film in 7 days, 2-3 actors, one room and 1 character has to die. I heard Kitamura actually wrote this while he was shooting Azumi.

The story is about 2 wounded samurai who fled to a remote temple fleeing from unseen enemies. They are greeted by a mysterious woman before losing consciousness. One samurai dies while the other samurai (TAKAO OSAWA, SKY HIGH) wakes healed from all wounds. He is greeted and fed by the lord of the temple (MASAYA KATO, Fighter in the wind). Afterwards, he is told that he is in fact a Tengu, or an Aragami who rules that mountain and feeds on human flesh for sustenance. the so-called lord of the temple has been waiting for a worthy opponent to kill him in single combat because he has lived too long.

SPOILER ALERT: It is said that if you are fed human liver and depending on who cooks it, like the mysterious, nameless woman, (Kanae Uotani, who is beautiful, THE MESSENGER, SKY HIGH) a human being may become almost immortal. Also, it was never proven, but the lord of the temple also stated that he is famous throughout the land with the name of MIYAMOTO MUSASHI (the greatest swordsman in Japanese history) There is also a great cameo appearance by the character (TAK SAKAGUCHI) in versus, if you look closely, even the katana sword in Versus was used by one of the combatants. I guess Kitamura intended this as well as make use of Props from his other films.

The film is well-done. No conversation is wasted, and it is well-acted. There is a lot of great chemistry among the actors, hence, for a 79 minute film, it is never boring, and the sword fight at the end is among the best I've seen. Forget Anakin vs. Kenobi, this can be the fight of the year.

I would advise watching it in original Japanese dialogue, it maintains the effect and excitement as it was intended to be.

I highly recommend ARAGAMI if you are a samurai/adventure fan, or if you specially like Kitamura's films. I bought it w/out renting it, and I was glad I did!! Like Masaya Kato says: "Things aren't always what it seems" . People expected a weak brainless film for a movie shot in 7 days, but this film is better than most of the films made in a year.

Enjoy!! Aragami wins over 2LDK in my opinion.

Now if only Hollywood directors will do a challenge movie made in 7 days...