The gunplay/swordplay/kitchen sink spectacle of Ryuhei Kitamura's samurai action film Versus was a gory fan-favorite at last year's festival. More a "best of" gore compilation than an artistically relevant film, Versus lacked crucial elements of characterization, motive and, most of all, brevity. It seems Kitamura-san has learned many valuable lessons since then, as evidenced by 2002's Aragami. Slower-paced and shorter on visceral gore, his follow-up film is a more accomplished work that clearly demonstrates the director's evolution as an artist. Created as the back-half of the cinematic duel with 2LDK director Yukihiko Tsutsumi, Aragami shares many structural and stylistic elements with its rival film. Though it is more conventional, Aragami is no less a worthy opponent and stands as a compelling work on its own.

Mimicking its cinematic rival, Aragami is set solely in a haunting mountain temple in what looks to be feudal Japan. This sparsely-furnished, intimate setting gives the film much of its mood and atmosphere, and I can easily overlook its resemblance to any number of heavy metal concert backdrops. The temple is dark, outfitted in a striking scheme of black, red and silver, and is expertly lit with candles and occasional lightning strikes. Like Tsutsumi's film, Aragami focuses on the interaction between two characters, an unnamed swordsman and the warrior host of the temple, and it is their verbal and physical exchanges that anchor the film. A third member, a female attendant, is also present for much of the movie, but her presence is not much of an intrusion on the events that transpire.

The film opens with pair of samurai soldiers arriving at the mysterious temple, badly wounded from battle. The female hostess grants them passage, and her male companion subsequently nurses one of the men back to health. Once awake, our unnamed warrior thanks his hosts and hungrily devours a meal, though is quickly saddened to learn of his comrade's passing. The host continues to exchange pleasantries with the samurai, whom he has convinced to stay the night. Over an unusual drink (wine from France), our host begins discussing the legend of the long-nosed devil Tengu with the samurai, and mentions that he also goes by the name Aragami. The samurai is intrigued up until the point when the host reveals that he is, in fact, Aragami. They both share a hearty chuckle after a long pause.

Only he's not kidding. After some philosophical exposition, Aragami discusses how super-human abilities can be attained with a human sacrifice and a "good cook". The samurai is nauseated when Aragami informs him that flesh from his comrade was used to bring him back to life. (Apparently, the female attendant is a very good cook.) Our nameless warrior attempts to strike down Aragami but is clearly no match for the other-worldly being. He is impaled through the chest and gasps out a fountain of blood, along with what he believes are his dying breaths. Aragami simply laughs at his melodrama, as the samurai is shocked when he can find no trace of a wound on his body. Though not immortal, the samurai is clearly a demon now.

Over another unusual drink (vodka from Russia), Aragami requests that the samurai engage him in a duel in order to finally put him to rest. In an extremely entertaining scene, the warrior is asked to choose his weapon from an assortment that Aragami has laid out on the floor. Deciding on an unusual Western weapon (a pistol) and a sword, the samurai begins the duel with a little trickery. Aragami is unphased and fights back with exceptional speed and skill, eventually felling the swordsman with a killing blow. A light from above mysteriously revives our nameless protagonist, who then engages in an evenly-fought final duel that can only leave one winner to carry on the name of the Aragami. A patented Kitamura flourish, complete with Tak Sakaguchi cameo, closes the film.

Aragami is a surprisingly level-headed film, possessing none of the anarchic set pieces and arbitrary violence that characterized much of Versus. The pacing is slow and deliberate, allowing for a fairly extensive level of characterization that helps the flavor of both duelists sink in. Much like 2LDK, there is very little action through the front half of the film, as Kitamura goes to great lengths to make their eventual duel as meaningful as possible. Though their performances are not exactly spectacular, both lead actors in Aragami offer a thoughtful and dignified portrayal of each character. The sharply-realized interplay between them, evidenced in both their verbal exchanges and the intensity of their combat, elevates Aragami to a higher class of warrior film than many of its contemporaries, Versus included.

Though it is primarily a drama, a few moments of light-heartedness inject just the right amount of respite into the film. The afore-mentioned weapon selection scene is extremely well-written, painting the two noble warriors as little boys choosing toy cars on a playground. Indeed, the first weapon that the samurai selects is quickly met with a curt "no, that's mine" response from Aragami. Proper use of the pistol eludes the unnamed samurai, and Aragami continually reminds him of the need to cock the hammer, even in the heat of battle. The film does present some fantastic action, as the last half-hour of the film is strictly devoted to the extended duel between the warriors. Kitamura's penchant for flashy swordplay is on full display here, most notably in a blacked-out battle lit only by the clash of swords.

With tighter pacing, deeper characterization and better cinematography, Aragami is a vast improvement over Versus in just about every respect. The confrontation between lead characters is well-conceived and engaging throughout, with subtle swatches of humor to punctuate the tensely dramatic proceedings. While perhaps not as inventive or unexpected as 2LDK, the film is still a mature offering from Ryuhei Kitamura that indisputably shows his development as a filmmaker. There is just enough sword-on-sword action to satisfy action aficionados as well, making Aragami a character-driven standoff with some teeth. Though the ending sequence is a tad unnecessary and more than a little silly, it still fits well with the themes of the film and can easily be forgiven. Aragami is an enjoyable film from start to finish and gets my well-earned recommendation.

Thumbs Up. Deeper and more mature than his previous works, Kitamura's intimate swordplay piece is a moody samurai showdown that is a pleasure to watch.