Samurai Commando: Mission 1549 (DTS Version) (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region 3

The film opens on a secretive Japan Self Defense Force base where a new shielding system designed to protect electronic equipment from solar flare distortion is being tested. The system fails and fails spectacularly, generating a circular field that swaps a large patch of modern-day real estate with its equivalent real estate from more than four hundred years previous, taking the entire squadron of soldiers and all of their equipment with it. Two years later, dimensional holes have begun to open up, hungry voids that absorb everything around them into nothingness, and the holes are growing rapidly. History, it seems, is being re-written and our entire dimension is in danger of collapse. And so the original experiment is recreated, this time intentionally, with a second squadron sent back on a rescue mission.

Accompanying the squadron is former lieutenant Kashima, a former member of the experimental squadron and the only man to ever match its leader in military tactics. On arrival the rescue squadron quickly learns that their worst fears are true and that the original squadron have used their military superiority to their own advantage, setting themselves up as local warlords with an eye to domination of all Japan and a complete restructuring of history, a plan that for reasons which are never even remotely explained somehow involve the dropping of a nuclear device down a shaft bored into the core of Mount Fuji. The rescue plan is now replaced with an attempt to eliminate the well-fortified original squadron.

This is the sort of film you see for one reason and one reason only: machine guns and assault helicopters pitted against swords and arrows. Samurai Commando does not disappoint on this front. The action comes early, it comes often, and it is every bit as ridiculous as you could hope for. The effects are at a suitably cheesy Sci-Fi Channel level and the cast - which features a good number of familiar faces in key roles - play things completely straight. With a concept as ridiculous as this, there's no need for nodding self reference or rapid fire one liners - we already know we're in the middle of something goofy without them - and the decision to play the material seriously is clearly the correct one.

The freshly released Hong Kong DVD is a mixed bag. The transfer is clear but non-anamorphic with the original Japanese audio and perfectly serviceable English subtitles. It's not the sort of film that you'd expect to see get the deluxe treatment but in this day and age, letterboxed releases are pretty much inexcusable. The sound comes in a pair of surround options - DTS and EX - so you can fully appreciate all the gunfire and arrow strikes. A great film it is not, but it exists on a satisfyingly large scale and makes for good b-grade fun. Though the DVD release could be improved it certainly gets the job done.

by Todd Brown - Twitchfilm.net