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Rurouni Kenshin
2012 · Director: Keishi Otomo · JP
What it is about
A former assassin from the end of the shogunate vows never to kill again and fights with a reverse-blade sword.
The fighting in it
The reverse-blade sword (sakabatō) is fictional, but it works as a clear shorthand for the tension between combat effectiveness and refusing to kill. The choreography blends kenjutsu with Hong Kong pacing; lead actor Takeru Satoh performed most of it himself.
Martial arts in the film
The film details have not yet been checked against a primary source.