Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- stylized
- cartoonish
- irreverent
- action movie night
- cult film night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film visually ambitious and eye-catching, but judged its thin characters and simplistic narrative unable to support its elaborate style.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film presents its gunless dystopia through flimsy theatrical sets, green-screen matte work, and expressionistic design.
Its action language draws on samurai films, spaghetti westerns, Hong Kong martial arts, video games, and fantasy cinema.
The drifter, bartender, and young samurai confront a ruthless leader whose forces include nine deadly assassins.
The world explicitly has no guns, making blades, martial arts, and organized thuggery the dominant instruments of power.
Films like Bunraku, and why
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
stylized martial arts action, revenge narrative, and heightened genre-world aesthetics
The Warrior's Way
samurai-inspired combat, theatrical visual design, and mythic revenge structure
Sukiyaki Western Django
genre hybridization combining martial arts, western iconography, and flamboyant production design
The City of Lost Children
stylized dystopian action, archetypal characters, and elaborate fight choreography
Movie Details
- Director
- Guy Moshe
- Release Date
- 2010-09-01
- Runtime
- 125 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (368)
Cast
- Josh Hartnett
- Demi Moore
- Woody Harrelson
- Ron Perlman
- GACKT
- Shun Sugata
- Jordi Mollà
- Emily Kaiho
- Kevin McKidd
- Shahar Sorek
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Bunraku about?
- A mysterious drifter joins a bartender and young samurai in a lavishly theatrical, gunless world to challenge a ruthless ruler through stylized martial-arts revenge.
- What is Bunraku like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Bunraku as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Bunraku violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Bunraku as brutal.
- What did critics think of Bunraku?
- Critics broadly found the film visually ambitious and eye-catching, but judged its thin characters and simplistic narrative unable to support its elaborate style.
- Which films are like Bunraku?
- Films with a similar feel include Kill Bill: Vol. 1, The Warrior's Way, Sukiyaki Western Django, and The City of Lost Children.
- How long is Bunraku?
- Bunraku runs 125 minutes.
- Where can I watch Bunraku?
- In United States, Bunraku is available to rent or buy from Google Play Movies, YouTube.
