BLADE OF HONOUR
Watching a three-way samurai army battle in the middle of a burning village is about as exciting as it sounds. But throw in a few speeding motorbikes, dual-wielded machine guns, flying ninjas and exploding bridges and you’ve got yourself a proper set-piece. Total Film is hiding behind a pile of swords in the middle of a freezing February night somewhere outside of Tokyo, smoke swirling and flashpots cracking as an army of stunt performers leap over rooftops, dangle off cranes, ride through walls and face off in the street for a film set to reboot the entire G.I.-Joe-verse.
“We’ve got your typical high-speed car/motorcycle/kung-fu/sword/gun thing going on,” laughs producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, stamping his feet to keep warm. “It’s planned chaos!”
It’s been 12 years since first brought a live-action to the screen, and eight years since 2013’s failed to keep the momentum going. And now, at Japan’s Warp Station Edo backlot in Ibaraki, it’s time to hit the reset switch on the action-figure franchise that grew into a whole wants to be the film that finally gets it right.
