Moon over Tao

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Moon over Tao ★★★ 1997

In 16th-century Japan, a Samurai (Abe) and a sorcerer (Nagashima) are dispatched to discover the origins of a strange sword which can cut through solid stone. Once on their quest, they learn that the sword was forged from a meteorite, which also housed a strange orb. This orb contains the power to destroy the world. Meanwhile, three mysterious alien females are dispatched to Earth to retrieve the orb. Unfortunately, it has fallen into the hands of an evil tyrant (Enoki) who wants to use its powers to rule the planet. Successfully mixes sword & sorcery action with a science fiction slant. Director Amemiya is best known for making films featuring futuristic creatures, but he tones that down here, evoking an interesting narrative and impressive fight scenes. American viewers familiar with similar films will find the pacing here a bit different, but the film is engrossing all the same. 96m/C DVD . JP Toshiyuki Nagashima, Hiroshi Abe, Takaaki Enoki; D: Keito Amamiya.