It starts in the future, in the aftermath of a 3rd world war, everyone takes a drug that nullifies human emotion, so as not to have greed, hate, jealousy, and the crimes that accompany such emotions. The drug also keeps positive emotions at bay, thereby dehumanizing the population. If people don't take the drug, they're burned alive. Naturally, there is a resistance of 'feelers,' whom the government is trying to either shoot or burn.
Bad direction/writing/acting... whatever it was, leads almost all characters to show emotion. We see passion, drive, commitment, faith, abstinence, smugness, etc. It really can't be so hard to stick to the rules, can it? Sure, a movie does need emotion, but we can simply have that i the main character, and the resistance fighters. The antagonists can be evil by simply not having emotions, they don't need to smile contently at the suffering of others. That was my main issue with this movie, all these people are supposed to be emotionless, yet there they are, showing emotion. Yet it seems an impossible task to depict a human without emotion.
Pushing this matter aside, the only other thing I couldn't stand was the "firearm martial art"(for lack of a better name). It looks cool, but come on, the efficiency of crossing guns and arms and making weird forms is non-existent. It even shows by the shooting scenes taking far too long. The sword fighting, however, is done well, eye-catching I might add.
Well cast, some good ideas, and a good setting make this movie one that can still be enjoyed. Some people are sure to enjoy this movie more than I did, but sometimes I have a problem with using my brain too much. I may have become a little too obsessed with the emotion/no emotion aspect, but the movie seems to dwell on it as well. I think the movie is still enjoyable. When watching, it might be a good idea to not concentrate on the emotion aspect so much, and let the slips slide.
3.3/5
