In this time period, an unknown country is quarantined off from the rest of the world and finds itself ruled over by a tough dictatorship who employ a sect of assassins known as the Takemikazuchi to keep the peace.  Amongst their number is a young girl by the name of Yuki (Shaku), whose family were the founding members of the clan.  As her 20th birthday approaches, Yuki is suddenly faced with the awful truth that her mother was murdered by the current leader of the Takemikazuchi clan who calls himself Byakurai (Shimada).  Opting to immediately seek revenge, Yuki finds herself outmanoeuvred and out-manned so she is forced to flee for her life.  On the run, she comes across a young man by the name of Takeshi who treats her injuries and shows her that life is not all doom and gloom.  However, Yuki is now faced with the dilemma of pursuing her new, and decidedly happier, lifestyle or facing her past and exacting the revenge she craves.

With the emergence of 'Versus' as one of the most popular action films in recent years, it was only a matter of time before Japanese filmmakers once again dipped into this genre.  As such, 'Princess Blade' is their latest entry that is inspired by a Manga series and comes armed with an added element - the experience of Donnie Yen as action choreographer!  So let's answer the question on everybody's lips straight away, is this film as good as 'Versus'?  Well, the very simple answer is a straightforward "No".  In truth, it's not even in the same league as, despite the best efforts of the cast (Shaku in particular), the over familiar story and poor pacing can, at times, make this film quite dull to watch.  The post-apocalyptic vision of the future and marauding teen gangs that frequent this scenario seem to be recurring themes throughout Japanese cinema (see just about any manga series as an example) but no one seems to have told them that this story is wearing very thin.  Added to this, Shinsuke Sato seems to have no idea how to pace an action film as even though the film opens and closes with a bang, the entire middle section of the film is devoid of any real revelations and seems to just fill in time before we finally reach the closing confrontation.

As for the action, Donnie Yen's presence does indeed prove to be a bonus here and his expertise is employed wisely.  Each battle is well choreographed with some lightening fast swordplay and kung fu that benefit from Yen's trademark slow motion camera techniques and familiar use of split kicks.  It's also interesting to note that, for some reason, either Donnie or the director has opted not to overdo the use of undercranking which actually makes the fights more exciting than any of Donnie's solo efforts thus far.  The one real letdown though is the poor way that the fight sequences are integrated into the story.  With the exception of the intro and the ending, there aren't really many other major bouts of combat to speak of and this really only leaves the viewer feeling somewhat unfulfilled when the final credits roll.

Obvious criticisms aside, 'Princess Blade' does still provide some entertainment thanks to some standout moments of action and a strong leading performance from Yumiko Shaku.  Perhaps if a sequel is made (and the disappointing conclusion that leaves an open end would seem to hint at the possibility) then the producers could take more time over the story and combine the elements to create one heck of a film.  For the time being though, 'Princess Blade' will just have to take it's place amongst the halls of average action films.