Rating: 
Summary: Best Japanese Anime ever
Review: In an alternate Japan, some 10 years after a major war, poverty and crime stoke the flames of civil unrest. Anti-government guerillas, calling themselves the Sect, spark bloody clashes in the streets. The police respond with a crack unit of heavily-armoured cop-soldiers, the C.A.P.O., to tackle the increasingly well-armed Sect. The C.A.P.O. unit find themselves in a very high-pressure position. On the one hand, their very presence escalates the climate of violence with the Sect. On the other hand, regular cops resent and distrust them. At the center of this firestorm is a young C.A.P.O. officer named Fusé.
When Fusé hesitates to kill a young sect courrier she commits suicide with the bomb she is carrying he is blamed for his failure and demoted back to training camp. Deeply troubled by the experience, Fusé visits the girl's grave, and there meets her sister, with whom he begins a complex relationship. At the same time, a sinister conspiracy is brewing deep in the labyrith of the police system, pitting a secret group of extremists within the C.A.P.O., the Wolf Brigade (Jin-Roh) against the politically inclined bureacrats of the police force. Fusé and the girl are nothing more then pawns of pawns, but who's pawns are they? While some segments of Jin-Roh are extremely violent it is not an action movie. Jin-Roh is an extremely complicated movie with 90% of it's screening time devoted to developping the characters, the plot and the intrigue. Action segments were only incorporated when required by the plot, however those action segments that do exist in the movie are extremely intense, yet most of the film's intensity still comes from the plot and not the action. Although very different in topic, anyone who enjoyed Perfect Blue will probably enjoy Jin-Roh. Although not quite as complicated as Perfect Blue, Jin-Roh succeeds as only the second Anime of the Pshychological Thriller type... that is, only the seconds success. Further comparisson between Jin-Roh and Perfect Blue is not warranted, they are extremely different stories with little in common except for their complexity.
Artisticly Jin-Roh is a masterpiece, as can be expected with anything coming from Productions IG. The extreme attention to minute detail seen in Jin-Roh is very rare. Hiroyuki Okiura eschewed the recent trend of computer animation with Jin-Roh which was almost entirely done on cels (apparently it took 80 000 cels and 3 years to animate). Jin-Roh is almost entirely "filmed" in low light settings and rainy weather, further adding to the somber mood.
Jin-Roh isn't perhaps for everyone though. Without a doubt, if you are into intense psychological drama, and dark moods, Jin-Roh with it's excellent production values is a must see... and maybe you should watch it twice, just so that you can understand it. However, if you'd rather something lighter, funny, or just plain mindless violence that doesn't require heavy thinking (and at times we all want this stuff) then Jin-Roh definitively isn't for you. If you're not sure though, watch it! It's only 98 minutes, and you might discover a new genre that you want to see more of (I certainly do).
Rating: 
Summary: More of the same, but worth a rent
Review: Don't get me wrong, this is a great movie. The movie is heavily flawed in many aspects. First of all the story is well written. This movie does fall into one category that so many anime movies fall under: overhyped ...
Fuse, the protagonist, seems to not care for the people his around. The whole movie I wondered why he just stood there and watched as five wolves tore his girlfriend to shreds. Then he glanced over at her half-eaten body and just kept going like he didn't have a care in the world. This movie is not for those with weak stomachs by the way.
Like I said, the storyline is great but was slightly under-developed. The MSP, Panzer Corps, and Wolf Brigade are not explained as much as they should be. The ending is anti-climatic like many other anime movies *cough*Ghost in the Shell*cough*Akira*.
I think this movie is meant to be depressing from some reviews I read, I didn't find it like that at all. Grave of the Fireflies was depressing but this is more melodramatic than depressing. Fuse's girlfriend starts to become very annoying, very quick. I on purpose did not want to hear her 1 and a half minute long crying scene, so I quickly skipped past that section.
Before buying the dvd, rent the movie. The movie isn't for everyone, or those who don't want to see a movie about "Japanese Nazis".
Rating:
Summary: Big Questions without compelling characters
Review: Mamuro Oshii is a good director, he can write great scripts but he's weakest when he tries writing characters of his own. Compare Urasei Yatsura 2 or Patlabor, or even Ghost in the Shell, to Jin-Roh and you'll see that the characters are less compelling and the drama is therefore less potent. Fuse is simply a puppet for MO's metaphysical questions and not a puppet of much distinction. When Oshii can play off of someone else's characters (Shirow's or Takahashi's) he's able to use the friction between the author's metaphysical view and his own to provide momentum for his films. The characters are already made and must react to the director/author's almost inscrutable plots (Ghost in the Shell excepted). In Jin-Roh, like Oshii's Angel's Egg, the characters are completely subservient to the Oshii's Big Question and are never defined on their own. Another significant drawback is the absence of clear social context. Patlabor 2 worked brilliantly because it was clearly tied to the problem of Japan's role in the Cold War, much as John Woo's best action films dealt with the impending Chinese take-over of Hong Kong. Mamuro Oshii is so bent on his Big Question he fails to connect the narrative to anything beyond his own abstract narrative style. Perhaps there's a connection to modern Japan that someone can fill in for me but Jin-Roh seemed to be a social commentary wanting social relevance. The biggest beef I have is intellectual cowardice. In light of his scathing suggestion that Princess Mononoke was a dishonest film for asking questions without providing answers Mamuro Oshii himself asks questions in a script that clearly shows us he doesn't think there are answers. Without the vivid connection to the real world he had in the Patlabor films, the spectacular comic foil of Takahashi's universe, or the beautifully self-contained cyber-wrold of Shirow, Oshii founders. If he can play with someone ELSE'S world his writing shines. It doesn't here. That said Oshii didn't direct this film himself. If he had he might have put more care into the screeplay. As it stands this looks like the work of an artist fitfully resisting retirement. The craft is there (so I'd never give it a 1) but the film lacks real inspiration.
Rating: 
Summary: Anime Classics with Ghost In A Shell,Akira,Ninja Scroll.
Review: saw the movie a year ago in the Fantasia festival 2000(Montreal) and since I looked forward to own it on Dvd. Simply one of the greatest anime I've seen. A must have. It's a instant classic with Akira, Ghost In A shell, Ninja Scroll and Perfect Blue. Great graphic,Good music and powerful sound effects! It's a nice remake of the red riding hood in a twisted japan future...
Rating:
Summary: Tense and exciting Action/Political Thriller
Review: Japanese Animated movie about a militaristic Japan sometime in the 1940s-50s era. Civil war is threatening to erupt as the populace, led by an underground terrorist group protests at the current government. They are in turn put down by police and "The Wolf Brigade" - an elite militaristic police force. The story begins when one of the Wolf Brigade follows a beautiful young woman into the sewers and watches her blow herself up in order to escape capture. Upon visiting her grave, he encounters her sister, who looks identical to the dead woman. This occurs as his elite training begins to fall apart and he's followed by spies from both sides of the government. This movie has a nice balance of action and depth as it follows the breakdown of the wolf brigade soldier. Although it's animated, the movie plays out very much like a live-action movie with very real characters. The tale unfolds as the wolf brigade soldier follows this girl while political and military forces begin to surround him for a reason he may or may not be sure of. A great movie about deceit and treachery - on an emotional as well as political level. There is a lot of action in the movie, although probably not as much as action buffs -- what this movie has going for it are real characters and depth.
Rating:
Summary: Excellently Done!
Review: This is a wonderful anime. The animation quality is beautiful. The plot is quite complex, but tied in so well to the children's story that reoccurs in the movie. I would recommend watching the movie subtitled, since I found some of the actor's voices to be perfect in many places in establishing the mood of the scene. In fact, throughout the movie, the mood and atmosphere is conveyed extremely well. Jin-Roh is definitely one of my favorite animes, but I will warn those watching it to be ready to invest considerable attention to the movie, and to experience some disturbing scenes.
Rating:
Summary: Jin - Roh : Fairy Tale Retold, and Brilliantly at that.
Review: I hate to give this wonderful surprise away, but it's necessary in order to get people to sit thru the rather dull beginning. The beginning is actually exciting, showing a battle between the Wolf's Brigade and the Tokyo rebels, but for a long time afterwards the movie seems to move much more slowly. However, that's because Jin-roh ("Man-Wolf") is not really a shoot'em up action shonen, but really a deep and profound pyschological inquiry into the depths of man. That is the great surprise. At key moments, the narrator interweaves the story of one of the most famous Fairy Tales ever told. Using the voice of a little girl to narrate over scenes of extreme violence, brutality, and betrayal, the effect is a moving and eerily poignant re-telling of a time honored tale. You'll never look at it "that story" the same way again, and I earnestly urge if you like Jin-Roh, to also see the American movie, "The Company of Wolves" (1984, dir. by Neil Jordan.)
Rating:
Summary: Incredible story in a rich, detailed world!
Review: One thing I absolutely enjoy about Mamoru Oshii films is his accute attention to detail that completely suspends any disbelief. I couldn't believe how many WWII weapons were incorporated into this film, and with extreme detail! Especially the Wolf Brigade itself, from the training scene using Stg 44s to the main battle weapon, the infamous MG42. A panzerfaust even made a cameo! Also, I'd like to note that Mamorusan used the original Grimm tale of Red Riding Hood, and not the tame version we all grew up with. But enough of the incredible detail. What about the story? This story was confusing at first, but by the end made complete sense to me, even the heart wrenching twist of the final scene. It starts out simple enough with rebels and despotic rulers. The gestapo and the militaristic police. But the country is in an industrial/cultural upheaval that leaves the government floundering. The only way to make peace with all parties is for the gov. to sacrifice a piece of itself--a piece that even the gov. themselves fear, the Wolf Brigade. But the wolves aren't going down without a fight. Watch how it all unfolds as the wolves, who seem to be the hunted, were in fact always the hunters.
Rating:
Summary: ummmmmmmm..........
Review: I saw this movie and the animation was beautiful, the story was a bit confusing but all came together at the end. With out having to ruin some of the story, there were kind of two themes appearing in the movie, that didn't seem to go well, but that's just my opinion... overall it was a good movie... watch it!
Rating: 
Summary: Very well done, but not the next anime classic
Review: I had high hopes for Jin-Roh, which I found on DVD at a local video store, because of the involvement of Mamoru Oshii, director of Ghost in the Shell and the Patlabor movies. Anime fans often debate which films are the classics of the genre, but I sense most would love to see another film of the quality of Akira, Ninja Scroll, or Ghost in the Shell. I wanted "Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade" to be that film, and while it certainly doesn't fall on its face, it didn't strike me as a classic. The production values are not at fault. The animation is top-notch, with a dark, muted look that fit with the mood of the film and reminded me of Ghost in the Shell. The soundtrack, by noted composer Hajime Mizuguchi (Escaflowne), is wonderful. The sound mix on the DVD (I think it was a Region 2 DVD) was strong, especially in scenes where the Wolf Brigade soldiers fire their panzer guns in the tunnels below the city. What left me cold was the story, which like many anime plotlines, is highly complex. That in itself is not so bad, as most American cartoons are too simplistic for adults, but Jin Roh's story, a romance/political thriller/drama set in the future, is too complex to be emotionally powerful. The story seeks to use the fairy tale of Red Riding Hood to comment on the hidden depths of human nature, but I would have preferred a more coherent story with less military and political intrigue. Jin Roh is definitely worth watching if you're an anime fan, but I would not consider it a classic.
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