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Golgo 13 - Queen Bee

Golgo 13 - Queen Bee

List Price: $24.95
Your Price: $22.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: "Professional" this is not
Review: "The Professional: Golgo 13" is one of my favorite animated films, and I had seen it before this sequal. So, out of curiousity, even though I had heard bad things about it, I rented the movie to check it out.

I could not believe what I saw unfold before me on the television screen. This movie dwarfs in comparison to "The Professional." Even though Osamu Dezaki is back to direct, he doesn't achieve the same artistic creativity that I saw in his first Golgo 13 film. The scene involving the pool and the crazed military commander's face becoming a skull were all well and good, but the other artsy scenes just came out flat. The storyline also is horrible, and even though the video box claims it has "an ending you won't see coming" I saw it within the first ten minutes in. And one other thing I couldn't help notice was Golgo 13 wasn't really that involved in the storyline - it's more like "Queen Bee - with a special guest appearance by Golgo 13."

The other problem with this movie is simply this: sex, sex, and lots mo' sex. Yes, I know, "The Professional" had a good helping of sex too, but it also remembered to have a storyline. "Queen Bee" is really just a string of sex scenes. We're introduced to Queen Bee while she's having sex. Then the Vice President candidate hires Golgo 13 after having sex. Golgo 13 and Queen Bee meet and they have sex. Queen Bee has a flashback of being raped while she's having sex.......do you see the pattern here?

There are some other minor squabbles with the film - for example, the opening scene involves the Democrats worrying about getting the black vote. Huh?! The American general with a 19th century beard was extremely laughable. Finally, I think we could have all done with out the blaxpoitation theme song. I loved the jazz soundtrack to "The Professional," and boy did I miss it in this film!

In conclusion: unless you are in the mood for lots of nudity and useless violence, avoid this movie. Even if you just like Duke Torgo, it's not worth seeing.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Truly Awful
Review: Definitely a new all time low for anime. I can't believe that I actually bought this.

The animation is very poorly done. The action scenes are the worst I have ever seen in anime. The story is also very poor, and the characters are unconvincing.

Bottom line: If somebody vomited onto a DVD, this would be the result.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Over the top action that should have been delivered better
Review: Don't get me wrong, I love anime films like the ridiculously over the top Wicked City, the original Vampire Hunter D and the classic Akira, and the first Golgo 13 anime, titled The Professional, was a favorite of mine as well, which is the main reason I decided to buy this long awaited sequel that continues the exploits of stone cold assassin Duke Togo. The animation is very neat and looks great, but the cliched over the top ridiculous storyline and borderline terrible voice acting just about kills anything enjoyable with Golgo 13: Queen Bee. The Queen Bee, a female guerilla renegade who seems to have sex with just about anything that moves, is really the main character here and Duke is in more of a supporting role. The over the top bloody action, pointless sex, and wooden characters that the viewer ends up not caring about at all make Golgo 13: Queen Bee a very disappointing anime all together. Do yourself a favor, stick with The Professional for a great anime experience.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Golgo, always hits his target.
Review: Duke Togo(Golgo 13) rules. For anyone who is not familiar with G13, he is essentially the anime version of J. Bond. This golgo adventure is great it stays consistant with what any Golgo fan would expect. It is the same thing that always happens to him. He is hired to perform a hit, hooks up with several ladies ussaully the he hired to kill, blood bath ensues. The violence level is high, and the run time a lot shorter than the Professional. However if I had to compare this title to the Professional, I would choose Queen Bee due to a more consice plot line due to shorter run time. Overall a great anime title for anyone looking for an alternitive to ninja's and high school hijinks.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Nothing like "The Professional."
Review: Eh. Where to start.

I guess I'll say the film's alright. If you're a big fan of Golgo 13 like m'self, see it. If not, skip it. The only redeeming quality of the entire film is that Duke Togo's in it, and that's about it. In fact, I wouldn't even call this a movie about Golgo 13 -- it's about Sonia, the Queen Bee. Golgo sorta just shows up, making cameos, when Sonia has to live to continue the story progression. And like someone else reviewing this pointed out: NO COOL BAD GUYS. Sonia's supposed to be some tragic bad guy, I guess.

However, this film did have a lot of the elements of humanity's darker side. Though there's a scene where it tries to instill sympathy and compassion, and as nice as that is, I appreciated "The Professional" because it *neglected* to do that -- it was a no-holds-barred film, very brutal and in-your-face. Though it does detail some human corruption this time pouring out from the corporate underworld into the political one. And, well, they showed Golgo's scars, which I thought was cool, considering that in the first one he'd get shot and stabbed and blown up and coming out looking like he had more plastic surgery than Michael Jackson.

But, in short, this film's not real good. It's not artistic in the least, whereas with the first one I could've sworn it was directed by a young Oliver Stone. And Duke doesn't kill any ... by shooting through another building first. [Darn]. ^_^

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Okay, really though, bring out "The Professional" on DVD...
Review: For anyone interested in Duke Togo, this is a fine enough DVD (and mounds better than the Sonny Chiba live-action ...job)...

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A New Low For Anime
Review: Giving this inept film even one star is being generous. Where do I even begin to start on why this is one of the worst anime titles to date. First the plot is laughable at best. All there is to the plot is senseless violence and sex, that includes the murder of women and childen plus the implied rape of a child. TThe voice cast sounds like there reading off of cue cards! I swear no emotion what so ever. Those of you whom are expecting any type of a hero prepare for a huge disapointment! No one in this waste of animated cells has any shread of morality or even a basic sense of right or wrong. Unless you fell the need to punish your self for about an hour I suggest you avoid this film like the plauge!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The man with the plan
Review: Golgo 13 is back and this time he's in for one heck of a ride. Robert Hardy is a presidential candidate working for the US presidency. A women named Queen Bee keeps sending death threats to Hardy and wont stop. To remedy the situation, they call in Golgo 13. After having a more than friendly meeting with Queen Bee herself, Golgo 13 is presneted with another job. To kill Hardy. If Hardy wins the election, drugs will be outlawed and Queen Bee's life will go down the drain. But Hardy isn't a real winner either. Queen Bee is actually Hardy's daughter who he thought was dead. So what should Golgo do? I won't tell you how it ends, but it is really good. The only extra on the disc is the commentary track by the director and executive producer. They don't sound like your typical Japanese either, so it was fun to hear. There is however the original trailer for Golgo 13 The Professional inluded on this. The English language was done really well. I must say that I love the new English voice of Golgo. It sounds more deeper and very scary. I should stop my review there because giving away the rest of the story would be criminal so just buy it. It's too good.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Pretty Cool
Review: Granted this anime has a strong 007 feel to it with a little Leon from the Professional on the "cleaner" mode. Besides that, this IS pretty cool. Good animation work here. I felt it was somewhat short for developing the story line. However the show moves along quickly, keeping you interested with the plot twists and combat and of course the love scenes which are always overboard. Enjoy!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Lives Up To The Original
Review: I am shocked that this film is only getting mediocre reviews. It clearly lives up to the original.

The plot: A carefully crafted presidential candidate is sure to win the 2000 election with 90% of the vote. If he lives. His life is being threatened by a major South American drug dealer Queen Bee. Assassin Golgo 13 is hired by the campaign to kill Queen Bee. This will not be an easy job for Golgo 13. Queen Bee has her own private army. Along with the action the plot thickens. Why does Queen Bee want to kill the future president? His campaign is worse than Hitler's. But true to character, Golgo 13 doesn't make moral judgments; he does the job he was paid for.

I do not say this lightly but `The Professional: Golgo 13' is my favorite anime film of all time. And I've seen every anime there is. Yes even above `Totoro', `Akira', `Kite', and `Wings of Honneamise.' I loved `The Professional' because of the great plot and nonstop action. I also found the ruthlessness of Golgo 13 to interesting. A hero with NO morals what-so-ever. He just kills for money, not love or hate.

`Golgo 13: Queen Bee' lives up the original, thanks to writer/director Osamu Dezaki. Golgo 13 retains its style of extreme close ups, over saturated colors and slow motion scenes. The arty action style made famous by John Woo and Ringo Lahm. At only half the length of the original `Queen Been' doesn't rush through anything. The timing is perfect. I can think of very few anime films that can hold the eye for more than an hour. Anime is best done short.

As an added bonus, Queen Bee is played by voice actress Denise Poiter whom played Aeon Flux.

Osamu Dezaki is hands down the greatest anime director I've ever scene. If you love the Golgo 13 genre I also recommend Dezaki's `Black Jack' series.



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