Anime review: Golgo 13 - The Professional

There are many a great tale to tell when it comes to animation, specifically for anime, in this case.  I used to hear about Golgo 13, either in passing or by review.  A story about a cold and calculated hit-man, who is the best at what he does, no matter who you send after him, makes for one pretty solid anti-hero to center a story around.  So, I had a wild hair up my butt, and said to myself, "Why haven't you seen it yet?" Actually, what helped get that wild hair up my butt was searching for said anime at a new store I found.  I found an updated version from 2008.  I thought that was the actual classic series, in HD.  It was actually an updated version of the series, and in episode form.  So, onto Amazon.com I go, and I search for the classic anime movie on this series, and I find the Blu Ray.  And thus, let the review begin...


Golgo 13 - The Professional is based on a popular manga series that started back in 1968.  As of this day, it's still going.  It stars a stoic, sullen and deadly assassin named Duke Togo.  His identity and name are unknown.  All that is known is that he kills, without fail and won't be stopped in doing so.  As the story gained popularity, a movie was made in 1983.  This time, it's a bit of a side story where Togo finds himself on the run from a litany of forces.  They are looking to kill him for murdering the son of a powerful businessman.  As the story unfolds, we get to learn why it happened, who else is involved in the setup, and what lengths each side will go to, in order to be the "last killer standing"



What I really enjoy about this movie is the feel of it.  It has the trappings of a James Bond film, mixed with a subtle "noir" approach.  It's also very much a product of its time, steeped in the late 70s and early 80s.  It almost feels like a Brian De Palma film in how it's put together.  As for the story, it is very self-contained, not having to worry about straying from the story proper of the manga. 



Golgo 13 - The Professional makes for one of those classic movies you have to have in your collection for the sake of fleshing it out in completeness.  I feel that as a film, it does a great job being that timeless classic that you can watch whenever you want a solid action film to watch one day and get lost in television.  It's snowing like crazy as I write this, so this would be one of those days you could watch it with no regrets.  I'm glad I stumbled onto this anime and years later, had a wild hair to watch it for the first time.  I was not disappointed.  I also won't do anything to anger assassin's any time soon, either.  Take it E-Z-E!