Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
LuxuriousHeart
This movie was a fun watch. Even though it was obvious self projection, this character of all the ones deserve it. He's a badass, but he also gets hit and struggles through some of the more crucial fights. He does sleep with several women, but he's also charismatic, masculine, powerful, and infamous in certain circles. Basically, it's easy to see how he's appealing, unlike the usual feminine twinks who get girls for just existing, or the rare fat slobs who get girls despite not even having an appealing personality.
The villains were an interesting part. One was an interesting twist villain, and then there's a set up for another interesting for for Golgo 13. Some villains were disgusting and utterly irredeemable, which is fine. I'd rather they not redeem every villain. Unpopular opinion,…
Read at the sourceCiaran_Zagami
If you can get past the fact the first 30 minutes is just a soft core porn film. What awaits you is one of the best James Bond films I've ever seen.
The action is a lot more bloody than what you'd expect from a Bond film. But the plot, characters and everything else would feel right at home especially in the more action focused modern era of Bond films.
The entire movie looks beatiful, even the CGI bits look good and the intro was amazingly well done. Everything just looks fantastic, every character oozes personality in a way that modern computer aided animation just no longer does. It also got a great soundtrack full of 80s era synths and blaring instruments that set the tone perfectly for every scene. Even the mandatory sex scenes are at least well scored if tedious to watch.
I do ha…
Read at the sourceHellspawn28
NOTE: Wrote this review on Letterboxd on 9/29/2021
When I heard that Takao Saitou passed away, I had to revisit this film. Golgo 13: The Professional is still a great action movie in my opinion. Duke Togo aka Golgo 13 is one of my favorite anime and manga characters ever because he is a total badass. Golgo 13 is like combining James Bond and Django Reinhardt into one awesome macho character. I have seen people criticize Duke Togo for having no personality and I disagree with that. I love that Duke Togo is silent but deadly. It makes him even more awesome with the fascinating aura of mystery around the character. Duke Togo is a human grim reaper when he is on screen. When you make contact with him, you know that you're already dead. He never misses his target by killing them in a single sh…
Read at the sourceJastereich
This movie was released in 1983 and is still enjoyable to watch today. Although the story in "Golgo 13" is simple and predictable, it has some mystery that keeps you guessing about the main villain until the end. The animation style creates a sophisticated feel, even though it's not actually sophisticated. However, the characters are not well-developed, making it hard to connect with them.
The movie's biggest flaw is its poorly developed-characters. Despite this, the mature themes presented in the movie make it realistic and relatable to real-life scenarios. If you don't enjoy realistic anime, then this movie is not for you.
The animation is typical of the 70s-80s, with well-detailed movements and a sophisticated effect that makes it enjoyable to watch. The battle scenes are slow-paced…
Read at the sourceDanTheMan2150AD
Before viewing the two live-action adaptations, this was the Golgo 13 I was most familiar with but even then, sitting down to rewatch The Professional after all these years certainly brought back some memories as before today I wouldn't have been able to tell you what on earth the plot of this movie was because I couldn't for the life of me remember. However, saying that there is one thing that has stuck with me over the years and that is the movie's incredible opening credits, easily one of my favourites ever combining the use of everything from stop motion to the first ever use of CGI in an animated movie.
Unfortunately, the movie gets bogged down in an increasingly baffling plot that will have you scratching your head at points trying to fathom everyone and anyone's motivations, the wr…
Read at the sourceTheCompletionist
I am a kid of the 80's and I truly take a lot of pride in that. One of the biggest and most positive things I take out of my childhood as an 80's kid is having the opportunity to watch a lot of ultra-violent r rated action movies and experiencing these movies at such a young age really helped me define what I love about action films even to this very day and I have an incredibly strong opinion that action movies tend to exceed their expectations when they're allowed hit the r rating as a bare minimum because they have the creative freedom that when you want a enjoyable action story you can't shy away from the graphic nature that comes with showcasing violence. However, when you find the perfect balance of showcasing violence and the many things that gives an r rated film it's reputation (n…
Read at the sourceKamuiX1999
Why the hell I hadn't seen this before is beyond me, but damn was it awesome. Sometimes it's cool to come late to the party, and this was one of those instances. This felt like an anime version of a poliziotteschi mixed with the uber-cool of Melville. Duke Togo is an absolute bad-ass, the story is excellent, and the villains are memorable and bizarre (the snake guy seemed like he'd be more at home in a horror flick, yet it worked). There's also kick-ass dialogue like a woman telling Duke "why don't you pull my trigger sometime?" You can't beat that! The ONLY thing I can fault this for is some absolutely awful CGI in the final act. 1983 was when this sort of stuff was extremely primitive and basic, and it dates the film horribly. Otherwise though, this is easily one of the best anime films…
Read at the sourcelamaraptor
Golgo 13 is the Batman of shooting things. He's written to be this unbeatable badass who does nothing but get laid, get paid Gatorade. It definitely embodies that 80's cool aesthetic. This movie alone doesn't overindulge in how perfect and awesome Golgo is and how no matter what he always gets his mark. It does well to establish that he's all of those things without dwelling on it for too long or trying too hard to drive that point home. See, later on there was a whole series that was just episode after episode of "look how cool this guy is," and it starts to get old. I'll get to that in my review of that series, though.
For this movie, I give a solid 7/10 old school cool.
Read at the sourcemonster-zero
*review contains minor spoilers, but it doesn't matter because the movie sucks*
This movie started off as something great. The directing, the shot composition, and the art itself all being excellent. The first 20 minutes of this movie is a solid 8 or 9, and then the integrity of the script starts to crumble almost immidiately.
I'm always put off when a stoic character like Golgo or Max Payne shacks up with someone they've just met, it always seemed to me as if they were betraying their character. So, as you could imagine, it always perplexed me whenever one of the 'once every five second' sex scenes popped up completely out of nowhere and ran over the pacing of the movie like a puppy being hit by a lawnmower. But I was able to ignore that, seeing as it was a personal peeve and I was able…
Read at the sourceTheAngryNerd
Review:
Story/Plot - 7 The Golgo 13 film offers a simple yet entertaining story with a plot that unfolds very nicely. Duke Togou is a legendary assassin who kills Robert Dawson, the son of a very wealthy man named Leonard Dawson. Leonard now seeks revenge and is filled with a burning desire to have Duke dead at all costs. Simple, but it has details that make it interesting and make it work very well. The pacing is also really fast, a lot happens within a short time span, yet the film never feels rushed.
Characters - 7 I'm going to be frank here. Duke Togou is a tad bit boring as a character, and we know nothing about him. No background, no motivation, hell, we don't even know basic things like what his likes and dislikes are. And according to some people, the manga doesn't give us this inf…
Read at the sourceSr_Alpha
This may contain spoilers, so read it under your own risks.
Golgo 13 is an old anime, and for what I know, the manga is much older, a friend told me that it's one of the few mangas that were good in almost all the arcs, a manga that kept a good quality in storyes and all.
Golgo 13: The professional, is about a professional murder, Golgo, who accepts contracts in order to kill people, the story starts when he kills the son of an old man, who is owner of a billionaire company.
Now, what happens when you make an adaptation of a manga that contais good stories with an animation that looks so rad, that it could keep you watching it hours and hours just for it's quality? Then, you got Golgo 13.
The first aspect that calls your look, is the animation, the fucking animation, man. Honestly, it l…
Read at the sourceDunk_A_Ccino
Absolutely brilliant, Golgo 13: The Professional (1983) is slick, macho, and sexy. Directed by the great Osamu Dezaki (episode director of Astro Boy 1963-66, Dororo 1964-65, Ashita no Joe) it's another brilliant hit from one of the biggest anime directors of all time.
Fun Fact: This is the first anime film to have 3D CGI
Golgo 13 is the longest running currently releasing manga franchise of all time since 1968 (as of writing the 3rd longest manga ever made only under Dokaben and Kochikame) and one of the highest selling in manga history, yet Golgo hasn't recieved too many adaptations, only 2 films, 2 live action films, and a 2 season anime from 2008-2009, which is shocking for a series so influential and popular.
The series follows Duke Togo, Golgo 13, a gun for hire who always gets the…
Read at the sourcejosh_dd
I finished the Golgo 13 series (50 episodes) and wanted to watch some more Golgo. To my disappointment, the manga does not convey the same emotions as the anime !
I decided to give this 1983 movie a try. Surprizingly it was quite enjoyable, despite being more than 35 years old!
If you like Golgo you will certainly like this movie. However remember not to judge this one as harshly as the anime you may see in the 2000s, as the animation is a bit dated and janky.
The music is fantastic and very 80s though. Golgo, always the same : killing without emotion, sleeping with beauties without seemingly enjoying it, living his life free of worries.
Highly recommend for the fans!
Read at the sourceFmod91
Golgo 13 is an underappreciated classic by the great Osamu Dezaki, one of the most important figures in anime history. Golgo 13 excels in not just one way, but in three. First of all, this movie is a masterwork of nihilistic neo-noir pulp. Secondly it is an auteur art-house film by a truly visionary director. Finally, it is a poignant meditation on the nature of evil. The three elements are all delivered masterfully and tie into one another with incredible coherency.
Golgo is a stoic assassin with little to no personality. He exists to kill and get paid for it, and is always inexpressive and cold. He has allies and business partners, who he is reliable to, but there is no warmth in any of his interactions, even with the women he beds. He is entirely amoral – killing is merely his business…
Read at the sourcethec0re3
Golgo 13 is actually one of my first forays into motion picture anime and as such holds a very special place in my heart and for many good reasons. Duke Togo is still among my top 10 in terms of very dark anti-hero's and he is a big reason why Golgo 13 left such a big impression on me.
The story is pretty simple Golgo 13, an assassin for hire, is contracted to kill the son of a big oil tycoon. As a result, the tables turn on the assassin and it all goes downhill from there.
It's important to note the the art style is dated and while other animations at those times stand up well, Golgo 13's unfortunately does not. The animation does have its moments but there were to many unforgivable still shots and often time shoddy animations that could have been done SO much better to relay what was…
Read at the sourceS_Yellow
The Professional: Golgo 13, I'm a little biased as I count seeing this motion picture among my happy childhood memories. The art is beautiful, a refelction of why we watch anime to this day. The simplistic beauty is enhanced by vibrant colors. But I want to take a moment to mention the soundtrack. I love the soundtrack to this film. It is the reason I started paying attention to who does the music in anime. It's 70's tyle stoic badassness and that's what makes it great. Only... having seen it dozens of times I can say watching it now; it's not really enthralling me. Also it's NC-17 by today's standards. So it's not for those whose triggers require warnings. Other than that, it's nostagia of the era that earne anime it's reputation for sex and violence. Bonus, today's the first time I've se…
Read at the sourcesyzygyzy
Golgo 13: The Professional.
To me, its was The Eighties: The Anime.
Golgo 13, an assassin who lives by a samurai code and never breaks his word, shoots his way through a Sicilian mafia and uncovers that a mysterious organisation is trying to put him 6 feet into the ground. He's a mix of James Bond and Agent 47, which makes him even more badass.
This movie has all the action you could wish for, and more. He pulls off seemingly impossible shots with his rifle, gets into fistfights with special forces and extremely sinister villains, engages in high speed car chases where he drifts round the streets of San Francisco, and makes love to several women whilst saxophones perform a romantic rendition in the background.
All this whilst the art is gorgeously drawn, no shots are the same as Golg…
Read at the sourceherbeey
Trashy 80s action! Relentlessly visually innovative! Fun to laugh at!
Golgo 13 is the longest running manga ever, super well known in Japan. He's an assassin who tends to kill people in impossibly skillful and unpredictable ways, usually with just one shot, he's the ultimate sex machine even though he barely moves during the deed and keeps the same stern expression he always has... which is hilarious. Especially because of those trademark colossal stern eyebrows. He's cool. Too cool. Emotionless, meticulous, unchanging and amoral. He's the hyper masculine ideal. His codename is Golgo 13 but the name he goes by from day to day is Duke Togo, which seemingly everyone knows, kinda defeating the point of a fake name. Heh.
Anyway, the point of Golgo 13 is that he is unchanging. He is a fact. W…
Read at the sourceBeebopJazzAttack
Golgo 13 is a man among men. He is slick, hard faced and brutal, and only goes by his rules. He is an assassin for hire, and he's very good at his job. His latest venture has him going after a mafia boss lord named Dr. Z, after killing a mans entire family Golgo is hired by him to take out the entire organization. But once he gets involved with Dr. Z's daughter Cindy, a lushes goddess of a women who, like many other women, fall into his spell. But it seems Golgo's past is catching up to him, as he is being tracked down by one assassin after another. From the mysterious and evil Gold and Silver, to the ruthless and bizarre Snake. Why has the ultimate hunter, suddenly become the hunted?
A true staple of 1980's anime, THE PROFESSIONAL: GOLGO 13 is based on a huge manga series by Tako Saitou…
Read at the sourceliteraturenerd
Overview:
When you think of the most successful and best selling manga series of all time, you probably think of stuff like: One Piece, Bleach, Naruto, Dragonball, etc. However, there is a manga that has been running non-stop since the 1960s! That manga is Golgo 13, and it is basically unknown outside of Japan. Golgo is one of those series along with Lupin 3rd that is not just HUGE in Japan, but at the level of cultural icon, yet they are utterly irrelevant everywhere else outside of Japan. In Japan, Golgo has sold well over 200 million copies, which is more than Rurouni Kenshin, Yu Yu Hakusho, Attack on Titan, and Inuyasha...combined! Is the anime movie of this highly successful manga any good? Not really.
Golgo is a badass assassin who kills without mercy and sleeps with all the ladies…
Read at the source
