I don't have a problem with violence in movies. One of my favourite Japanese films of recent times is "Battle Royale" and as anyone who has seen it will testify, Kinji Fukusaku (the director) was no shrinking violet when it came to blowing people up. That said, I think that violence for it's own sake is at best boring and at worst quite disturbing. "Azumi" is a film where the violence is thrown in, it seems, for no other purpose than to shock. I'm sure there are people out there who love this type of film and the rating would seem to verify that but for me it was dull and self indulgent rubbish. "Battle Royale" left me disturbed but I was thinking about it for a week afterwards. "Azumi" only left me yawning and wishing for the closing credits.