047 4 As I was wondering what to watch this morning and saw The Criterion Edition DVD of Kihachi Okamoto's The Sword of Doom on my shelf , I thought of watching it after a silent short of Wladyslaw Starewicz as a sort of light entertainment . Not expecting much , I put it in my DVD player and prepared to relax for the coming two hours . As I had seen a copy of this DVD in my local library a week ago , I had never heard anything of the director I remembered , and the back cover that spoke of lots of violence and blood , made me expect an exploitation film in the vein of a Seijun Suzuki only with Samurais and in full color . So I was surprised and a bit disappointed when the film began in black and white . But I was soon to be disabused . The films black and white photography is a stunning example of the use of light I have seen in some 60s japanese films ( e.g . Seijun Suzuki's Branded to Kill ) .
Shot in stark contrast , the film always seems a bit overexposed , creating an atmosphere in witch the viewer may already feel some of the pain of the characters , and the harshness of the period depicted , through his own constant effort of the eyes while watching . The characters strain and stress , the atmosphere's tautness is matched by the films style . The widescreen format is used to its fullest by cinematographer Hiroshi Murai , almost every frame a prime example of staging for camera , achieving awe-inspiring compositions which mirror the characters emotions and obsessions , always bringing the directors intentions to light in a most original way . The editing is meticulous , being always right on spot , and at its best not only enhancing the films atmosphere and flow , but deepening our understanding of the characters psychological profiles . This combination of camerawork and editing makes the film on a formal level one of the finest I've ever seen . But complementing this is an emotional richness that speaks of the directors own experience , and the life he witnessed during his time in the Army in the second World War . Being an assistant director to amongst others Mikio Naruse right after the war , we can witness Okamoto with The Sword of Doom already in possession not only of a full-fledged independent perspective on life itself , but also of a cinematic skill , only few directors were able to achieve and put to use in the history of cinema .
In an essay accompanying the DVD-edition , film-scholar Geoffrey O'Brien compares Okamoto to contemporaries like Seijun Suzuki and Akira Kurosawa , but places him under both , calling him only a very competent genre-director , as he fails to reach under the films surface and find a sense in the films undertaking besides its obvious merits , when in fact Okamoto with this film alone must be ranked as a humanist director on par with names like Kurosawa , Ozu and Mizoguchi . And with his clear moral standpoint he is still miles ahead of the formal brilliance and playful nihilistic stance of Seijun Suzuki's 60s films or other genre directors of this time . Whatever Suzukis merits ( and those of his colleagues ) on their own may be , their filmic rebellion was one against an established way of filmmaking , a rebellion against the restrictions made by studios that wanted traditional clear-cut products that would make a maximum profit . But Kihachi Okamoto , at least with The Sword of Doom , isn't just rebelling against an industry , but against the society that could bring such an industry to existence . The film's subversive nature goes so far , that it reverses the assumed creative restrictions , in a way comparable to the dogme - filmmaking in the 90s . By ( unvoluntarily ) restricting himself , Okamoto arrives at a freedom of expression he couldn't have achieved better in any other way . A rebellion that doesn't need to rebell anymore because it has already achieved what it set out to do within the established framework . This may also explain why the politics and social circumstances in the film are only a background for the character , who isn't concerned with any of it . What Okamoto is aiming at exceeds society's borders by far , as his endeavour takes him to one of the most pressing existential problems , the questioning of the human soul .
The beauty of the sceneries and their formal rendering are thereby a powerful contrast to the cruelty and at times outright nihilism of the characters behaviour . The years presented in the film are the early 1860 ' s in Japan and the events preceding the Meiji restoration in 1868 when the power of the Emperor was restored . These years of political turmoil are depicted as a gruesome period in which traditional bonds where slowly dissolving as it was hard to arrive at a steady existential and ideological orientation during an ever shifting environment , in which violence and poverty reigned on the streets .
At the beginning we are introduced to the main protagonist Ryunosuke Tsukue , played with startling intensity by Tatsuya Nakadai , who serves as an indicator for the contradictions and problems of the times . A vessel containing all that's wrong with society itself he is a psychotic figure who seems to bring upon his surroundings the wrath of fate itself . Right from the start he is torn between his desire and longing for an affiliation of sorts , a redemption of all his sins ( or maybe even the worlds ) , and a feeling that he's already too much an outcome of his times , being unable to lay down his sword and change his life . He's at once an angel fallen to earth who's bringing about its destruction , and a human being deeply in conflict with himself , his instincts and emotions .
The tragic of the film and the character , and thus of its time , seems to be the unability to change , to do good when it is most needed , and the powerlessness of man in the face of a human society that is bringing about its own end . Throughout the film we see Ryunosuke struggle to preserve his humanity though it has been lost to him from the beginning . In this lies the main strength and humanity of what the film tries to achieve . The Struggle of man against his fate , no matter how hopeless it may seem , even while facing defeat , is what ultimately makes a person human . To let us experience this through a seemingly nihilistic character , confronting us with a bleak world , is a bold undertaking in which Okamoto succeeds in a magnificent way .
The film was initially planned and executed as the first installment in a much larger tale , and it is a huge loss that the sequels were never made . Nevertheless this film alone , with all its ambiguities and gaps , already stands firmly on its own , displaying all the features needed to establish it as a major work of art .
001 4 Sword of Doom is the best of the non Akira Kurosawa Samurai films . The action sequences are phenomonal , and the setting is so atmospheric and beautiful it leaves you entranced . The snow scene where our anti-hero meets with his kharmic opposite for the first time ( Mifune Toshiro ) has to be the most beautiful setting for a battle I have ever seen . The story is of a thoughtful swordsman who is evil , yet unlike so many other films where there is no character or depth to a villains evil we really get to know Ryunesuke . His Father comments that he is fascinated with evil and therefore he has sought it out and now it has overcome him . We later see examples of his swordstyle even affected by his soul . He kills people that ask to be killed without thinking twice , and all in all he is a complex swordsmen who can't necessarily be written off as just an evil person . The ending leaves you gasping for more , wich I am told exists you just have to read the books or speak fluent japanese to see the rest . A must see . I recommend it highly .
002 4 The actions of a man can describe the man's true identity , as the identity of righteousness and moral character are a reflection of a man's actions . Bushido expresses honor before living , which was the way of the samurai . This honor seemed to fade away , as large numbers of samurai without masters accrued in cities and other locations around Japan during the 1860s . At the end of the shogunate in 1868 , which also changed the importance of the samurai in the Japanese society , warfare began a drastic change from swords to guns and cannons . The end of samurai also indicated an end to bushido , which lead many samurai into a more corrupt lifestyle where honor no longer had the same meaning .
Sword of Doom opens in the spring of 1860 where a young woman and her grandfather climb a mountain pass where the grandfather is ruthlessly murdered without any apparent reason by the film's antihero , Ryunosuke Tsukue ( Tatsuya Nakadai ) . Ryunosuke is the symbolic embodiment of the unification of steel and man , as it often was taught by sword masters that one must become one with the sword in order to reach perfection . When Ryunosuke callously let his sword fall over the girl's grandfather a small bell falls on the rocks , which unsettles him . However , it seems to be the last time that Ryunosuke will show emotion .
Later in the story the audience gets to meet the sword master and teacher Toranosuke Shimada ( Toshirô Mifune ) who suggests , The sword is the soul . Study the soul to know the sword . Evil mind , evil sword . Fundamentally , Toranosuke points out the old way of the samurai where the samurai is one with the sword , as the sword is only an extension of the samurai . Thus , if the man is evil then the sword does evil . It also implies that the sword is as guilty as the samurai Further interpretations of Toranosuke's statement could suggest that substantial responsibility and honor come with carrying a sword , as one carries life at the end of the sword . Toranosuke embraces the values of Bushido as he teaches his student the way of the samurai through fencing .
A more contemporary notion suggests that the mind guides the sword to its target , as the sword is cold , distant , and without judgment . Nonetheless , the sword and other weapons continue to reap new victims such as the grandfather in the beginning of the film . Ryunosuke's fencing technique , which many do not recognize as the samurai are all of the old and traditional ways , appears cold , strange , and uncanny to those who see him fight , as they wonder where the source of his technique originates . This brings the notion to the beginning of the film where Ryunosuke kills the grandfather , which seems to be the moment when he perfects his fencing style , a style that seems detached , callous , and without empathy , which seems to be derived from the sword itself . The story develops this idea even further by displaying Ryunosuke as a calculated and unsympathetic sociopath .
After Ryunosuke returns from the mountain pass he is to fight in a sword contest the following day against Bunnojo Utsuki ( Ichirô Nakaya ) . Bunnojo's wife , Hama ( Michiyo Aratama ) , visits with Ryunosuke in order to convince him that her husband must win in order to save her family's face . This meeting leads Hama to face Ryunosuke's coldhearted personality , as he demands her to offer herself to him . After much contemplation Hama visits Ryunosuke in a mill during the night before his sword contest . In the morning Hama is approached by Bunnojo who tells her that he has announced their divorce earlier the same morning , as he knows about what she had done . Anger and pride consume Bunnojo who decides to kill Ryunosuke in the sword contest as payment for his insolence . However , Bunnojo has no chance against Ryunosuke's strange and distant fencing style .
The story continues to surround Ryunosuke who goes into hiding with Hama , as he continues to lend out his sword to those who are willing to pay . It leads the audience into a downward spiraling tale in which the audience can sense the outcome of Ryunosuke's life . Nonetheless , it is never certain what will happen as director Kihachi Okamoto continues to darken the atmosphere while the tale unfolds . Death is dealt without consideration to whomever he is told to slay , as he stares down the eyes of those who gradually sink to the ground with a deep and deadly cut in their flesh .
In the backdrop of Ryunosuke there is a samurai uprising that he seems to be involved in while the brother of Bunnojo intends to seek an honorable revenge by killing him . The young woman who found her grandfather dead in the mountain pass enters the story , as the past seems to catch up with Ryunosuke . These elements are tied together through Ryunosuke's existence , as he continues to kill for the highest payer . The continuation of Ryunosuke ruthlessness encourages the audience to think that his destiny must eventually catch up with him and make a full circle . Lastly , Ryunosuke seems to be a personification of the shogunate , which we know died at the end of the 1860s .
Sword of Doom is a marvelously framed film with several intriguing shots that show a meticulous eye for details . Many of the scenes have wonderful mise-en-scene that elevates the authenticity of the story , which is brought together with a well-performing cast . The contrasts between Tatsuya Nakadai's character Ryunosuke and Toshirô Mifune's performance as Toranosuke visually bring out the different personalities in these two characters . It is essential to see this contrast , as it provides an insightful view into how different these two are while being very much the same . Much of the film's chemistry rests on these two characters , even though Toshirô Mifune is used sparsely throughout the film . The unfolding Sword of Doom brings the audience a violent cinematic experience , which offers a historical tale with depth and reflection .
003 4 The complicated plot has several intersecting characters with the anit-hero at it's center as we follow his decention into bloody madness .
The b & w photography is masterful as well as the direction that never repeats a shot thusly keeping the eye always interested .
But it's the fantastic swordplay of the individual against groups
that keeps the viewers coming back for more . These are staged in a quiet forrest , a snow storm , and a burning building , making each one different . And each fight becomes bloodier as the villian becomes more insane . The ending is magnificent because it avoids the obvious conclusion and give us better than we were hoping for .
Even if you've never heard of Tatsuya Nakadai , you'll become a big fan of his after viewing this film . He gives a truely inspired ( deranged ) performance .
Because of the blood and flying limbs be careful who you view this film with . Even in b & w it's very bloody and the dying are vocal about it . An adult will see the style of it though and appreciate the staging of the swordplay .
But the movie is far more than the fights . It's a fancinating tale of intersecting characters that finally converge on each other , blending real historical people with fictional ones . It's only a shame that most people won't see this movie in a dark theater on a wide screen . I did many times and was always moved and excited as were the friends that I took to see it .
005 4 The Sword of Doom ( Dai-bosatsu Toge or Pass of the Great Bodhisattva ) is entirely unlike most films in the Samurai genre . Harder than most , crueler than most , and certainly more bloody than any other Samurai film from this time period , it is a difficult film to define and for some impossible to enjoy .
At first , the plot seems straight forward . An outcast Samurai , Ryunosuke enters into a match with Bunnojo Utsuki , upstanding member of the fencing school where Ryunosuke was expelled from . Defending himself from an illegal attack , Ryunosuke kills Bunnojo . Bunnojo's brother , Hyoma , vows revenge and begins to train himself to be strong enough to kill the powerful Ryunosuke . Into this revenge-motif there are added elements of the Shinsengumi army of Kyoto , and the Shogun loyalists , as well as a pair of women seeking to find their place in a dangerous world .
However , nothing else of The Sword of Doom is straight forward . Ryunosuke is a sociopath , an emotionless killer of almost-supernatural skills with his sword . His motivations are cloudy , and sheer momentum seems to be his driving force . It is easy to label him a villain , yet it cannot be denied that each of his kills are justified , and he himself does not seek death . Hyoma's vendetta against Ryunosuke is almost pathetic , as it is obvious he would only die in the challenge . He struggles to gain an advantage , but the outcome is never in doubt . Fencing school master Toranosuke Shimada ( Mifune Toshiro ) is a bridge between the two men , being the only one skillful enough to give Ryunosuke pause , he trains Hyoma . In the background are the political motivations of the Shogun-loyalists , whom hire Ryunoske to kill for them .
Tatsuya Nakadai is incredible as Ryunoske , a driven , intense performance . Nakadai is a veteren of many famous Samurai films , being the gunslinger in Yojimbo and the honorable Hanshiro Tsugumo in Seppuku . Mifune is a stand-out as well , although his role is small . He exudes the necessary charisma to challenge Ryunoske .
An action film , a psychology play , an art film . . . The Sword of Doom could be considered any of these . Definitely a Love it or Hate it movie , with emphatic opinions on both sides , it is an important entry in the Samurai genre , and everyone should give themselves a chance to see in what camp they fall . As for me , I love it .
007 4 This is a very dark and nihilistic story from director Okamoto about an evil swordsman whose passion for the sword becomes an all-consuming desire to destroy anyone who challenges him or stands in his way . His character may seem puzzling at first to western audiences more acquainted with the more famous movies from Kurosawa , where samurai are portrayed more positively , but the writer ( unfortunately his name escapes me ) whose book the movie was based on regarded himself as a student of such western authors as Dostoyevski and Victor Hugo , and their well-known self-destructive and nihilistic anti-heroes no doubt influenced his portrayal of Ryunosuke . There are also Japanese legends of evil swords possessing their owners . But in Ryunosuke's case , there is no doubt that an evil mind wields an evil sword .
Ryunosuke's relationships with women are no better , and his dysfuctional marriage with his wife seems to concern him no more than all the hapless people he kills in the movie . His position there is a true swordsman should be true to his sword just as a woman would be to her chastity , and so he refuses to lose gracefully in a match to a friend's husband although it will mean ruin to him and his family if he loses . Ryunosuke , on the other hand , has nothing to lose since he holds no position with the local lord ( although all the other swordsman realize they are no match for him ) .
The movie skillfully weaves together several plot lines , such as his quest to kill the last Utsugi brother , what will happen when he finally meets Mifune's senior student in a duel , or possibily even Mifune itself . But the movie takes an unpexpected turn at the very end , when the evil swordsman's karma finally comes back to haunt him ( literally ) . I won't say anymore so as to avoid any spoilers , but the ending wasn't what I expected .
Interestingly , although Mifune and Nakadai are billed as the two top actors , you don't actually see Mifune until about halfway through the movie , where he's seen as the sword master presiding over some matches in his own school . He only really has one major scene , where he takes on several dozen swordsman in the snow , as Ryunosuke watches in awe - - the first time he has ever seen another swordsman who was his equal or perhaps superior .
Also , the shots of the samurai dueling in the heavy snow are pretty cool . I don't know if they were actually shooting during the winter or if they used snow making machines , but some of the snowflakes are the size of postage stamps . So there are some nice atmospheric touches as well . And Nakadai's drunken style swordsmanship ( well , not exactly , but you'll see what I mean ) and acting at the very end of the movie are superb . In fact , when he's not out and about accomplishing evil , he spends a lot of his time staring vacantly off into space with a convincingly looney / evil expression on his face .
I actually enjoyed this movie in some ways more than the Kurosawa movies with Mifune . It's definitely done in a different style , and if you're a fan of samurai movies or of Japanese film , you'll probably want to see this one just because of how different it is from the other directors such as Kurosawa , Inagaki , and so on .
010 4 This movie was much better than I had expected , and have to say that it is one of the better movies that I've seen , and certainly one of the best of the samurai genre . Tatsuya Nakadai was excellent as the the samurai Ryunosuke , whose decent towards evil is the central focus of the story . Interwoven are several interesting subplots , making for a complex and engaging film . Mifune's role is minor , but far from insignificant . Cinematography was great and the action sequences were fantastic . If you are a fan of samurai films , or Japanese films in general , this is one that you must see .
012 4 This review is from :
The Sword of Doom - Criterion Collection ( DVD )
After traveling for miles and miles , a grandfather and his granddaughter reach a small shrine and decide to rest awhile before they head on to their final destination . As his granddaughter goes off to fetch some water , the grandfather prays to Buddha asking the enlightened one to allow him to die so that his granddaughter can be unburdened of the life of a pilgrim . Hearing his prayers , a samurai dressed in dark robes and a straw hat the hides approaches the old man and tells him to face to the West before he cuts down the old man with his sword .
Who is this monstrous fellow who would kill an old man without blinking an eye ? It is Tsukue Rynosuke , Nakadai Tatsuya , a brutal samurai renowned for his masterful swordsmanship and infamous for being exiled from his school . After being asked by his father to lose intentionally to his opponent Bunnojo Utsuki in a contest , Ryunosuke is also approached by Bunnojo's wife who begs him to throw the fight . Being by far the better swordsman , Ryunosuke refuses to do so at first , but because of his father's pleas and because Hama , Bunnojo's wife , gives up her chastity , Ryunosuke agrees to throw the fight . However , this is where things begin to go terribly wrong . Finding out that his wife has been unfaithful , Bunnojo divorces her and is determined to kill Ryunosuke at the match the next day . At the match Ryunosuke is able to kill Bunnojo with one strike of his sword . Having nowhere else to go Hama follows Ryunosuke and warns him that Bunnojo's men seek revenge . Ryunosuke disposes of them without a scratch . Exiles , Ryunosuke and Hama live together and even have a son , but the black-hearted Ryunosuke keeps killing for money . Confidant that no one can defeat him , Ryunosuke later learns that Bunnojo has a younger brother , Hyoma who not only is seeking revenge for his dead elder brother but on behalf of Ryunosuke's father also . Will Ryunosuke be able to escape his past or will he finally receive retribution for the havoc he has wrecked on humanity .
With his deep , monotone voice and substantial size , Nakadai Tatsuya cuts the perfect image of a heartless , brutal ronin . While calm on the surface , the viewer can feel the power and chaos beating within the being of this character . Another point that makes this film interesting , like the samurai films of Kobayashi Masaaki and Gosha Hideo , is that samurai are not painted in a completely positive light . Brutal , greedy , lustful , cowardly they are not painted as perfect beings of harmony and decorum . With its buckets of blood , severed limbs , and slashed faces , The Sword of Doom is an incredibly violent work with little , intentional humor , and it is a good film for those who enjoy a good samurai film .
013 4 After traveling for miles and miles , a grandfather and his granddaughter reach a small shrine and decide to rest awhile before they head on to their final destination . As his granddaughter goes off to fetch some water , the grandfather prays to Buddha asking the enlightened one to allow him to die so that his granddaughter can be unburdened of the life of a pilgrim . Hearing his prayers , a samurai dressed in dark robes and a straw hat the hides approaches the old man and tells him to face to the West before he cuts down the old man with his sword .
Who is this monstrous fellow who would kill an old man without blinking an eye ? It is Tsukue Rynosuke , Nakadai Tatsuya , a brutal samurai renowned for his masterful swordsmanship and infamous for being exiled from his school . After being asked by his father to lose intentionally to his opponent Bunnojo Utsuki in a contest , Ryunosuke is also approached by Bunnojo's wife who begs him to throw the fight . Being by far the better swordsman , Ryunosuke refuses to do so at first , but because of his father's pleas and because Hama , Bunnojo's wife , gives up her chastity , Ryunosuke agrees to throw the fight . However , this is where things begin to go terribly wrong . Finding out that his wife has been unfaithful , Bunnojo divorces her and is determined to kill Ryunosuke at the match the next day . At the match Ryunosuke is able to kill Bunnojo with one strike of his sword . Having nowhere else to go Hama follows Ryunosuke and warns him that Bunnojo's men seek revenge . Ryunosuke disposes of them without a scratch . Exiles , Ryunosuke and Hama live together and even have a son , but the black-hearted Ryunosuke keeps killing for money . Confidant that no one can defeat him , Ryunosuke later learns that Bunnojo has a younger brother , Hyoma who not only is seeking revenge for his dead elder brother but on behalf of Ryunosuke's father also . Will Ryunosuke be able to escape his past or will he finally receive retribution for the havoc he has wrecked on humanity .
With his deep , monotone voice and substantial size , Nakadai Tatsuya cuts the perfect image of a heartless , brutal ronin . While calm on the surface , the viewer can feel the power and chaos beating within the being of this character . Another point that makes this film interesting , like the samurai films of Kobayashi Masaaki and Gosha Hideo , is that samurai are not painted in a completely positive light . Brutal , greedy , lustful , cowardly they are not painted as perfect beings of harmony and decorum . With its buckets of blood , severed limbs , and slashed faces , The Sword of Doom is an incredibly violent work with little , intentional humor , and it is a good film for those who enjoy a good samurai film .
014 4 I just got into Asian films , especially from Japan . Daibosatsu ( its title in Japanese ) is an amazing piece of film , which has won the adjective of classic . The original thing about The Sword of Doom is that , Ryunosuke ( the principal character ) , is kind of a psycho . He almost never expresses any emotions always talking in a cold , slow , heartless , monotone , emotionless tone ( only twice he laughs and is an eerie thing to listen ) , in a simple , if-you-said-the-wrong-thing-I'm-going-to-slay-you kind of way . The guy doesn't even blink . He doesn't care if someone wants to kill him . He kills an old man just because .
The story is around the end of the Tokugawa shogunate , when the old order is falling apart and the birth of the Meijin Restoration is at hand . Although is not necessary , a little bit of knowledge of the period will help to appreciate this movie . Is in b / c , but it helps the movie . One of the things I like best is that it shows what a real swordfight using katanas would look like , not the fancy metal clashing against metal of Hollywood , Europe and some Asian ( including Japan ) movies . The movie is strange in the sense that you don't develop any emotion for Ryunosuke , even when you know he lacks a few marbles . As simple as that , he just is , and you accept that .
The story is simple , a man is expel from a fencing school , and is challenge to a match ( pay attention , a match , no a duel ) , the winner will become the heir of the school when the sensei dies . Can't tell you much , ( the match turn into a duel . . . ) simply that he is so neutral , so amoral , that makes him dangerous . His own father wants him dead . He joins the Shinsengumi , but his lack of emotion , together with his disregard for bushido ( well , not always , but enough to piss off a hardcore samurai , and even those times are left to the interpretation ) , gains him the hatred of his assassin buddies . ( I highly recommend that you read about the Shinsengumi ) .
The movie is great , a simply , yet deep . A story of a man that is obsessed with improving his swordmanship , no matter who or what he ends destroying . Buy it , I usually tell people to rent movies first but I doubt you can get this in any rental . But don't worry , if you like samurai movies , you will like this one . Unless you hate enimagtic endings . . . which for me , it makes the story even better .
016 4 They just don't shoot films like this anymore . The deep focus , widescreen photography is some of the best you'll ever see . Ryunosuke is the ultimate anti-hero . The action in this film rivals any Honk Kong kung fu blowout . And the final battle has the passion and energy of John Woo's greatest . Not to mention the length . Where most films would have stopped , Ryunosuke just keeps going , and going , . . sort of like the Energizer Samurai . Beautiful film . Toshiro Mifune also gives a great performance ( when doesn't he ? ) , even though his part in this one is secondary . The greatest of all non-Kurosawa jedi-geicki films .
020 4 I have always been impressed by ( Tatsuya Nakadai ) , ever since I watched his performance as the demented and pyschotic ronin in the Zatoichi episode of The Festival of Fire [ recommended if you have not seen this particular Zatoichi episode ] . The swordplay in The Sword of Doom is very impressive , but it is the character of Ryunosuke Tsukue ( Tatsuya Nakadai ) as a violent , evil and totally sociopathic samurai , which makes this film a very good view . There is no Bushido code for Ryunosuke in this film . He is as violent and bloody as they come .
The year in the film is set in 1860 , as the shogunate is beginning to wane from history and just a mere eight years away from the Meiji Restoration : And it is a time when many samurai are no longer interested in honor , or the Bushido code . Here we find the films main antagonist , Ryunosuke Tsukue , aptly portrayed by ( Tatsuya Nakadai ) . And with his sword as an extension of his personality , the viewer will find that the film is as bloody as they come . The film is very complex , and the characters of both ( Tatsuya Nakadai ) and ( Toshiro Mifune ) as Toranosuke Shimada must be watched very closely . Both give superb performances . As do the rest of the characters in the film .
The beginning of the film gives you an idea of what type of character the samurai Ryunosuke is all about . When a grandfather and his granddaughter rest at a small shrine after traveling for miles , the young granddaughter goes to fetch some water before beginning again on their journey . As the grandfather prays to Buddha at the shrine , the samurai murders the old man with his sword as if the old man were a mere distraction . Ryunosuke is truly a frightening man , and all the more dangerous due to the fact that his skills as a sword weilding samurai are very good . This is a very violent , yet very good film ; and the viewer watches as Ryunosuke descends ever deeply into an insanely bloodthirsty killer . Highly recommended .
024 4 As those of you familiar with the genre might expect , Sword of Doom depicts tremendous violence . Most of the swordplay is highly stylized , but if seeing 20 + swordsmen cut down is not your cup of tea , you might decide to pass on the film . In a way , that would be a shame , for this film speaks not just to Japanese culture and history , but to universal themes of evil and revenge .
The movie stars the incomparable Tatsuya Nakadai as a heartless - - some might even say sociopathic - - samurai who has mastered a non-standard , unorthodox style of kendo or fencing . Perhaps it is his unorthodox style , or his ruthlessness , or both , but he has been kicked out of his kendo school . This establishes him as a ronin , or masterless samurai - - in our nomenclature , a lone wolf .
The movie is set in a time of social dissolution and turmoil , the early 1860s , when the feudal order which had held sway over Japan for over 200 years was breaking apart . The Meiji Restoration of 1868 restored social order by dissolving the Shogunate in favor of the Imperial household . ( In practical terms , a ruling-class oligarchy was established . )
Thus later in the film , Nakadai's mistress bemoans his lack of standing , commenting that in earlier time , he would have had his own kendo school and they could have lived comfortably . Instead , Nakadai is forced to hire himself out as a political assassin for a pittance ; he consoles himself by drinking prodigious quantities of sake ( rice wine ) .
Early on , Nakadai dispatches an unarmed elderly man and shortly thereafter , an opponent in what was supposed to be a non-lethal match . ( In exchange for her favors , he'd secretly agreed with his opponent's wife to throw the match . Alas , the cuckolded husband tried to dispatch him , forcing Nakadai to kill him . )
These unsavory scenes establish Nakadai as ruthless , amoral and maddeningly difficult to kill . Nonetheless , the outlines of his own unorthodox code of conduct are visible . The elderly man had been praying to be released from this life ; overhearing the gent's plea to Buddha , Nakadai took it upon himself to grant the man's stated wish via his sword .
And Nakadai held to his bargain with the other samurai's wife , allowing the match to be a draw , until his opponent tried to kill him with an illegal move . But there is a karmic consequence of these needless killings , and a subplot of revenge is set in motion , building our anticipation of a classic showdown in the final reel .
But our expectations are foiled . I won't give away the ending , except to say it is not the one-on-one good guy versus bad guy showdown we are led to expect , but a harrowing melee in a burning Japanese house in which Nakadai takes on the entire clan who'd engaged him as a sword-for-hire .
Online sources say this unsatisfying ending results from the film originally being planned as the first of a trilogy . I respectfully submit that the filmaker designed this movie to stand on its own , and deliberately chose a very 1960s anti-expectation ending .
This final climatic sword battle - - truly one of the great action sequences of world film , in my humble view - - is unleashed by a betrayal ( the clan tries to kill Nakadai ) and a ghostly visit by Nakadai's victims , who haunt him to the edge of madness . One online reviewer scoffed at this haunting ( shall we also then dismiss Shakespeare's Hamlet ? ) , but ghosts ( obake , spirits , etc . ) , animism and various superstitions are key elements of Japanese culture . That Nakadai's descent into madness begins with a haunting is essentially Japanese .
Those of you who are Japanese or who have lived in Japan for years may disagree , but I see this film as a critique of the Japanese reverence for mastery - - an unplanned , subconscious critique or a conscious one , I can't say . Acting legend Toshiro Mifune plays the master of another kendo school , and in a meeting with Nakadai he proclaims that The sword is the soul . Study the soul to know the sword . Evil mind , evil sword .
For his part , the Nakadai character exclaims , I trust only my sword in this world . When I fight , I have no family . That is , he has no loyalty to anyone but himself and his mastery of the sword . Mifune's comment - - the sword is the soul - - embodies the ideal of mastery ; in Japan , masters of craft are revered as Living Masters .
Mifune is proclaiming a moral truism : if the heart is evil , so too will be the mastery . But Nakadai's character also expresses an ideal of mastery - - that of one unbound from loyalty and obligation to anyone or anything but the mastery itself .
Perhaps the theme many Japanese viewers would identify is this : mastery without loyalty and duty is inherently unstable and ultimately dangerous .
027 4 I have read some of the reviews . The film is spectacular , it is amazing , and Nakadai is reason enough to watch it . He is a great actor and this is proof .
Good films grow with you as you watch them again . Repeated viewing is a necessary thing with most films in the Criterion Collection . A film is much more complex then an essay , and it takes a few readings to understand an essay . I want to address some of the complaints .
They gripe about the ending . The ending is perfect . There is nothing more to say . Whether he dies or not that is his doom . You cannot go more insane , he reached the end either way . Being the main character , the story ends because the main character is being consumed by his rage and madness . You want closure , you want standard plots ? Go see 300 and all that Hollywood trash . Appreciate a film for it uniqueness , not all films need to fit a mold . Its called imagination , the land of many different possibilities . This is not a book , or novel . Its a film , completely different from novels . There is no editing in novels , it is unique to film . Kubrick said that editing is the reason he directs . See Welles or Gilliam for great examples of what editing does . Brazil is maybe the best example ; the studio edit is extremely bad and some people complaining here seem like they would prefer the studio edit over Gilliam's .
Film is a great medium with many possibilities . This is one of the possibilities , and seems rather unique by the amount of complaints . The main character is not the young samurai , nor the orphaned woman . The main character is the insane sword man , and his sword . The last fight was triggered by him going insane and his ally being assassinated , which means he will be next to die . There is no mystery to me what triggered his attack . If you need to invoke god as a reason you are watching the wrong film . Buddhism is not about gods .
Watch it again , and again , and wash Hollywood's influence off of you .
028 4 The polar opposite to THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI - Yoji Yamada's achingly sad masterpiece about a samurai who wants to be a farmer - would be THE SWORD OF DOOM Kihachi Okamoto's blood-drenched story of an evil samurai who appears to be out to kill everyone on the planet .
The first time we see Ryunosuke - killing an old man in cold blood - he looks a little off but still stable . By the end though , after his blood lust has gotten the better of him and the demons in his mind have risen up , he's completely unhinged .
Having only recently gotten into the samurai films I can't compare it to the thousands out there , but to the twenty or so I've see THE SWORD OF DOOM was one of the best . Even better than YOJIMBO . . . and speaking of Yojimbo , Toshiro Mifune is in this movie ! He has a fight scene in the snow that rocks !
031 4 I believe that the origin of the phrase go down swinging comes from baseball , but the aptness of the phrase to the end of The Sword of Doom is hard to ignore . Dai-bosatsu t。ge ( literally , Daibosatsu Pass ) is a 1966 samurai film by director Kihachi Okamoto ( Nikudan , Daiyukai ) whose evil protagonist is the dead-eyed Ryunosuke Tsuke ( Tatsuya Nakadai ) . Trained by his father , Ryunosuke has developed a unique style of swordplay that lulls his opponents in so he can chop them to ribbons . This he does with great skill and no remorse . Before he dies , Ryunosuke's father observes that his cruelty no longer stops with his sword but has seeped into his mind and body .
Set in the Japan of the 1860s , after the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate , we first meet Ryunosuke when he kills an old pilgrim at a roadside shrine . Clearly he is an evil figure , but he turns out to be the movie's protagonist . Despite that pointed introduction , the precipitating act in The Sword of Doom is a match between Ryunosuke and another student at their fencing school . But circumstances conspire for the match to become a duel , and Ryunosuke is forced to kill his opponent . This signals an end to his time at the school and sends him on the road to hell . Ultimately the character reminds me of Don Corleon's description of Luca Brazi in the original novel of The Godfather , as a man who was asking to be killed and for a long time finding no one up to the task . I think that is why he seeks out Toranosuke Shimada ( Toshirô Mifune ) , who refuses to be baited into a fatal mistake . The titles make it seem like Mifune is the co-star of the film , but he is really just a heavyweight guest star and if you anticipate that he and Ryunosuke are going to cross swords at the end of this one you will be sadly mistaken . But Mifune does get one magnificent sword fight in the snow .
We are able to ascribe a wide range of motives to Ryunosuke for his actions because he lets his sword speak for him . Each death drives him deeper along his personal road and if who the victims are matters it is on a level beyond his consciousness . Our understanding is only slightly better because we get to see move of those victims than does their killer , so we are aware of a rough justice that exists but of which he has no clue . But none of that matters as Ryunosuke's face finally starts to change and the grin of a grim reaper appears . Finally it all comes down , as it must , to the climatic sword fight after Ryunosuke comes full-circle and confronts the crime of the opening sequence .
The initial impulse is to compare this samurai fight to other climatic samurai swords fights , but by the time this Criterion Collection DVD came out in 2005 the obvious cinematic reference point is the House of Blue Leaves sequence from Kill Bill , Volume 1 , more in terms of the nonstop action that the over the top blood spraying . Okamoto extends the sequence to a point beyond audacity and then pushes it all the way to the final frame . You would think that at some point honor would be damned and the horde of hounds will drag down the lone wolf , but evil cannot be brought down so easily .
033 4 Tatsuya Nakadai is wandering samurai Ryunosuke in Kihachi Okamoto's fiercely visceral SWORD OF DOOM ( Criterion ) .
Filmed in black and white 40 years ago , this is one of the greatest samurai films because it not only has a great , original story with a moral center but superbly choreographed sword play ( without relying on CGI or wires ) .
Ryunosuke is a sociopathic samurai whose soul is as cold as his steel blade . Using his singular style of fencing , he kills without remorse . He's a liar . His word means nothing . Soon we realize that this killing machine has no code of honor except to kill and survive to kill again .
This film pulls no punches and goes all the way with its premise . Evil is as evil does . It may be irrational but it has an ultimate end and Ryunasuke finally finds himself in the eye of a hurricane of insane , imploding violence . I loved this extraordinarily beautiful and violent film about the nature of evil .
The nice looking print is a newly-restored high-definition transfer . An interesting extra is an essay by critic Geoffrey O'Brien .
035 4 Unaware that ' The Sword of Doom ' was intended as the first of a trilogy , my initial reaction was incredulity at the ending . After some research and reflection , I believe that director Kihachi Okamoto succeeded regardless of the unresolved ending . It may have even enhanced the movie .
Tatsuya Nakadai ( who went on to play Lord Hidetora Ichimonji in Kurosawa's ' Ran ' ) is R。。nosuke Tsukue , a sociopathic ronin in the waning years of the Tokugawa Shogunate . His corruption precipitates a distended chain of events , until ghosts from the past assault his weakened sanity while corporeal enemies attack in the real world . Toshiro Mifune shines in an understated cameo , which made me wonder about the over-the-top roles he did for Kurosawa ( The pair's collaboration had ended the year before . ) In fact , for me , Okamoto's direction was clear and coherent , and I'd recommend this movie to those who have questioned Kurosawa's highly stylized methods if only for another view of Japanese cinema .
However , ' Sword ' is firmly ensconced in the samurai genre , with its requisite sword fights involving the protagonist battling overwhelming odds - and succeeding . I understand that this is de rigueur , and ' Sword ' has plenty enough to satisfy convention , but a far more compelling aspect of the film is Nakadai's performance as the amoral samurai . Enough distance exists between the viewer and the film that his acting is entertaining instead of disturbing , but it is excellent nonetheless , and introduces gray shades in a genre that , from what I've seen , is traditionally all black or all white .
This Criterion edition is stunning - a crisp transfer that lacks nothing in comparison to a color feature . The crispness highlights Okamoto's energetic and unique ( in my uneducated opinion ) direction - he may not have the reputation of Kurosawa , but several times I noted his inspired camera work , and realized that his own style was more than satisfactory .
After viewers are armed with the information that they are not going to get any traditional resolution to the film , I'd highly recommend this movie to fans of the samurai genre and of film in general . Nakadai impeccably portrays a sociopath's descent into madness , and Okamoto is a splendid director - taken together , the effect is an excellent and entertaining film , and a chance to reevaluate my assumptions about Japanese cinema .
036 4 . . . almost .
I'm not a huge fan of the samurai film ; that is to say that I haven't seen very many and the few that I have seen have been less than truly impressive . I don't really know why I decided to give ` Dai-Bosatsu Toge ' a try really , but I did and I was left feeling quite different than expected .
This film is actually very good .
The most impressive thing about this film is none other than Kihachi Okamoto , the films director . He masterfully floats in and out of swordplay as if he were merely observing from a safe place , giving us a wide range of visual capabilities ; but what is all the more impressive is when he leaves his perch and dives down into the grit of it all , dodging blows as it were ; engaging the audience with the brutality of the scene . This is quite possibly some of the best direction of an action film to date ; moving and visceral .
The film tells of samurai Ryunosuke Tsukue , a sociopath of sorts who has developed his own breed of fencing that compliments his difficult and arrogant attitude . When he breaks the code of honor and kills a man in the ring , after swearing to spare him , he finds that his ways are catching up to him in more ways than one . Soon he is fighting to preserve his own life at the hands of those who at one time feared him .
Tatsuya Nakadai is disturbingly accurate as Ryunosuke , evoking in himself this subtle rage that permeates his every scene . He us commanding with just a glance , enveloping his area with this man's evil . Michiyo Aratama has probably the most effective performance in the film , as Ohama , the widow of the slain fighter . Her portrayal of this woman's loyalties and fears is moving and genuine ; especially in her final scenes .
The film ends somewhat ambiguously , since it was originally intended to the first of many based on the novel written by Kaizan Nakazato . As far as I am aware though , those future films never happened . That said , as much as the ending feels justified it also feels unfair , for I wanted something more concrete . It doesn't take away from the film any , and is actually a highlight for some , but on a personal level I didn't connect as strongly as I wanted to . Maybe if the sequels had been filmed and I had somewhere to go with this story , but with the ending so abrupt and open I feel almost robbed of the complete experience I was promised .
Still , it is a film that many will enjoy and one that any fan of the genre will adore . It is quick paced , expertly acted and brilliantly directed . It is crisp and intelligent and thought provoking and one that I highly recommend .
039 4 In 1965 , Japan was way ahead of its time in both film content and scene selection . . .
The character development and acting is still top-notch . There is not much more to say about this movie ( the other reviews are really exhaustive ! ! ) . . . I feel almost anyone can watch and enjoy such a movie , from film students to avid movie-goers - all will find a classic work worthy of reflection .
040 4 Yes , this is a remake of Kenji Misumi's three part Daibosatsu t。ge ( 1959 ) .
But I doubt that Kihachi Okamoto intended to include all of the story in Misumi's version . And thus he chose to end it with a brilliant device , the freeze frame .
The abrupt ending is a masterful sword stroke from Okamoto because it brings a literal and figurative end to our movie's protagonist . Literally , because we know that Ryunosuke has met his end , and is about to be killed by attacking foes or the burning building . He doesn't need to show us what happens because we already know . And figuratively because it brings an immediate stop in movement , paralleling the abrupt ending of Ryunosuke's life .
But curiously it also immortalizes Ryunosuke , freezing him in time for all times . Why ? Okamoto has shown that Ryunosuke deeds in life has caught up with him and he has gone insane , perhaps to escape the consequences . On a spiritual level , his psychopathic mind can live on , but only in it's insane state and not in the real world . In simple terms , the insane world and not the sane world is what's available to Ryunosuke .
Years later George Roy Hill would use this same device for the ending of Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid , but without Okamoto's haunting and staggering effect .
041 4 This movie is intricately directed down to the sigh of a breath from the character which can be easily labelled as evil and insane ( which so you know occurs at the referee's announcement of DRAW at the end of the Mt . Mitake duel ) . Was Ryunosuke evil to begin with ? Or was he born without a conscience ? And did the characters around him play any role in his misery ? Compare the antihero to other characters such as the man who sold Omatsu ( a girl ) to a brothel . His actions spring from impulse and what seems to me to be boredom and or a need to perfect his skills . In any case this movie should not be labelled as just an action flick because I thoroughly enjoyed it even though I'm not crazy about sword films . Don't be fooled by careless reviewers , the ending made perfect sense because the film is not a story of revenge , romance or insanity its much more and it resists any attempt for us to label it . If Ryunosuke was killed in the duel with Homa ( unlikely ) then you can say the movie was about revenge . If Ryunosuke was killed by the fencing teacher ( played by Mifune ) you can say the movie is about good vs . evil . . . and so on but it doesn't end that way . Tatsuya Nakadai who also starred as the lead in Kurosawa's RAN , KAGEMUSHA , and Kobayashi's KWAIDAN , and all 3 HUMAN CONDITIONS gives one of his best performances . And ofcourse their is an absolutely great supporting female actress . Sword of Doom , aka The Great Buddha Pass ( a more appropriate name ) Dai-Bosatsu Toge , is a timeless masterpiece .
044 4 I absolutely love Japanese cinema but I would advice caution for beginners here as the violence is constant and pretty extreme .
The story follows the life of Ryunosuke Tsukue ( Tatsuya Nakadai ) , an evil samurai , that was once fascinated by the concept of evil and totally sucumbed to it through mindless violence . He is a master swordsman with an unorthodox , unpredictable style that is the key to his ferocious success . Ryunosuke first appearence is marked by the unholy act of killing an elderly Buddhist pilgrim , whom he stumbles upon while praying for death / reincarnation . He appears to have no regrets . Critic Chuck Stephens charts the ascendancy of this ` eighth samurai ' and perfectly describes him thus : Nakadai displayed an unadorned exterior that tended less toward suave than somehow slightly embalmed . The qualities that truly define him are those that seem sprung from electrifying forces deep within - - a stentorian baritone that might belong to the devil's own ventriloquist dummy , and a pair of orb-wide eyes as alabaster as snake's eggs so eerily inner-illuminated they threaten to rupture into liquid light . This description is 100% accurate for this film .
Later , he kills again this time , an opponent in a fencing competition that degenerated into a duel after he abused his opponent's wife . This forces him to leave his home town with this traumatized woman who becomes attached to him and actually loves this monster . To make a living , Ryunosuke decides to join a group of unemployed samurai and travelling bandits that group together to make up a quasy-official security force made up of Ronin warriors who support the Tokugawa Shogunate through an enforced policy of murder and assassinations .
Whether killing a man or at home with his woman and their baby son , Ryunosuke never shows any emotion . His expression is fixed in an empty , characteristic stare that suggests the insanity we know must be a component of a serial killer's psyche .
Eventually Ryunosuke learns that the brother of the man he killed in the fencing match is looking for him , intent on revenge . He plans to meet this man and kill him , among other things because his woman tells him to spare him , but before the duel can take place , events start to develop that are going to tilt his self-assurance and the outcome of the film .
In a failed assassination attempt , he stands by as a witness , as another master swordsman , Shimada Toranosuke ( Toshiro Mifune ) , destroys all his oponents on Ryunosuke's team under the light of an eerily snowy night , and for the first time he doubts that his own skill is as unbeatable as he believed . That same night , Ryunosuke's woman , horrified by his persistantly evil disposition , tries to kill him iwhile he sleeps . She runs to him dagger in hand and we almost think she has done it , when he springs and overcomes her . Although she confesses to love him still , she begs him to kill her rather than to abandon her and the baby . He surprises her by complying , with a single stroke he takes her down and while we never actually see him killing the baby , he flees without keeping his appointment for the duel with the avenging brother , so we can assume that the baby dies abandoned .
Later he meets up with the gang of assassins at a geisha house of pleasure . In a room where a beautiful geisha killed herself in the past , he is holding one of the girls because he believes she overheard his conversation , the girl starts to see the ghost of the geisha first , and then he starts seeing the ghosts of all the people he has butchered in his own past . Furthermore , he is haunted by the words he heard from Shimada : The sword is the soul . Study the soul to know the sword . An evil soul is an evil sword .
All hell breaks lose wneh he realizes from her nervous stuttering , that the geisha sent to entertain him is actually the granddaughter of that pilgrim he had murdered at the beginning of the movie .
He starts slashing at the shadows of the ghosts that he thinks he hears around him , breaking walls , and anything surrounding him that he can slash with his blade . He then turns on his fellow assassins , who seem to multiply the more he kills them off . In one several minutes-long sequence of a sword fight , which has to be one of the longest ever made , Ryunosuke keeps on killing until we feel the entire gang may well be wiped out of existence .
At some point in the struggle a fire develops and rages through the house and he keeps on slashing his enemies , except at an ever slower place as he is bleeding profusely from his wounds , and suddenly as he thrusts towards us the camera freezes and the movie is over . We don't know the outcome .
I found out that the movie was suppossed to be part of a series as it was inspired on an eleven-volume samurai novel . But the author of the books died before he could finish the novel and we will never know what ending he had in store for that neurotic killing machine , Ryunosuke Tsukue .
045 4 You could start out thinking this is how action movies are meant to be made . No CG , no stand ins or doubles . Not speaking Japanese , I sort of in away , let the visuals and the tone lead me along . I love the scenery and the lighting in this film .
Several scenes remind me of a broadway play . At one point lurking shadows slowly moving forward , growing in size , become The Swordmans own worst enemy .
A different sort of twist on the main character , letting his faults and sometimes plain evilness shine through for some sort of impacting kindness . A few pints of Black and white blood , and a handful of falling limbs , sometimes slightly over the top , bordeing on campy . Yet the over all picture has a deep down dark feel to it . Great ending . going out with sword blazing or is He ?
046 4 This character , Ryunosuke Tsukue , reminds me of the Vampire Armand , a character created by celebrated writer Anne Rice . Both characters are hopelessly and forever lost , monsters wandering about aimlessly , leaving a trail of death everywhere they go . Ryunosuke Tsukue is a monster because he has no control over his samurai skills : he kills and that's all there is to it , no mercy , no in-between , like a robot . It's a chilling tale , portrayed excellently by Tatsuya Nakadai .
048 4 I have been beefing up my DVD collection lately , trying to see some non samurai japanese flicks and this popped on as a recommendation . I bought it on a whim and now Kihachi Okamoto's SWORD OF DOOM is easily in my top ten favorite movies . Besides the subject matter of samurai which is usually just fun with swords , this movie has an amazing plot with many interesting layers and a little bit of insight into the turmoil that japan was going through when trying to end the Shogunate . A warning I would give is to be prepared for , with only one exeption I can think of , some very unsympathetic characters . For me it was one of he refreshing things about the movie was that the characters had naive , idealistic , selfish or sometiimes pyschopathic motivations . Very human and easy to understand but not to accept .
The performances are fantastic and the cinematography is so incredible that I often forgot it was 40 years old . if you area fan of samurai movie or just looking for a new classic for your collection buy this movie .
049 4 After having seen countless samurai films , from Seven Samurai to Sword of Vengeance , the original Zatoichi movies to Sleepy Eyes of Death , I watched this movie thinking I knew what I'd see - - but I was completely unprepared for this chilling movie .
From the first scene when Tsukue Ryunosuke ( played , in a remarkable performance , by Nakadai Tatsuya ) kills an old man , I was spellbound . He is an evil man , without question , a self-centered villain . . . or so I initially thought . It's only by the depth with which the character is drawn and the flawless acting with which he is portrayed , that we can feel any emotion other than disgust for him . I absolutely hated him for the first 45 minutes of this film , I was so caught up in it that I was desperately waiting to see the arrival of the character that would beat him ( the kind of character we all know from the other samurai films , the noble hero who would avenge the . . . etc . , etc . ) . Then I began to watch him more closely , and I started to find myself fascinated by his behavior - - I still despised him , but I felt drawn to understand why he was like this and where the penchant for savage violence emanated from . This is the first time the villian of a samurai movie was given center stage and it's absolutely compelling .
A second viewing revealed more layers of Ryunosuke . I viewed his actions in the beginning of the movie ( the events that originally made him so hated ) with a clearer eye . I disagree with calling him an anti-hero - - I don't think that's what the film-makers were going for . Instead , I feel they were trying to portray a man on the outside , neither true hero nor villian nor even someone in between , but a man who stood on the outside of everything . There's a scene , one of the few where he loses his composure , when he becomes upset over being called an outcast - - I think this brief scene , more than any other , defines the entire film .
Beyond even that , this film has real surprises - - there are things that happen ( which I wouldn't dream of giving away ) that will shock you , twists and turns that will leave you stunned not so much because of their revelations but because you really don't see them coming . I don't want to describe anything in too much detail because I don't want to ruin even a second of this incredible movie for anyone .
Finally , there is Mifune Toshiro - - what an unbelievable presence . When he appears it's a welcome respite from the madness and savagery - - like an open window in a smoke-filled room . He really deserves to be mentioned in every greatest actor list compiled ( although I'm sure anyone reading reviews of this movie already knows that ) .
This movie has stayed with me for days now , I keep turning it over in my mind , replaying scenes and thinking about the characters . It's a one-of-a-kind movie , and I hope everyone with even an iota of interest in Japanese films takes a look at it . You won't be disappointed .
050 4 What few reviewers realize is that this film is not an original production , but a filmmaker's interpretation of an extremely famous serialized ' novel ' from the early 20th century that is often credited as the genesis of the ' samurai novel ' ( for lack of a better term ) . Author Nakazato Kaizan wrote eleven volumes worth of stories about his anti-hero Ryunosuke , but died before bringing the series to a conclusion - - leaving future generations to ponder what the author had in mind as a fitting end for the miscreant swordsman .
The film covers the events of the first collected volume of Nakazato's epic , and leaves the fate of Ryunosuke unresolved , just as the novel does . Kihachi opts for an ' existential dilemma ' finale , rather than committing to a concrete interpretation of the series , which is something of a cop-out as the film did not become a series of its own despite critical praise .
That said , director Okamoto Kihachi ( highly regarded in Japan , but little-known abroad - - and largely a forgettable director ) outdid himself with the direction and photography of this film , which is rendered in sparse black and white , and captures the nihilistic impulses of the erstwhile protagonist in an appropriate style , although strong if stone-faced performances go a long way toward achieving the effect .
The interesting thing about the film is the absence of context among reviewers and critics . The word ' samurai ' is never uttered over the course of the film , matters of honor are never discussed , and the larger picture of the hollowness of the ' bushido ' system vis a vis the decay of the Tokugawa shogunate is often ignored in favor of stereotypical admiration for imagined concepts of chivalry and devotion . Not to mention the regrettable acknowledgment of women holding social power only through their sexuality ( those who praise the film's appreciation of ' traditional values ' are sadly misguided ) .
More than anything , the film is a portrait of a once-proud caste system whose alleged superiors ( the samurai ) find themselves more than willing to accept the role desperate street gangs , with no more ambition than expanding their ' turf ' and becoming successful extortionists - - the only way to continue making a living in a society that's leaving them behind .
Sword of Doom is nicely photographed and sturdily directed , but without awareness of the origin of the story and the historical context , it may leave some viewers baffled . Or worse , promote the glorification of the legendary samurai during a period of Japanese society when they were little more than brutal thugs .
Body count : about 100 , give or take . The violence in Japanese films tends to be a bit cartoonish , and the protagonist offs about forty people during the climactic scene alone . It's a very violent film , but the violence is stylized to the point of self-parody , with a few gruesome exceptions near the end of the film .
051 4 SWORD OF DOOM ( 1966 , known in Japan as Incident at Daibatsu Pass ) is a film directed by Kihachi Okamoto ; responsible for acclaimed chambara films such as Red Lion and Zatoichi meets Yojimbo . The film is based on the novel by Kaizan Nakazaro ; Daibatsu Tage , and this film still stands out as one of the most violent , dark epic tale even in today's standards . Please note that the novel has also been adapted into a trilogy called Daibatsu ( Satan's sword ) which presents a more detailed representation of its characters and premise . Sword of Doom's main focus is the story of a young samurai named Ryunosuke Tsukure , his beliefs , skills and ruthless indignation .
The backdrop of the film is the 1860 ' s , a period where the Shogunate is slowly taking over and the samurai clans are desperately clinging to their power . The hero or anti-hero is a grim young man named Ryunosuke who is a cold , emotionless master swordsman who trusts no one but his steel . We are introduced to Ryunosuke when he cuts down an old man on a pilgrimage with his daughter when he overhears him asking for his own death for her sake . Ryunosuke arrives to his father's bedside to be scolded because of his ways with the use of his sword , he is scheduled for an exhibition match with a man who is supposed to assume the role of instructor in a school . Ohama ( Michiyo Aratama ) , his wife meets with Ryunosuke to ask him to throw the match in exchange for her body . On the time of the friendly exhibition , the match becomes a duel to the death . What follows next is a downward spiral to murder and madness . . .
Ryunosuke ( Tatsuya Nakadai ) seems like evil incarnate , actually he resembles a demon more than a human being when it comes to character . Ryunosuke is a cold heartless killer , but if the viewer pays extra attention , the anti-hero of this film actually kills for self defense and political reasons . You may say that he's never killed anyone who didn't deserve it , but it ` s the manner in which he engages his opponents and kills his victims . Ryunosuke never gets to express his motivations and background as to why he is the way he is . I believe this is a clever idea to keep his character at arm's length from the audience . It promotes a morbid , dark and chilling aura from the lead character almost up to a supernatural level . His presence his disquietingly intimidating and mysteriously evil .
The swordplay in the film is excellent , it is quick , bloody and never loses any of its visceral punch . The encounter with Ohama's husband is a near-perfect example of a Kendo match , as each of them takes their time to look for an opening . The viewer will realize that the match becomes lethal when they change their form , Ryunosuke assumes his signature Silent stance in which he slowly lowers his sword and his opponent raise his in a high stance .
Toshiro Mifune makes a limited but worthwhile appearance as Swordmaster Shimada . Although he never crosses swords with Ryunosuke , the incident in a bridge or pass where he cuts down Rynosuke's associates is fantastic . Mifune displays his acting ability in this extended swordplay which is excellently choreographed . Shimada spews out his righteous indignation and philosophy while cutting down his assailants , that leads even the hero of this film to doubt his beliefs after he hears know the sword , know the mind . . . . It is rather unclear as to why Ryunosuke decided against the idea of engaging Shimada in combat ; perhaps because his band made a mistake in the attack , that Shimada wasn't their intended victim , or is it something more ? Whatever the cause , it will change him forever .
The cinematography of the film is quite enthralling . Even with its colorless sequences ( it is in Black and White ) , the music and camera work are very well-executed and way ahead in its time . Toho productions is well known in awesome production values in 1966 that it came as no surprise . Okamoto's direction is almost flawless as he portrays the lead as dark , foreboding presence that exudes violence and death , much similar to an angel of darkness . I was rather disappointed that the sub-plots regarding Hyoma's ( Yuzo Kayama ) intended vengeance and his budding romance with a pretty young courtesan named Omatsu ( Yoko Naito ) never came to fruition and effective closure . The climax is satisfying enough on an action standpoint but it did leave some questions unanswered . It opted to focus its sights on Ryunosuke's descent into madness , on a killing spree , cutting down everyone in his path while being haunted by the ` ghosts ' of his empty past .
Ultimately , you will be led to conclude that an evil soul is an evil sword , that gestures , whether good or bad , are what makes a man . Action defines the essence of a human being . On this aspect , Sword of Doom succeeds hands down . Murder and violence can eat a man up from inside , no matter how cold and ruthless one may be . It will extinguish a man from the inside . . .
Highest Possible Recommendation ! [ 5 - stars ]
053 4 This review is from :
The Sword of Doom - Criterion Collection ( DVD )
I liked this movie about a psychotic Samuri who eventually goes mad until , well , he goes mad . Maybe I fell asleep during 5 minutes of the movie too , because there seemed to be a big plot gap towards the end . One minute Ryunosuke is suppose to fight a duel with the brother of a samuri he killed , but the next he is scene in Edo , and no mention is made of the duel . What the heck ? The ends with ol ' Ryunosuke going crazy , and apparently damned to some kind of hell fighting his demons . Yawn . Save the psycho-babble ending for someone else and give me a show-down between Ryunosuke and Shimada !
054 4 I liked this movie about a psychotic Samuri who eventually goes mad until , well , he goes mad . Maybe I fell asleep during 5 minutes of the movie too , because there seemed to be a big plot gap towards the end . One minute Ryunosuke is suppose to fight a duel with the brother of a samuri he killed , but the next he is scene in Edo , and no mention is made of the duel . What the heck ? The ends with ol ' Ryunosuke going crazy , and apparently damned to some kind of hell fighting his demons . Yawn . Save the psycho-babble ending for someone else and give me a show-down between Ryunosuke and Shimada !
056 4 According to the code of bushido , the way of the samurai , the sword is the soul of the samurai . It can be argued that this statement does not contain the supernatural import that one might assume it does . It means , rather , that a man is nothing more than the sum of his actions . As Toshiro Mifune says to Tatsuya Nakadai in this film , The sword is the soul . Evil mind , evil sword .
Apart from containing some very fine exhibitions of samurai philosophy , this film is also a profound character study . The main character , brilliantly played by Nakadai , is a deranged sociopath who is utterly incapable of feeling empathy for anyone . In the opening of the film he overhears an old man praying to Buddha to take him away ; he then strikes the old man dead . When he does this a small bell falls to the ground , the ringing of which eventually returns to haunt Nakadai in the climax of the film . When a woman begs Nakadai's character to let her husband win a kendo match the following day , he sleeps with the wife and then kills the husband the next morning . These are heartless and unprovoked crimes . It is worth mentioning that many great villians in screen history have at least a modicum of goodness underneath their tortured villianous exterior . Not here . Nakadai in this film is pure and total evil . Some critics have argued that his character may even be some kind of supernatural force , such as Eastwood in High Plains Drifter . This argument somewhat assumes that everyone Nakadai's character kills has done something wrong , and I do not feel that this is the case . Though the film is definately open to such an interpretation , I feel that this would be a less interesting interpretation than the one that follows . Furthermore , taking the main character as some type of supernatural force , existing on earth to right wrongs or some such nonsense , leaves many of the happenings toward the end of this film entirely unexplained . Nakadai's character , to me then , is not a supernatural force , but is rather the embodiment of the bushido code gone awry : He is one with his sword , but as the sword's function is to kill , as the sword is cold and silent , so too is Nakadai . He is cold and silent ( his fencing form is even called the silent form ) , and his only function in the film is that of a mindless killing machine .
His technique is so disturbing that even those he kills for eventually turn on him . So good is he with a sword that he that doesn't imagine that anyone could ever defeat him . This is until one of his group's hits goes terribly awry , and they accidentally target the master of a fencing school ( Toshiro Mifune ) . Nakadai watches , dumbfounded , as Mifune takes out the entire band of samurai , killing perhaps 20 foes . Set in a snow storm , this is a truly beautiful scene . ( The cinematography throughout the entire film , in fact , is exquisitely beautiful , and I for one am glad that the film was shot in black and white because the effect here is spellbinding . Some of the set pieces in this film , especially the eerie climax , simply would not have been as effective in color . ) In this aforementioned scene , the hit gone awry , Mifune lectures Nakadai . Nakadai is deeply disturbed by this occurrence . Mifune's display of swordsmanship , as well as his lecturing of Nakadai , unsettles him . He here sees another samurai , equal to his abilities if not superior , putting him down , telling him that he has it all wrong . Mifune's character is like Nakadai's , yet also opposite . This is an important contrast in the film . Nakadai is one with the sword , man melded with steel . He is a thoughtless and emotionless killing machine . That is his technique . Mifune's character is also one with his sword , and yet is the antithesis of Nakadai's character . He knows that a man is ultimately the sum total of his actions . His deeds with his sword are an extention of his character : Evil sword , evil mind . In other words , a noble man is a man who only performs noble actions .
In Sword of Doom , the camera lingers at great length on the characters fighting duels , before any fighting actually begins . It focuses on their expressions , on the psychological aspect of the duel , the game that is being played , on the reaction opponents have to Nakadai's unconventional and uncouth style . This is something this film excels at : Showing that for any sword fight , indeed for any martial arts fight , much of of the fight is psychological , much of what determines the outcome is psychological , and is fought well before any of the physicality and brutality even begins . This idea is similar to real-life samurai Takuan Soho's advising that if you take offense to an insult , then you had already lost right-mindedness prior to the insult . If the samurai looses right-mindedness he will die .
Okamoto ( the director ) , takes an unflinchingly realistic approach to the duels in this film , fully realizing that in real life , once such a duel begins , it would only last a split second . One blow and you're dead . It should be added that this is perhaps the earliest samurai film to attain such a level of brutality . The result of this brutality is in no way exploitative ; it rather lends a heightened sense of realism that ultimately serves to elevate the drama of the story . ( With that said , however , it could be mentioned that some of the fights in which the main character and Mifune's character take on large numbers of people are rather poorly choreographed , consisting mainly of numerous adversaries running at Nakadai or Mifune so that he can kill them , without them even ever swinging their raised swords once ! If one pays attention to this minor quibble , some of the massive fight scenes become rather ridiculous in appearance . )
At the end , in which he is about to kill a girl who overheard something she shouldn't have , the girl says she sees a ghost behind Nakadai . Whether she really believes she saw the ghost of a woman or whether she is merely trying to distract Nakadai is wisely left up to the viewer to decide . What follows however is clear : Nakadai's character begins to see everyone he has butchered , and he looses his mind . His character's emptiness collapses in on itself , and in a deranged frenzy he takes on every samurai in the area . Sadly , the movie abruptly ends right in the middle of this scene , leaving every single subplot in the film unresolved . What happens to the girl he was about to kill ? What happens to the man seeking revenge ? We spend much of the film becoming familiar with these characters , learning their stories , and then they are all abruptly dropped . For that matter , what happens to Nakadai's character ? We can never know . All that we can know is that he is the sum total of his thoughtless actions , and that in the end , when he finally feels their weight , it destroys him . The lack of closure concerning the subplots is an absolute shame , because Sword of Doom could have easily been the greatest samurai film ever made . The only thing holding it back is that its story ends without finishing . The ending of this film unfortunately makes one leave this cinematic masterpiece asking What the hell was that ? This film was supposedly supposed to be the first film in a trilogy . If this is true ( and I have no idea as to whether it is ) , then the sequels were never made . Perhaps the ultimate point of the ending is the realization of Nakadai's insanity . His techique violates every code of honor ; he forsakes honor in his becoming one with the sword , and his techique is all that matters with him . Without honor he has no substance , and eventually blosoms into the full-blooded extension of his ( lack of ) reasoning : a maniacal , senseless , killing machine .
059 4 Sword of Doom stands out as one of the few films in which the protagonist is a villian and the antagonists are the good guys that we're accustomed to following and cheering for . It's an uncomfortable feeling ; indeed , you're never comfortable ( or supposed to be ) when watching this film . Nakadai is haunting as the protagonist . You may think that you know what to expect , but this isn't your garden-variety psychotic madman that Hollywood loves to include in film after film , like a bad stereotype . Nakadai ( save for one exception ) never makes an outburst or a sudden , unexpected move . It's this quality that makes him more accessible to viewers . Your typical madman is someone you want to keep your distance from , for you never know what he'll do , but Nakadai's calmness invites you to lean forward and study him closely . There are a few scenes where he is depressed on the floor of his shack and you could swear that you'd be able to lean in an inch from his face and look him over without him caring or flinching . He's yet a cold-blooded killer , making for a seemingly interesting contradiction . He kills those in his way when he is out , then lays on the floor and gets drunk on sake when he's at home . Is it a lamenting of how things are and have to be or could it possibly be guilt ?
Sword of Doom is very well acted , has beautiful photography and has an engaging plot . It could've become a great film if it were not for the ending . I won't give it away , but not much is resolved ( perhaps a sequel was intended ? ) . This makes for a somewhat unsatisfying experience , especially if plot resolution is important to your enjoyment of films ( as it is for most of us ) . You must , instead , appreciate the finer elements of the movie , such as the performances , the art and the tragedy . If you're prepared for this , Sword of Doom is a mesmerizing film that should be checked out .
060 4 It is a very good movie , who liks the motion o sword will like this movie . The mind of a man to dicide to live witn devil or to live with the glory is just within a second . This mivie tell us the man ( Ryunosuke ) has the best skill of sword but has a evil mind , to kill without mercy untill the evil took him away .
064 4 And a lot of it .
I saw this first when this was new ( 1966 ) had vividly and accurately remembered some of the scenes , specifically the first and last , when I saw it again a few years ago .
It does stay with you .
There are several good human characters in the film , but don't expect Sanjuro .
066 4 First , I agree with most that the move was well acted , nicely choreographed , and beautifully photgraphed . But I also agree with a few here , that the plot was woefully lacking . If the whole movie was about the journey of a tortured soul , then why bother with subplots which aren't resolved ?
Many minutes of the film are spent on the brother ( Utsuki ) and his quest for revenge - the fact that he never gets a chance for it is a HUGE letdown . Did he see the final battle inside the buring building ? Did he witness the death of Ryunosuke ? Did he deliver the final blow ? If not , he just wasted 2 years of his life training and chasing Ryunosuke . ( Also , whatever happened to the duel at 6 : 00am in the middle of the movie ? )
At least the Omatsu storyline was somewhat satisfying . Her story of her grandfather being killed is the final straw which sends Ryunosuke over the edge . However , did she escape the burining building alive ? Did she meet up with Utsuki ? Why bother giving her much screen time if her subplot is just cast away at the end ?
When I saw the words THE END in the middle of the final battle , I was left shocked . I firmly believe the director must have ran out of money or film stock . The ending ruined what was a thoroughly enjoyable movie . If the final image the director wanted was the crazed look of Ryunosuke fighting for his life , then fine - all I would've asked for is a short shot of the girl running out of the building into Utsuki's arms , and them watching the building burn . Then , it could have cut back to the battle and the final shot of Ryunosuke . An extra minute of film ! Would that have been so difficult ! ?
p.s . I don't think it's my Western sensibiltiy that calls for a movie to have a satisfying ending . It's common sense that any story needs to have its plot resolved . I don't care if it's neat , sloppy , happy , sad , or whatever - just wrap up the loose ends which have been created by the storyteller !
067 4 The ending of any movie may only consist of a scant few minutes on a video reel , but it can make or break a story . The movie went to so much effort to develop interesting characters from the start of this picture , a variety of different types coming from different backgrounds . Then the movie began expertly weaving the characters lives together . I couldn't tell where the movie was going to go and there was so much potential and suspense built up . It was great . And then all of sudden , the movie ends in what can only be described as a lone swordman's psychotic blood bath triggered by God knows what ! What a let down ! I was left with the feeling that the director just said , Ahh the heck with it . Just have him go mental and kill everybody . We need an ending now , we're running out of funds . The long awaited duel between the young swordsman student and the anti-hero never happens . We don't find out what the ninja-posing-as-merchant would have done or tried to do to resolve the duel . As for the girl who's grandfather was murdered by the anti-hero in the begining of the movie , her future is left up in the air . Nothing gets resolved . There is no closure .
I'll give the movie this , though . The only thing that saved this from 1 star was the excellent fight choreography , which I must say is some of the best samurai sword action I've seen on film . It's so good that sword afficionado's like myself can still rationalize buying this movie .
I can appreciate it for that , but not for the story itself . The fight choreographer should have received an award . The director should have received some therapy .
074 4 i ended up slightly disappointed by sword of doom , if only because it seemed confused between its stalwart samurai-film aspirations ( read : mind-numbing slowness ) and its new-wavey leanings . and that kind of left me feeling like huh ? i guess .
take the final scene for instance . arguably , there is no reasonable precedent for the bloodbath ( which was decidedly less shocking than some of the amazon cinephiles , given to hyperbole , might suggest ) , outside of the obvious relationship to ryunosuke's climaxing madness - - more than anything , the final scene's abrupt , freeze-frame ending ; the way the camera turns the traditional japanese interior into a claustrophobic hell-hole ; ryunosuke's freestylin ' sword technique ; the whole thinly-veiled psychosexual conflict thang going on . . . all kind of point towards a random experiment in form , in the vein of a shinoda or an oshima , tacked on to a standard late-golden-age samurai flick . the film is kind of in limbo because it doesn't really give the viewer the kool new thing excitement that new-wave , by definition , is meant to provide - - but it just don't feel like no classic , neither . probably by nature of it being made roughly ten years too late .
anyway , what sword of doom IS great for is providing a pretty duh reference point for the notorious ( and infinitely more bloody ) house of blue leaves scene ( see , another new wave reference , new-wave-of-american-theatre anybody ? ) from tarantino's kill bill vol . 1 . it makes you all like dude , i totally see where he got that . and then you feel all smart and slightly more worldly .
078 4 Overall , this movie fails to move the viewer . Tatsuya Nakadai gives a great performance as the pointlessly cruel Samurai who embarks on a course of self-destruction following a vile past of evil . The movie has a very forgettable appearance by Toshiro Mifune as a fencing teacher and seems to build up to a final confrontation with his student against Nakadai that never materializes . Your time will be better spent watching Kobayashi's Harakiri or Samurai Rebellion if you like more serious drama or Kurosawa's Yojimbo or Hidden Fortress if you like adventure .
079 4 I should have paid more attention to Erick Husher The Serat ' s review and left this one sitting on the shelf . All of the the excellent reviews lulled me to a false sense of security and I foolishly wasted my money and my time . What other's consider artistic and stylisic I considered boring and uncomprehensible .
Even the opening scene where the much reviled Tsukue Rynosuke , rogue ronin , kills an old man on pilgrimmage with his granddaughter was misrepresented in the reviews . For pete's sake , the ronin overheard and answered the old man's prayer , he didn't wantonly kill the old guy . Think of it as Kevorkian ronin .
Some of the swordplay was good and the black and white photography was all right but the movie never really works . This ronin was supposed to be evil and without conscience yet ends up driven insane by the ghosts of those he has murdered . I am of the opinion that you either have a conscience or you don't . It can't be both ways .
061 4 I think 3 Stars is a desent rating , what makes a good movie . It is - I'm bias toward old samurai flicks , and love the black and white . The characters were well drawn , as in many old flicks . Even for black and white the blood scenes were well done - I love the blood scenes . The character was well drawn with an sinister twist that would captivate anyone as to what choices he would make - you simply could not anticipate his actions would be so relentless continually . Though , this is no amazing movie - it's simply a pretty good one . I'd recommend it to rent , but most likely you can't . It's still worth watching , but won't be anything you immdediately tell others about to go watch cuz it's just so dang good , but you will enjoy it .
058 4 This is a great classic samurai movie . It is a must have .
069 4 This movie is far too over rated . It's entertaining for a bit but ultimately really leads no where . Some alright sword fights and scenes but not the great hype that many would make it out to be .
070 4 To help me review this offering , my daughter of 26 years ( and an MST3K fan ) sat with me through the whole thing . I appreciated this as you need someone to bounce stuff off of . Her opinion was of great value .
How do I describe this film ? It has all of the obligatory items normally associated with a a bad Samurai flic . These include revenge , betrayal , the required rape ( and to make it better she becomes his live in common law wife ) , wandering plot line , new characters introduced throughout the movie , cultural differences incomprehensible to the western mind , no real difference between the good guys and the bad ones . It has gore in the extreme ! The TV dripped blood when it was over . To make it even better , they never seemed to know when they had made the point and continued the fight scenes well past their natural ends . Indeed , one would expect that the end would close at least one of the multiple plot lines that hopped and skipped through the film .
Japanese films are much like a Russian novel . It's difficult to keep track of the characters . If you end up liking one , you can bet that they will be mindlessly slaughtered in the next scene . The other feature is that the movie jumps from scene to scene in a confusing way . Indeed , half the fun is trying to guess which scenes have any relevance to the actual story line . In Sword of Doom , I'm not sure any of them did . They set you up for the big fight at the end between the brother of the man that was killed near the beginning of the film and the villain . Never happens . NEVER HAPPENS ! ! ! I swear that they got to the end of the movie and just ran out of film . They stopped the film one scene short of actually finishing the movie . My daughter and I just sat there STUNNED ! She looked at me and said Thats it ? ? ? ? . I have no idea what the point of the movie was . No idea at all !
And to make it better , it does have a whore house in it as well as some kinky sword play .
Some random plot points .
Girl ( #1 ) and grandfather making a pilgrimage stop to rest on top of a mountain pass . She goes for water , he prays to Buddha for Buddha to take him away so that his beloved granddaughter can find a man and have a better life . The evil samurai shows up , hears the prayer and kills the guy to answer the prayer . As evil guy walks away he bumps into a thief and takes a swing and a miss with his sword .
Another woman ( #2 ) meets evil guy and begs him to allow her husband to win the non lethal match scheduled the next day . Her families honor is at stake . He agrees to let him win IF she will have sex with him . After the deed , somehow her husband finds out and divorces her . The nonlethal match becomes lethal with evil guy killing the ex husband . On the way out of town he kills most of the students at the local sword school .
Next scene has #2 shacking up with evil guy 2 years later . She has had his baby . Don't get used to this girl , she eventually tries to kill him and he then ends up killing her and the baby .
In yet another sub plot , evil guy is looking for brother of dead hubby to kill him in order to prevent brother from seeking revenge . He joins a conspiracy , and ends up watching all of the conspirators die at the hands of Toshiro Mfune ( head of the sword school that brother studies at ) while he does nothing to help . Brother sends a challenge , but evil guy loses his nerve and does not show .
Woman #1 ends up being taken in to her uncles house , but while he is away , wife sells the whelp ( #1 ) to the local Lord and chief pervert who likes to undress his dates with a sword . She escapes only to be sold by wife again to a man who takes her to become a geisha in another city ( Kyoto ) .
Evil guy joins another conspiracy and they go to Kyoto . He ends up killing most of that group while in the whore house , girl #1 who is in Geisha training dies . Movie ends abruptly before brother ( also in Kyoto - looking for evil guy ) gets a crack at him .
Not Oscar material , but certainly an MST3K candidate .
004 4 Thats the real name of this story . Sword of Doom was to be part one of a three part story . There are other versions of this story , but none have been subtitled into english yet . Basically , the story is about a swordsman who suffers from bad karma . Everything he does comes back to haunt him . He can't stop it and goes through fits of madness . If the story had continued further you would have seen him go blind in an explosion , become an even better swordsman , and continue to suffer more because he wants to see his son again . All of this is to convey the idea in Buddhism that Life is Suffering . Most of the people that complain about the ending of the movie are clueless about the original book story , other filmed versions , and think that Sword of Doom is the complete story . It is not , because the sequels were never made .
025 4 The Sword of Doom is a definite sleeper . I would highly recommend this movie to any Kurosawa fan . I haven't seen all of his films , but I might actually claim that this could be Tatsuya Nakadai's signature role .
The story never explains how or why , but the main character has become evil . . . thus the traditional role of protagonist in this film and the role of villian are one and the same character ! Why he's evil , the film doesn't explain . Is it the sword itself that is cursed and makes the weilder become evil , or he just a man going insane over time ? We'll never know .
While the Star Wars Prequels attempt to turn a main character into a villian , with the transformation of Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader , Sword of Doom does a better job in putting the viewer into the mind of a dark villian .
This is a dark film , and a truly evil one in ways . Somehow , it feels empowering to watch this movie . It's a strange movie in that the plot really doesn't have a beginning , nor does it actually end in any traditional manner , with all the plot details wrapping up to any kind of final conclusion .
The cinematography of this film is bold , creative , and dynamic . The camera-angles are unorthodox at times and the use of natural elements such as rain and snow are filmed in a way to bring a lot of depth and originality to the movie .
I'm not sure why I never heard of this movie before ? It's definately a true sleeper . The main character / villian with his face hidden behind his large wicker-basket hat might possibly have been the original inspiration behind the Raiden character of Mortal Kombat ? The sword fighting style in this film is extraordinarily well done and conceived . The discussion in the movie by the characters about styles and techniques is interesting and gives us , the viewer , a sense of reality behind the swordmanship .
I highly recommend this movie . Although the DVD has no extras or even a commentary track , it's a fine collection to any Japanese film collection !
032 4 Morgan , ( above ) makes some very good points concerning this movie . However , he is totally wrong on his Kendo comments . Do refers to the chest protector worn by all kenshi and the correct hit is on the side of the Do and the word Do is shouted as it is hit . Men refers to the headgear worn and is also the name of the strike when delivered to the top of the head . When the wrist is involved , the correct term is Kote . These corrections should make the Dojo scene less confusing .
043 4 Sword of Doom is an thrilling film with a flawless cast
the camera work gives the film an haunting feel and the leading man is one of the most unforgettable charcters I have ever seen on film
I cant recomend this film to highly .
055 4 Sword of Doom is magnificent in its visuals , and fully realized in its characters . As a few have said , the story is somewhat inscrutable to the average American viewer who is not familiar with it . The movie is still well worth watching for its incredibly evocative cinematography and the presence , however abbreviated , of Toshiro Mifune . As to the charges of Nakadai's skill ( or lack thereof ) with the sword , I'm not sure that our viewer from California qualifies as an expert on kendo . Nakadai used simple steps and dou strikes to great effect , and the swordplay was no different than in the majority of samurai movies available to Americans .
057 4 This review is from :
The Sword of Doom - Criterion Collection ( DVD )
This is a great classic samurai movie . It is a must have .
063 4 This review is from :
The Sword of Doom - Criterion Collection ( DVD )
And a lot of it .
I saw this first when this was new ( 1966 ) had vividly and accurately remembered some of the scenes , specifically the first and last , when I saw it again a few years ago .
It does stay with you .
There are several good human characters in the film , but don't expect Sanjuro .
068 4 This review is from :
The Sword of Doom - Criterion Collection ( DVD )
This movie is far too over rated . It's entertaining for a bit but ultimately really leads no where . Some alright sword fights and scenes but not the great hype that many would make it out to be .
073 4 This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film .
The Sword of Doom known in Japan as Dai-bosatsu t。ge is a depiction of a samurai swordsman who is inherently evil and kills an opponent during a fencing match . The dead man's family pursues the killer .
The film is very good and has some great scenes but the DVD has no special features at all except for the essay in the liner notes which I don't think count .
This is the first Criterion DVD without special features for a long time and think it was a mistake for them to release a film without special features .
075 4 I am a pretty big fan of classic samurai films . My favorite film of all time is Seven Samurai . The Sword of Doom , generally speaking , has decent qualities that do justice to that genre . I agree with many of the positive comments stated in the reviews here . However , with that said , I have to say that I wouldn't recommend this one to anyone but die hard fans of the genre who already have everything else . This is due to the fact that the ending leaves the viewer feeling as though they would like to have the past couple hours back .
I understand the reason that the movie was left so , but to me , staying true to the original text that spawned the movie may honor the original writer , but it insults anyone viewing the film . There were threads of plot in the film that interested me quite a bit , only to be left untied at the unexpected , completely ungratifying end . The story should have been finished by a skilled writer who really enjoyed what was there already . Then we would all be happy . As it is , I have to say walk around this one because there are plenty of other films in the genre that have endings .
082 4 This review is from :
The Sword of Doom - Criterion Collection ( DVD )
I bought this movie on the basis of the many excellent reviews , but as I was disappointed on so many levels , I can't help wondering if we all saw the same movie ! An extremely sluggish and generally unbelievable storyline , ridiculous ' acting , ' unsympathetic characters , what's to like ? Worst of all , after laboring mightily to get all the different main characters together for what appears to be the great denoumant of the tale , the whole thing is ruined by the antihero suddenly going berserk at the inn and getting himself killed in the process . Why ? Because the hitherto heartless , calculating and cold-blooded murderer suddenly thinks he sees ghosts , and decides that in a fit of conscience he never had before , he should chop the entire inn to ribbons . What appears most abundantly clear to me is that the producers of this turkey suddenly realised that they were way overbudget , and decided to end the movie as quickly as they could , and a good thing too . Rubbish ! If you want to see a good samurai film , see ' Seven Samurai ' and leave this garbage on the shelf !
084 4 This review is from :
The Sword of Doom - Criterion Collection ( DVD )
The fights are weak . The story is confusing . If you are amazed by the subtle footwork of warring swordsmen , then this is your film . If you are looking for the Lone Wolf and Cub-type of film , RUN AWAY ! ! ! ! The ending is no where near the payoff it should be for having to sit through brooding Japanese subtext of emotional conflict . The protagonist has the potential to be one of the best on film but his stone face lulls me into submission . No wonder he wins all of his fights : he stuns his opponents with tedium . 2 stars are for the ending . If you are an art-house goon , you'll drool over this drab dribble .
086 4 I just finished watching Sword of Doom and after moaning and groaning and wailing at the complete idiocy of the ending , I went to the web to look for reviews . Did others think the ending of the movie was as terrible as I did ?
Now with this kind of reaction , you can tell I at least CARED about the ending . The film slowly built itself up into a climax and made you want to watch more . What is going to happen to such an evil person ? Near the end , when the young innocent is caught eavesdropping , and a ghost is seen in the room , the film just kind of goes haywire , resolving none of the issues that were helping to create the suspense . Some of the anti-hero's final words even suggest that his evil was going to be revenged by the rightful person . He says he's not afraid of ghosts ; rather it's the living he has to fear . After all the sullen brooding we've put up with , I expect that good and evil will at least MEET in some kind of showdown . Let evil win if you like , but let the two at least compliment each other . Nope . Just leave evil to itself , it'll self-destruct in the end , seems to be the message .
I guess I'm to suppose his own ghosts killed him instead in the fires of hell . Sure the evil swordsman kills off about 200 guys in the last 10 minutes of the movie ( much like a later day Rambo killing off most the Russian army in Afghanistan ) , but it becomes very tiresome after the first , say , 100 guys .
I can just imagine the would-be avenging samurai brother , the disguised ninji , the young Omatsu who will be married to the samurai IF he lives after fighting the evil anti-hero ALL saying after the ending of the movie , Like , is that it ? What about the ending we've been building up to ? What a gyp !
088 4 I can sum this movie up in one word CRAP
Worst Samurai film I have ever seen . If you like Kurasawa stick with him . This ones worth avoiding .
071 4 This film has a lot going on , so you really need to pay attention . Still , no matter how much you concentrate , nothing is going to make the last 15 minutes any easier to bear . An intricate plot begins to unwind . Mass confusion that you just KNOW is going to have a satisfying conclusion . Instead , there's a freeze-frame ending that you expect will be followed by , Tune in next week for the exciting conclusion ! ! But it never happens . The film is over . Imagine Star Wars , when Luke and Darth are under attack by the Emperor . . . Darth lifts the Emperor over his head and throws him into the abyss . Now what would happen if the scene were re-written with a freeze-frame ending at the point where Darth picks up the Emperor ? ? Picture that sort of ending , and you've got a good idea what Sword of Doom is like . It would be a brilliant cliff-hanger , but the reality is that there's no Sword of Doom Part II .
008 4 this film is a classic . the entire aesthetic of the film reminds me of the classic brooding dark film noirs of the forties and fifties . the antagonist of the film is doomed from the start , his evil ways eventually end up being his undoing , but not before tallying up a huge body count . sword of doom is definately a must see for samurai and film noir fans alike .
017 4 i dont know how to say this but let me put it this way : the BEST swordplay movie EVER ! ! ! ! ! ! this comment comes from the man who owns Akira Kurosawa movie collection , but let me tell u this much : i have never seen such a great match up of actors who can display so much human feelings and at the same time stay real , like they were here , right in front of us.man , this movie is priseless , i think Amazon should gift this movie to every person in the world so we all appriciate and respect the great work of Kihachi Okamoto , Toshiro Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai.what a great acting , what a great film.BRAVO ! ! ! !
018 4 The cinematography of this film is breathtaking and very effective . I am not familiar with Okamoto as a director , but this film deeply impresses me . The sword fighting scenes in particular are all shot very much in the moment and bring the film to a state of very high art . The freeze at the end is shocking and thought provoking . There is also a kind of metaphoric joke in the mill scene which was quite entertaining . I would strongly recommend this film .
037 4 Much poetic imagery and excellent swordfighting ! Tatsuya Nakadai portrays a swordsman without morals gone amok . Toshiro Mifune is the very excellent equal to this madman . A must see for afficiandos of not only martial arts movies but also fine film making .
042 4 The Sword of Doom is an incredibly powerful , dark and beautiful samurai film , it's only downfall is it's incomplete . Originally this film was meant to be part of a trilogy , but the second two films were never made . I found the ending to be unique and unexpected , however too many side plots and characters were left stranded . It's a shame since this film boast some great cinematography and choreogrphy , and it's really one of the darkest samurai films ever made . Great performances all around , and the direction by Okamoto is nice . All you can think about after watching this film is how great the second two films would have been .
065 4 Great action , excellent acting and a superbly shot film , which sadly falls down when it comes to the story . The plot jumps around , in some places makes little sense , and the ending is a great let down . It almost seems as if at times , chunks have been cut out the plot . For example , both the main protagonists agree to duel at dawn , next thing time has moved on , there is no mention of whether the duel took place , and if not why not . There are better films of this type to buy .
083 4 I bought this movie on the basis of the many excellent reviews , but as I was disappointed on so many levels , I can't help wondering if we all saw the same movie ! An extremely sluggish and generally unbelievable storyline , ridiculous ' acting , ' unsympathetic characters , what's to like ? Worst of all , after laboring mightily to get all the different main characters together for what appears to be the great denoumant of the tale , the whole thing is ruined by the antihero suddenly going berserk at the inn and getting himself killed in the process . Why ? Because the hitherto heartless , calculating and cold-blooded murderer suddenly thinks he sees ghosts , and decides that in a fit of conscience he never had before , he should chop the entire inn to ribbons . What appears most abundantly clear to me is that the producers of this turkey suddenly realised that they were way overbudget , and decided to end the movie as quickly as they could , and a good thing too . Rubbish ! If you want to see a good samurai film , see ' Seven Samurai ' and leave this garbage on the shelf !
019 4 Dark and brooding samurai film with one hell of an ending . I wonder how the movie might have fared if it had been in color . Whole lot of on screen bloodshed in this one . Not as violent as the Lone Wolf and Cub series but has its moments . What it lacks in gore it makes up for with great cinematography , characterizations and sheer intensity . Has an ending that might not bode too well with some viewers but it is nonetheless effective and thought provoking . This is a samurai film about the exploration of samurai evil . Live by the sword , die by the sword . Nuff said .
021 4 The high-contrast look was amazing , and the ending was as completely unexpected as it was breathtaking . Past comments have mentioned boredom , but personally , I think those slow moments are meaningful contributions to the themes of the film and definately increase the intensity of those fantastically orchestrated fights . My friends and I compared this overall feel to another film : Deadly Outlaw Rekka . If you liked this , you should check the latter out . Oh yeah , Toshiro Mifune would have kicked his pah-tootie . Dig ?
022 4 The film forces viewers to make a judgment as to how much circumstances can influence / change a person . . . or how much the person , the main character in this case , is already the way they are . . . if I sound confused then it is simply because the film is simply intricate , beautifully acted and filmed and so downright thought provoking that any viewer would find it to be indescribable ( it can't be compared with other movies or labelled in a genre because it is UNIQUE ) . The original title of the movie I found out on the net is Great Buddha Pass ( the name of the mountain on which the film begins ) . . . masterpiece
026 4 I am a huge fan of the Japanese Samurai film , and this film is one of the main reasons . If you are a fan of Kurosawa films , you should check this out . If you like Spegetti Westerns ala Sergio Leone , then you should pick up a Kurosawa film , and this one . If you like the Wild Bunch , you might like this film too .
The main charater has a dark foreboding feel of a samurai Darth Vader . Though , in Star Wars , it turned out Vader had good barried within him . This charater is just bad . To me he will be one of the quintessential evil charaters of all time .
That said , the plot is excelent , the acting is great , and the directing is top knotch . The director is capable of creating the same tension as a Leone shoot out , and the same sinse of carnage of the shootouts in the Wild Bunch , except with swords . That is why to me Samurai films are supperior to Hong Kong Kung Fu movies , they were directed to create mood were the Kung Fu movies are only about action .
030 4 This film shows us Nakadai as an insane killer . If you enjoy swordplay films , if chanbara is your thing , you will dig this .
034 4 This is perhaps the greatest non-Kurosawa ( Director of : Seven Samurai , Yojimbo , etc . . ) Samurai film ever ! ( a ) It has some of the greatest looking swordplay I've ever seen . ( b ) The protagonist is a bad guy ( read : anti-hero ) who looks and acts pure evil . ( c ) Toshiro Mifune is in it ( though his part is short , he still takes out about 20 + guys in less than ten minutes ) . ( d ) Finally , it has what I would call the greatest samurai movie ending ever ( what can I say , I like not knowing what exactly befalls the villain ) ! If just one of these does not make you want to buy this film , you're insane ! My only complaint is that there is no DVD version !
062 4 What to say about this movie - As others have written , it is a great movie until the very end . I loved the swordplay and the directing , but the plot was confused , and in the end , brought it down . I would recommend this for the sword fighting , but not for the plot . If you had combined the swordplay here with the plot of Kagemusha , that would be a truly amazing film .
076 4 I saw this movie a few years ago . I loved it till the end when there was a cliffhanger ending .
I was really angry with the ending but I did a little research and I found out that this movie was part 1 of a trillogy . The other 2 films were never made !
So I can only give this a partial recommendation . With a movie this great , its a shame the others were not made . . .
080 4 I saw this movie a couple of days ago with high expectation . I read few reviews and the most reviews said that the movie was great . Especially , I expected many good sword fighting scenes . There are many fighting scenes but the quality of the scenes are very disappointing level . The main charactor seems that he doen't know any sword fighting and martial arts . He was just an actor , not a sword martial artist . People just died if the guy used the sword in any ways . That's not a martial art scene . However , there was a great scene . Only one scene . When Toshiro Mifune fought with some guys , he showed the great action with his sword . Toshiro Mifune was not a main charactor in this movie . The main charactor was just an idiot . I think even I can beat him easily . Don't be cheated from other reviews . In terms of action , this movie is a stupid . But if you like a some deep story and feeling behind the scene , you might like it , but don't expect any good fighting scenes .
081 4 It starts well enough , and undeniably has some good action , but the disjointed plot , which at times seems all over the place leaves you a little confused . The ending is a real let down and what little plot you can fathom seems to come to nothing.Avoid .
087 4 This movie is horible . Why ? becuase of the stupid main charactor . The guy is a horrible fighter that doesn't know how to use the sword properly . The director should concern high level of movie watchers . The director might cheat some viewers , but not some sword experts like myself . In my point of view as a sword expert , the main chracter is horrible . He ruined the whole movie . I think a reviewer well pointed out how the main character could not fit properly in this samurai movie . Horrible main character .
the top of the head , the forearms , and the sides . When Tsukue defeats his opponent , Shimada says , Men . He won . He's referring to a point scored , not addressing his students !
* In one scene , a title informs the viewer , The Shinsen Group is formed ! The Shinsen Group ( Shinsengumi ) were a para-military group of swordsmen who vowed to protect the Tokugawa Shogunate which was losing its once vast power . Shinsengumi fought against anything that might weaken the Shogunate ; including foreign influences and internal factions . The Shinsengumi have been portrayed many times in movies and TV shows . In some cases , they are portrayed as self-sacrificing patriots loyal to their country . In others , they are portrayed as a fascist military group killing anyone who opposes them or the Shogunate . Toshiro Mifune starred in and produced an excellent film about them called BAND OF ASSASSINS ( SHINSENGUMI ) . Hopefully , AnimEigo will eventually release this .
* The final scene . What exactly happens ? Does Tsukue kill dozens of men and then die ? Does he survive to face the brother of the man he killed ? Or is the entire battle only in his deranged mind ? It's the last scenario . When Tsukue ran out of men to kill , his warped mind invented more . Of the three versions I've seen , ( this version , a trilogy of films made in the 1950s by Tomu Uchida and another trilogy made in the 1960s by Kenji Misumi ) this is the only version that doesn't explicitly show that Tsukue is imagining the final battle .
* What does happen to Tsukue ? If you'd rather not find out , skip to the next paragraph . Tsukue is blinded during an explosion and becomes more of a sympatric figure . The avenging brother finally has a chance to settle with him during a violent storm . He hesitates to kill the nearly defenseless Tsukue . A flood washes Tsukue away to his death .
SWORD OF DOOM is a fantastic film to watch . The director , Kihachi Okamoto , was one of the most impressive visual stylists working in film . The final scene holds up beautifully today . The acting is excellent all around . Nakadai as Tsukue gives one of the screens best performances . Few actors could create such disturbingly nihilistic characters as Nakadai does in this performance . The character is a perfect contrast to Mifune's Shimada . Both are highly skilled swordsmen but Mifune knows that an evil soul is an evil sword .
006 4 SWORD OF DOOM is one of the masterpieces of samurai , and action , cinema but certain aspects of it are difficult for non-Japanese audiences or viewers not familiar with the historical background of the subject .
Toshiro Mifune , who gives a fine performance as fencing master Toranosuke Shimada , once said in an interview , We [ the Japanese producers and filmmakers ] know that many samurai films are shown outside of Japan , but we make no attempt to cater to that market . SWORD OF DOOM is a perfect example . It was made for Japanese audiences who are familiar with the original story which had been filmed and staged many times and was well-known . The Japanese audience is expected to be as familiar with the plot and historical details as an American audience watching a film about the Civil War or the Old West is expected to be .
Here are some plot points that may make the film a bit easier to understand for new viewers or for other viewers who previously watched it and got tripped up on some details . I know I did the first time I saw it theatrically . If you found the film difficult on the first viewing , give it another chance . And maybe these notes will help !
* In one scene , the main character Ryunosuke Tsukue changes his name to Yoshida after killing an opponent during a duel . The name change isn't explained in any detail . A subtitle simply identifies a sign outside his house as Yoshida . Some characters now refer to him as Yoshida and others as Tsukue . Again , remember that Japanese audiences are probably familiar with the change .
* Tsukue first meets Shimada at his fencing school . Tsukue wants to challenge the student who won his match with a splendid Do attack . This referrers to Kendo , the Japanese martial art of fencing . In Kendo , participants wear headgear and leather armor and fence with bamboo swords . Only certain areas on the body are legitimate striking points : the top of the head , the forearms , and the sides . When Tsukue defeats his opponent , Shimada says , Men . He won . He's referring to a point scored , not addressing his students !
* In one scene , a title informs the viewer , The Shinsen Group is formed ! The Shinsen Group ( Shinsengumi ) were a para-military group of swordsmen who vowed to protect the Tokugawa Shogunate which was losing its once vast power . Shinsengumi fought against anything that might weaken the Shogunate ; including foreign influences and internal factions . The Shinsengumi have been portrayed many times in movies and TV shows . In some cases , they are portrayed as self-sacrificing patriots loyal to their country . In others , they are portrayed as a fascist military group killing anyone who opposes them or the Shogunate . Toshiro Mifune starred in and produced an excellent film about them called BAND OF ASSASSINS ( SHINSENGUMI ) . Hopefully , AnimEigo will eventually release this .
* The final scene . What exactly happens ? Does Tsukue kill dozens of men and then die ? Does he survive to face the brother of the man he killed ? Or is the entire battle only in his deranged mind ? It's the last scenario . When Tsukue ran out of men to kill , his warped mind invented more . Of the three versions I've seen , ( this version , a trilogy of films made in the 1950s by Tomu Uchida and another trilogy made in the 1960s by Kenji Misumi ) this is the only version that doesn't explicitly show that Tsukue is imagining the final battle .
* What does happen to Tsukue ? If you'd rather not find out , skip to the next paragraph . Tsukue is blinded during an explosion and becomes more of a sympatric figure . The avenging brother finally has a chance to settle with him during a violent storm . He hesitates to kill the nearly defenseless Tsukue . A flood washes Tsukue away to his death .
SWORD OF DOOM is a fantastic film to watch . The director , Kihachi Okamoto , was one of the most impressive visual stylists working in film . The final scene holds up beautifully today . The acting is excellent all around . Nakadai as Tsukue gives one of the screens best performances . Few actors could create such disturbingly nihilistic characters as Nakadai does in this performance . The character is a perfect contrast to Mifune's Shimada . Both are highly skilled swordsmen but Mifune knows that an evil soul is an evil sword .
011 4 When I first came to Los Angeles , there were five Japanese language theaters in town . With my friends , I visited all of them on a regular basis . I fell in love with the first rank directors such as Kurosawa , Ozu , and Mizoguchi ; but trailing not far behind them were other greats such as Kihachi Okamato ( SWORD OF DOOM ) , Masaki Kobayashi ( HARAKIRI ) , Kazuo Ikehiro ( the Kyoshiro Nemuri samurai films from Daiei ) , Hiroshi Inagaki ( the SAMURAI trilogy ) , and others .
Okamoto was one of the best directors of action samurai films ; and SWORD OF DOOM is one of his best films . Tatsuya Nakadai stars as an evil samurai who is seemingly invincible , the sole master of a sword fighting style that runs counter-intuitive to all the existing styles of his day . Toshiro Mifune has a small role as the master of a sword-fighting school who tries to counter Nakadai's baneful influence during the last days of the Tokugawa Shogunate .
The unique contribution to this film is the notion that evil destroys itself from within . In the last scene , Nakadai and some of his henchmen are at a geisha house . Overcome with drink , Nakadai sees the ghosts of his victims and runs amok trying to attack them . I won't say what happens , because I would hate to ruin the ending for you .
If you like the classical samurai films of the 1960s , this one is a must for you . The wide-screen letterbox print is nothing short of superb . A must see !
015 4 Tatsuya Nakadai plays a marvelously evil samurai who only finds greatness at the cost of madness in this 1966 bloody Japanese film , SWORD OF DOOM .
Structured like a good novel ( and based on one by Kaizan Nakazato ) , DOOM allows the viewer to follow the lives of several separate people - - two samurais , two women , and a thief - - as they are inexorably drawn closer and closer together . . . and a seemingly chance meeting brings this boiling masterpiece to a violent , destructive head .
However , the real mastery of this film is the sword choreography , though Nakadai's brooding menace certainly keeps the viewer riveted to the screen . Rarely has a samurai film moved to the level of the bloodbath fighting that quite probably was associated to true samurai matches , and certainly , as the product packaging provides , nods to influences of Peckinpah , Leone , and ( much later ) John Woo are warranted . The climax - - the inevitable explosion of a man driven mad by the ghosts of his past - - is brilliantly staged and executed .
Along for the ride in a blistering cameo is Toshiro Mifune who , in five minutes of screen time , shows what a tour de force performance is truly meant to be .
If DOOM has any shortcoming , it might be an inability to reach a suitable conclusion with Western sensibilities . American influences almost require a neat and tidy packaged ending to films , and DOOM postulates one much like BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID where the fate of the participants is largely left to the imagination of the viewer . As the mad Nakadai swings and swings his way through his final showdowns with the gang he has long served , the audience is never given the ultimate vision of his survival or demise . . . and that's the beauty of the tale . In the arc of his character , the samurai has already found and faced his fate , and it is madness .
Grim , inescapable madness .
038 4 A cult classic if there ever was one ! An anti-hero to end all anti-heros , Ryunosuke is evil through and through and a joy to watch . Definitely one of Tatsuya Nakadai's great performances , and probably the darkest samurai film ever made . DON'T MISS IT ! ! !
052 4 much has been made of the ending - which i believe is as shocking and breathtaking as the fight sequence it stops . although i am aware of the continuation of story beyond this point , it is one of the most memorable endings in film ! that final freeze frame stays with you and is a brilliant shot as it is as if he is evil gone to myth .
as for the rest of the movie , it is a stunning display of filmmaking that is , without a doubt , one of the greatest movies i have ever seen .
i bought it on vhs , even though i hate anything but dvd . . . its worth it .
