Director: Takashi Miike
Screenplay: Daisuke Tengan
Stars: Mikijiro Hira as Sir Doi
Masachika Ichimura as Hanbei Kitou
Goro Inagaki as Lord Naritsugu
Yusuke Iseya as Koyata
Takayuki Yamada as Shinrokuro
Koji Yakusho as Shimada
Genre: Samurai, Action, Foreign
Length: 120 mins approx
Country: Japan
Plot: The film takes place in Shogun-era Japan which inhabits Lord Naritsugu (Brilliantly portrayed by actor Goro Inagaki), a sadistic and powerful ruler who threatens to disrupt the country's peace and plunge it into war and chaos. Determined to bring an end to his path of destruction, an elite group of rebellious samurai - each possessing a powerful, yet deadly skill - band together to plot his downfall. Outnumbered (there are 13 of them against an army of over 200), these fearless yet brave samurai meet face on with Lord Naritsugu and his army in what can be described as an action-packed yet bloody and violent showdown (but let's be honest, it wouldn't be a Takashi Miike film if it didnt contain one of those elements).
Whenever I decide to watch a Takashi Miike film I already know before before I press the play button that I'm going to be entertained and this film was no exception! I was gripped from the first scene, where a man on his knees disembowels himself as a sign of protest against the evil masochist Lord Naritsugu whose sadism is shown in very gory detail. The first two halves of the film is dedicated in establishing each characters personality and background - from the Samurai warriors to the servants of Lord Naritsugu - and also their plan of action to bring the end of his destruction before it's too late. You will see the characters, with the help of others build a faux town in an attempt to lure the Lord and his army to spring their attack. How they rig and plan the town isn't exactly explained and how they found their resources and the time to build a very precise and pin-perfect trap, especially when the action begins and the surprises pop out is something a viewer would question later, however I can promise you will be too engrossed to really give a damn.
Some viewers might find the the first part of the film a bit slow, but don't worry your patience for blood and guts will be rewarded in the last 45 minutes, which is brilliantly choreographed down to the smallest detail. In-between all of this you have some comic relief moments such as the leeches scene as well as the comic relief character Koyata, who our brave warriors find stuck in a tree. How he got stuck in a tree I have no idea, it's pretty vague, all we are informed is that he is in love with Upashi and he was abandoned by his boss' minions, however during the battle he becomes incredibly serious (to some extent).
The acting is superb, especially from Goro Inagaki. As they usually say if you hate the character, despise him right down to his core, then the actor did a excellent job. His acting reminded me of Anthony Hopkins in 'Silence of the Lambs' - simple yet mesmerising.
Overall Opinion: I loved it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. There is enough surprises to keep you at the edge of your seat. The last 45 minutes is worth it's weight in gold. A very clever screenplay and idea bought to life so perfectly. The film evokes the traditional Samurai films - beautifully tailored costumes, glorious traditional locations as well as romantic dialogue which you will usually find in Miike's films, and of course a excellent fight scene.
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