Amazon.com

Boasting some of the most impressive swordplay in the history of samuraiepics, Sword of Doom is a visceral masterpiece of violent style andpowerful substance. Illustrating the timeless adage that "an evil soul wields anevil sword," this highly stylized classic is driven by the fierce and fearsomeperformance of Tatsuya Nakadai as Ryunosuke, a sociopathic samurai whosesoul--and sword--are vicious instruments of evil. Having mastered a highlyunconventional style of fencing, Ryunosuke welcomes an exhibition match at afencing school run by master swordsman Shimada (Toshirô Mifune, in a small butpivotal role), where he kills his opponent after promising not to. Flagrantlyviolating all codes of honor, Ryunosuke eventually finds himself challenged fromall sides; even his own henchmen rally against him, and director Kihachi Okamotostages confrontations that are as beautiful as they are graphically violent. AsRyunosuke descends into pure, bloodthirsty insanity, Sword of Doom endswith a freeze-frame that's unforgettably intense. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Hack and Slash
"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.

stunning
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.

good film, bad DVD, no bonus material
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

"The Sword of Doom" known in Japan as "Dai-bosatsu tôge" 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.

Read what I have to say before buying this movie.
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...

A BOLD, UNFORGETTABLE CLASSIC
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. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Akira Kurosawa's sequel to Yojimbo is more lighthearted and less cynical, a rousing adventure with Toshirô Mifune reprising his role as the scruffy mercenary who becomes an unlikely big brother to a troupe of nine naive samurai. Shuffling into a secret meeting where the proud young men discuss the graft choking their clan, Mifune's Sanjuro scratches his scraggly beard and distractedly rubs his neck like some common peasant while giving them advice on appearances and truths: "People aren't what they seem," he warns the dubious lads. "Be careful." Naturally they aren't, and Sanjuro grudgingly adopts the well-meaning but hopelessly ill-equipped heroes, giving the starry-eyed youths a series of lessons in real-world honor and respect while saving their skins from reckless attacks and impulsive plans. It isn't the subtlest of Kurosawa's films--the repetitious lessons and speeches delivered to the thickheaded samurai are rather obvious--but it's one of his most entertaining. Mifune, gruffly at ease with the boys, is hilariously discomforted in the presence of a cultured lady, who sees through his shaggy exterior and imparts a little wisdom of her own. Mifune bounds into action in a number of impressive sword fights--wonderfully choreographed lightning-quick battles in which Mifune leaps all over the widescreen image--but an increasing sense of waste, of futility, hangs over the action scenes, culminating in a tense but meaningless duel of honor. The accompanying trailer on the DVD features brief behind-the-scenes glimpses of Kurosawa directing Mifune through an action sequence. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (40)

Sanguine samurai.
Companion piece to 1961's nihilist comedy *Yojimbo*. Not so much a sequel or prequel but rather a redux sort of thing. *Yojimbo* was a boffo hit in Japan (and drew raves from all over the world), and Kurosawa, whose quest for cinematic art never precluded showmanship, gave the audience more of what it wanted: even more action, more comedy, more Toshiro Mifune than in the previous movie. A legitimate criticism of *Sanjuro* is that it somewhat lacks the originality of *Yojimbo*, in particular the End-Of-The-World rancidity in tone, atmosphere, and characters. The liner notes in Criterion's DVD even go so far as to call this movie "sunny" (what an insult! Mifune's samurai would cut your head off if he heard you call him that). "Sunny" is not the apt adjective to describe the sudden, explosive violence in the film; the body-count is too appallingly high to laugh off. The violence here still hurts, and there's a lot more of it here than in *Yojimbo*. Kurosawa may have become weary of the whole samurai genre: a very nice patrician lady admonishes Sanjuro with "good swords stay in their sheaths"; he remembers this advice following the satirically bloody, over-the-top climax. The slice-and-dice duel between Sanjuro and his enemy is, I think, Kurosawa's way of saying, "You want violent action? I'LL give you violent action!!" Though it's designed to elicit shocked guffaws, the evident disgust with the whole samurai mindset leaves the larger impression. For that matter, the old "code of honor" is represented by 9 good-hearted samurai who also happen to be idiots. Just because there might be something worth fighting for here, unlike in *Yojimbo*, the bloody work required to ensure the victory of Good still leaves a bloody stain on the psyche. (Significantly, there was no "three-peat" in the Sanjuro series.) Considering all that, the amazing thing is how entertaining and funny *Sanjuro* remains. Of particular note is how discommoded Mifune appears whenever a pair of very civilized ladies (i.e., the antithesis of himself) show up. When the 9 good samurai keep waking Mifune up with their excited gibbering is also a classic. *Sanjuro* is a minor masterpiece fully deserving of standing alongside *Yojimbo* on your shelf.

A Great Adventure
I love Toshiro Mifune. It's so wonderful to see him play this character. He cracks me up every time he does his little shoulder-twitch character trait. Brilliant!

SANJURO delves a little deeper into his samurai character. There's some themes about killing and comparisons of his character to a good sword that should be sheathed. Other than that, it is flat-out adventure on the menu!

Again, Kurosawa is a wonderful story teller. I find his work (the three films I've seen so far -- HIDDEN FORTRESS, YOJIMBO, and this one) to be so economical. He can add a wrinkle to the story with one word; one look. He truly transcends the language barrier because the storytelling is so good.

I thought Criterion did another good job with the transfer. The trailer does, indeed, feature Kurosawa directing Mifune in an action sequence, which is interesting. I wish Criterion would use pictures on its chapter lists. When I want to access a certain scene and am unfamiliar with the movie it is hard to do based on chapter names that make no sense to me. Other than that, no qualms about the rest of the DVD.

Next, I'd love to see HIDDEN FORTRESS on DVD. Criterion, are you listening ?

One of Kurosawa's best samurai films
In my own opinion, I find Sanjuro to be one of my favorite films by the Kurosawa. Unlike Yojimbo, which mainly showed the violent side of humans, Sanjuro shows a much deeper meaning. A woman in the film comments that he should not use too much violence. At first, he ignores her and thinks that she's completely stupid. In the end, he ends up killing a man in order to save his own life. He understands that "Good swords are kept in their sheaths." Another translation of this would be that violence is bad. This is a continuing theme for Kurosawa, especially in his samurai period movies. I highly recommend it.

a cool follow up to yojimbo
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This film released shortly after the release of Yojimbo, has the same main character. In this film, Sanjuro withthe help of some friends eliminate corruption in his town and rescue his uncle was was jailed on trumped up charges. The film has a famous 'splatter' scene in the climax which is almost Hitchcockian because of the filmmakers use of chocloate syrup for the stage blood. (in B&W films, one cannot tell the difference anyway)

The DVD only has a theatrical trailer for a special feature, but it is still worth getting for those interested in films like this.

"A good sword is best kept sheathed."
I've never been fond of sequels, and when I found out Akira Kurosawa, a film maker I respect and admire more than any other, had done a sequel to his classic "Yojimbo," I had to wonder just how it was. I saw it and needless to say I was very impressed. This is with out a doubt probably one of the best sequels I've ever seen.

Sequels are commonly one of two things: 1) a rehash of the first movie, or 2) a continuation of a story that should have ended with the first film. "Sanjuro" is none of the two - instead, its just another adventure for our ronin friend Sanjuro in his quest for money. This time he finds himself accidentally nearby where some clueless samurai retainers are trying to figure out who in their clan is plotting to take over while their lord is away. Sanjuro steps in to help them out (almost out of aggravation at just how incompetant his new acquaintances are). He guesses correctly that it is the Super-Intendant and not the Chamberlain (as originally guessed) who is the traitor, and the story continues from there.

"Sanjuro" has all the right doses, and even more, of what you got in "Yojimbo." There are more fight scenes - or perhaps I should say there are more chances for Toshiro Mifune to slash through a crowd of hapless enemies. There are also more chances for our hero to figure out traps and plan ways out of sticky situations. With out a doubt, I think Sanjuro ranks as one of the most clever heroes I've ever seen on film, and you just get a joy at his wit and quick-thinking (I especially like how he got the villains to throw petals into the stream).

I would suggest any one who loved "Yojimbo" to give this film a good chance. It's just as enjoyable as its predecessor, and hey - if it has the name Akira Kurosawa on it, it can't be the least bit bad. ... Read more

Description

Action director Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale, Tora! Tora! Tora!) created one of his most unusual yakuza films with Graveyard of Honor, a highly stylized account of the life of Rikio Ishikawa, a strong arm man who works for one of Japan's biggest crime families. In one brutal scene after another, Fukasaku documents the downward spiral of a sociopathic thug who will do anything to survive in Japan's decadent underworld of drugs, murder for hire, and prostitution. Graveyard of Honor is a brutal and unsparing look at the modern Japanese yakuza—men who live without a code of honor. ... Read more

Description

As Japan gears up for the 1964 Olympic games, the cops start to crack down under pressure from the public and the press, adding a new dimension in the war for power among the yakuza families of Hiroshima.Akira Kobayashi's Takeda tries to keep a lid on things, but hotheaded underlings create chaos, with one boss whacked in neutral territory, and the craven boss, Uchimoto, informing on an assassination attempt by his own minions.While the police round up hundreds of yakuza foot soldiers, Bunta Sugawara's Shozo Hirono plots to finally take out longtime nemesis, boss Yamamori. ... Read more

Description

Famed director Nomura Yoshitaro (Castle of Sand, The Incident) and bestselling Japanese mystery author Seicho Matsumoto combine forces on The Demon (Kichiku), a chilling and complex tale of betrayal and murder. A strange relationship develops between a man, his wife, and his mistress, and a young boy becomes the pawn in a dangerous game of passion and intrigue that ends in a shocking climax. Photographed in sumptuous color, The Demon will keep the most avid mystery buff guessing as it weaves an unforgettable tale of greed, lust, and obsession. ... Read more

Description

In the teeming black markets of postwar Japan, Shozo Hirono (Bunta Sugawara) and his buddies find themselves in a new war between fractious and ambitious yakuza.After joining boss Yamamori, Shozo is drawn into a feud with his sworn brother¹s family, the Dois.But that¹s where the chivalry of traditional yakuza film ends and the hypocrisy, betrayal, and assassinations begin.A rare and critical perspective on the history of Japan after World War II, BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY is a tour-de-force that revolutionized the yakuza genre and launched Kinji Fukasaku and Bunta Sugawara to international stardom. ... Read more

Description

Repeatedly beat to a pulp by gamblers, cops, and gangsters, lone wolf Shoji Yamanaka (Kinya Kitaoji, who went on to star as Rhett Butler in the Tokyo stage version of GONE WITH THE WIND), finally finds a home as a Muraoka family hit man and falls in love with boss Muraoka¹s niece. Meanwhile, the ambitions of mad dog Katsutoshi Otomo (Sonny Chiba, KILL BILL) draws our series¹ hero, Shozo Hirono (Bunta Sugawara), into a new round of bloodshed, culminating with the tragic demise of the young Yamanka. ... Read more

Description

The successor to Hiroshima¹s most powerful yakuza family, the Muraokas, is whacked in broad daylight on a busy city street. What unfolds is a yakuza succession crisis, as the weaseley Uchimoto (Takeshi Kato) dithers and the slimy, backstabbing boss Yamamori steps in as the Muraoka's new boss. Bunta Sugawara's would-be independent yakuza, Shozo Hirono, is caught in the middle, having to play powerbroker. But the opposing factions seek support from powerful families in Kobe, making all out war inevitable. ... Read more

Description

In the wake of a big police crackdown, Akira Kobayashi's icily sun- glassed Takeda attempts to transform the Hiroshima yakuza families into a legitimate political organization: The Tensei Coalition. When the young Matsumura ascends to the chairmanship of the coalition, the older, hardened yakuza led by Jo Shishido (BRANDED TO KILL) seize one last opportunity to stir up chaos and bloodshed. Culminating with the arrests, deaths, or retirement of the first postwar yakuza generation, this milestone series draws to an ambivalent close. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

First colour film by Kurosawa is sadly underrated work
If I were living like any of the people of the Tokyo slums in Akira Kurosawa's first colour film, Dodes'ka-den, like them, I'd be living in illusion and imagination to counter the squalid conditions. Living for them, but in my case, it'd be drowning. That's the premise of this movie, a testament to the human spirit and how it keeps on going despite adversity.

There's no plot in this film, as it tells of the various people living in the slums, some in coloured tin corrugated roofs, others in dirty, dingy travesties of huts, and in the case of an oddball boy who pretends he's a streetcar conductor and spends all day shuffling to who knows where. He goes through the motions, putting on his cap, pushing the buttons, pulling levers, and muttering the words "Dodes'ka-den." Which leads to the title. It's a Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound a train makes on the tracks. Roughly translated, it's like clackety-clack. The smaller kids who see him throw pebbles at him and cry out "trolley crazy."

My favourite characters are the bedraggled derelict and his young son who live in a beaten up, wheelless VW bug. The son goes out at night and gets scraps from a friendly sushi shop man. During the day, the father discusses their dream house, and we see his designs, from the gate, fence, and house, come alive, with dramatic sounds and colour. He must have been an architect or designer, and he escapes his squalid condition by envisioning a dreamhouse. There's a vivid example of colour cinematography at work, when standing under glaring yellow sky, we see the eerie blue light cast on him and his son, ill from food poisoning.

The drunken buddies who swap wives are two of the most colourful, but there's an interesting theme. Both couples are colour coordinated, clothes, house, even wash basins. And at times, they swap wives. The yellow husband is so drunk, he stays at his buddy's red house and with his wife, while his buddy goes to his house. Wonder how many bottles of sake they drink after work. But the wifeswapping has dual meaning, an escape from the ordinary, but also a lack of symmetry that is restored when both yellow-coded husband and wife are reunited and the same with the red-coded couple.

Then there's Tamba, the druggist, a man in his seventies or early eighties who's a wise, sage, and compassionate character. The way he defuses a violent sword-wielding drunk is amazing! I won't get into specifics but he shames the drunk into going to bed. He also helps a man wanting to commit suicide a reason to go on living. He seems to represent the face of an older and uncomplicated Japan, experienced by the past, living as he can in the present.

Hei is the most haunting, and his eyes are that of a dead man. He never says a word in the movie, and it's clear that he has been deeply traumatized by something in his past, which we learn later. It's as if his soul has been drained. A character looks at a tree and wonders what kind of tree it is, before saying "it's no longer a tree when it's dead." Substitute man for tree and we get Hei. Oh, and me as well.

Shima is a salaryman who's nice enough, but he has a funny walk nearly like the Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks man and a facial tic that drives him into a brief fit, complete with snorting. The tic represents that there's more to a person than a mere flaw.

Some of the info we get from the gossiping circle of women who spend the day doing the laundry in the slum square, including a sensuous long-haired woman who seems to know it all, and witnessing the parade of life.

This was Kurosawa's first of seven colour films and its failure culminated in him attempting suicide. Understandable, as despite its being panned, it's actually a sober, at times depressing, but ultimately hopeful look at people. Very underrated film that's deeply in need of reappraisal.

the beauty inside
Dodeskaden portrays the beauty inside the struggle and pain of human existence.The images will never leave me. This and Itami's " Tampopo " are my all time Japanese cinema favorites.

and one fourth of a star.
Along with the Adventures of Baron Von Munchausen, this is one of my favorite "faith" movies of all time. Dont get me wrong, Im not even attempting to compare it to Baron...just to say they brought about similar changes in my teenage years, a time when I was contemplating suicide. Cant be that dramatic anymore.This and Mishima really helped just for that day...watching it at the library. Its too bad Mishima is so much money, but owning Dodes Ka-Den is enough. Do yourself a favor and buy it.

And now for something really different...
Kurosawa's first color film originally came in at 244 minutes and the studio executives were aghast. They quickly cut it to about 140 minutes and reportedly destroyed the original negative in so doing. This along with the lack of public and critical acceptance at the time drove the great genius to a suicide attempt. In it's original form it could well have been Kurosawa's great masterpiece. As it is, it's a little quixotic and hard to follow, but a stunning piece of movie making. The children's train drawings shown during the prayer scenes were collected by Kurosawa from children all over Japan for this film. It is pointless to recap the story, but I just say to you see it and you'll never forget it. Perhaps Criterion could find the orignal version when it comes out on DVD, let's hope so!

"Do-des-ka-den" Reverberates Through the Years
I saw this film more than 25 years ago and it still makes me smile when I ride a trolley or train. It takes very little imagination for me to convert the sounds of steel wheels on rails into the simple do-des-ka-den cadence. And with the conversion of sound comes an alteration of vision as through the trolley windows, I see Pittsburgh's urban humanity through the compassionate lens Kurosawa's uses to show his brave characters. This was my first experience with Kurosawa, and I always imagined this film as his version of "Cannery Row". ... Read more

Description

Writer/director Masaki Kobayashi's powerful trilogy continues as the newly drafted, idealistic Kaji (Tatsuya Nakadai) is ordered to Manchuria, the site of Japan's longest and most savage atrocities during World War II. When he sees the rampant mistreatment of the soldiers, Kaji makes a protest. In response, he is threatened and tortured, eventually escaping only to see his entire unit destroyed as the Allied victory becomes inevitable. ... Read more