The list of great samurai films is long and it would probably consume a person’s entire lifetime if they were to seek them all out in an attempt to satisfy any measure of a comprehensive list. Several of the known greats I have yet to see and most likely those that are new to the genre will start in the most obvious of places, that being the films of Akira Kurosawa, most specifically Seven Samurai and then probably Yojimbo, two films that will certainly be included on my Best Movies list before all is said and done along with several others, but as I said, the list is long.
That said, I didn’t want my first samurai entry on my Best Movies list to be an entirely obvious one, though fans of samurai films will no doubt be familiar with Kihachi Okamoto‘s The Sword of Doom. The first film in what was originally intended to be a trilogy of films based on Kaizan Nakazato‘s serialized novel “Dai-bosatsu TÅge“, The Sword of Doom never did have a sequel, as the story of the merciless samurai Ryunosuke Tsukue (Tatsuya Nakadai) ended with a rage-filled freeze frame I won’t soon forget.
Our introduction to Ryunosuke comes as a Buddhist pilgrim and his granddaughter ascend a small mountain, resting at the top before making their way down the other side. The old man begins praying for death, in hopes of relieving his granddaughter her life as a pilgrim, as she fetches water from a nearby stream. “Old man,” Runosuke interrupts, appearing as if out of nowhere, his face hidden by the large straw hat we’ll come to recognize him for in a crowd. His conversation with the old man is brief as he cuts him down before going on his way.
The man’s prayer for death and Ryunosuke’s immediate obligement calls into question his intentions, but the cold way in which he strikes the man down, walking away seemingly unfazed by the granddaughter crying over her grandfather’s lifeless body, paints him as a decided villain as this film takes us on an exploration of evil and the madness it provokes.
Returning home we see Ryunosuke’s father is dying as he urges Ryunoske, the most skilled swordsman in his village, to throw a fencing match with Bunnojo Utsugi (Ichirô Nakatani), preserving the honor of the Utsugi family, which would otherwise be disgraced. The same request comes from his opponent’s wife (Michiyo Aratama), whom he shames into having sex with him under the guise of trading her chastity for his skill as a swordsman. She gives in, but once Bunnojo learns of her actions he divorces her and seeks revenge in the fencing match only to be struck down and killed by Ryunoske who immediately leaves the village, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake.
Ryunoske’s past haunts him throughout the rest of the picture as he eventually finds himself with a mistress and a son as he comes something of an outside member of the Shinsengumi, a special force founded by the Shogunate to carry out murders and assassinations. Ryunoske’s penchant for killing and lack of emotion serves such a position well, but the psychological damage he’s suffered soon comes back to haunt him once he questions his skills as a swordsman and learns particular truths about his murderous past.
The highlights of the film are many, beginning with Nakadai, whom samurai film fans are sure to celebrate, but others may not be entirely familiar. It was my recent first time viewing of Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival, which features Nakadai as a ronin out for revenge, that reminded me of how badly I wanted to return to Sword of Doom. His steely gaze, fluid movements as a swordsman and his transformation from a cold and calculating killer to the tormented wild man he becomes in the film’s blood-drenched finale, which is truly one of the best I’ve ever seen, are cinema at its very best.
Nakadai’s work extends beyond the cold killer you see here and in the Zatoichi film as he’s far more upbeat and positive in Okamoto’s Kill! (1968) as well as several films for Kurosawa from playing the gunman in Yojimbo to the inspector in High and Low, both of which feature him opposite the equally enthralling Toshiro Mifune, who also stars in Sword of Doom, commanding your attention in every scene he’s in, particularly his cutting down of a swarm of assassins amid a flurry of snow.
This brings me to Hiroshi Murai‘s cinematography, which is absolutely stunning whether it’s capturing the action in the snow, the cinematic shot of Ryunoske as he walks into the foggy background after cutting down several samurai or the image of Hyoma Utsugi’s (Ichirô Nakatani) blade as it cuts through a shaft of sunlight as he prepares to avenge his brother. Murai’s use of shadow and light, particularly in the film’s finale is absorbing and unique and his ability to capture the action as Ryunoske takes on several combatants at once is a lesson today’s filmmakers should learn from as action in modern film is shot so close up it often becomes impossible to make heads or tails of what’s going on.
Masaru Satô’s score (listen to the right) adds another layer to the feature stinging with every note, and used with exacting precision by Okamoto whom you’ll notice doesn’t slather the film with music, often letting the scene set the stage. A great example of this comes as Ryunoske forces himself on Ohama in a highly uncomfortable scene as a water mill pounds away in a more than suggestive foreshadowing of the aggression that’s about to take place.
I first saw Sword of Doom back in March 2011 and I still remember how utterly enthralled I was as the final moments played out and Okamoto ended it on that freeze frame, Ryunoske’s face frozen in time, filled with rage and so many questions left unanswered.
Others have adapted Nakazato’s “Dai-bosatsu TÅge”, though I haven’t seen any of them. When I first saw Sword of Doom I didn’t know it was part of a never-to-be-finished trilogy. The ending seemed to fit perfectly, leaving questions unanswered isn’t a problem as long as you’ve given the audience more than enough to draw their own conclusions. The question of Ryunoske’s son is probably the one that sits with me most, but it’s a question I have no problem leaving unanswered as I can let my imagination flow and take me down several paths.
All things together, The Sword of Doom is a kinetic fireball. It’s extreme in its violence, though beautiful at the same time. The performance from Nakadai is an absolute stunner as he walks through most of this film with a completely blank expression of which he can alter in the most subtle of ways and exhibit fear or a psychopathic killer with murderous intent. The cinematography, score and Okamoto’s direction make this one for the ages and as much as Seven Samurai is a film where most start on their journey into classic jidaigeki movies, if you’re looking for a movie that will put you on a path of absolute exhilaration, look no further than The Sword of Doom.
If you have a Hulu Plus membership you can watch the film directly below, if not you can click here for a free trial membership.
My Best Movies feature is a new feature on the site that will continue to highlight my favorite films, and films I consider to be the very “best”. You can explore the new section of the site right here for a look back at my previous top tens and much more.
