Kikuchi Shunsuke's music is nice enough in and of itself, though perhaps overly flavorful in the most robust instances, too saccharine and sentimental in the softer ones, and definitely repetitive. This carries decidedly direct and forthright sensibilities in its scene writing, dialogue, direction, editing and sequencing, and pacing, but at the same time the picture is vague, meandering, and slow about the plot and its development. Some odds and ends kind of just feel like empty tropes, ideas borrowed from other flicks because the stylistic flourish had become ingrained as a staple of the genre. Yes, 'The duel in the forbidden territory' quite looks and feels like the television film that it is. Just as much to the point, one is perhaps reminded at times of the proliferate kung fu flicks that came out of Hong Kong in the 70s and 80s - not The Shaw Brothers', or Golden Harvest's, but those of less renown where story was quite secondary to the predominant action and vibes, if indeed story rolled around at all. Well, there is a story in this 1983 jidaigeki of the small screen, and it and the whole are suitably enjoyable, more or less. There's also no real need to seek it out, though.
The feature arguably reflects a tad less care in its presentation than is ideal, or than we'd see in its silver screen brethren, but overall this is duly well made. I greatly appreciate the beautiful filming locations, and the detail in the sets; the costume design, hair, and makeup are lovely. The stunts, effects, and action sequences are swell, if not specifically remarkable, and some are particularly engaging. Nitpick as we may, Matsushima Minoru's direction is strong at large, and Miyagawa Megumi's cinematography. The actors give admirable performances befitting the material as it shifts between lighter airs and ugly violence. And hey, while I don't think Nakamura Tsutomu's screenplay is especially noteworthy, the writing is solid enough. The scene writing provides firm, often rich foundation for the proceedings, and likewise the characterizations. The narrative is a pretty good time, and ably engrossing, as we meet a samurai who has had run-ins with bad people, a family in the mountain whose father is hiding something, and a bunch of villainous figures in the nearby village who all seem to know each other. It's not a tale that's about to command our rapt attention or win awards, but it's entertaining and satisfying.
The biggest issue facing 'The duel in the forbidden territory' is just that it's not very subtle. Think of the sundry elements of any given title as little sculptures carved from perfect cubic blocks: given time, care, and hard work, these blocks can be shaped with bountiful fine detail such that each sculpture is its own small treat. It's also possible for the blocks to be bear few details, and scant alterations from their original form; they will stack together neatly in this fashion, but they will also not catch our attention as much, nor necessarily earn as much appreciation. This movie more closely suggests those geometric blocks than the finessed statuettes they could become. It's just fine when all is said and done, and all involved made capable contributions, with the action sequences likely being the chief highlights. This movie also doesn't majorly stand out in any manner, and it's generally not so carefully crafted or refined in any facet as many others that are out in the world. None of this speaks to its quality, and in fact I do like this piece and think it's worthwhile on its own merits. Only, it's simply not something that will make a lasting impression, and a necessary content warning for animal cruelty doesn't help matters.
Check it out if you have the opportunity. Through to the end some aspects are pointedly stronger or weaker than others, but I had fun more than not. Just don't go out of your way for it, and save it for a quiet day, and hopefully you'll find 'The duel in the forbidden territory' to broadly be as good as I did, if not better.
