When the Last Sword Is Drawn

It's hard to believe that this is from the same director as the truly awful Onmyoji! WTLSID is an almost infinitely better film.

After watching THE LAST SAMURAI I was inspired to check out two recent Japanese films focussing on a similar time period, THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI and WHEN THE LAST SWORD IS DRAWN. It's interesting comparing the Japanese perspective of the Samurai with the Hollywood perspective - TLS romanticises the people and lifestyle far more than the Japanese films, though WTLSID is more misty-eyed than TWILIGHT when thinking about those Samurai whose world had left them behind.

Both Japanese films are much more character driven than THE LAST SAMURAI, representing the Samurai as much more human and complex people, and also giving a much less simplified view of the sociopolitical conditions of the time (though in both films the social conditions are much more in the background).

Of the three films, I think I enjoyed WHEN THE LAST SWORD IS DRAWN the most. The characters, acting, action, cinematography and soundtrack were all top notch - and though the end of the film is dragged out too much, it is very moving. I think all three films deserve to be seen though. I find it rather tragic that THE LAST SAMURAI is sure to play in every mainstream theatre in Japan, but TWILIGHT SAMURAI and WHEN THE LAST SWORD IS DRAWN will be lucky to play a couple of festivals and maybe a short art-house run in the US, with an R1 DVD likely to be years off if it comes at all. Those that have the bravery to check out the import DVDs for the Japanese films will definitely benefit from the experience, though!

One of the best Samurai films ever. Kîchi Nakai is an incredible actor and Koichi Sato supports him in the best way during the film. Mibu gishi den is one of the few films that bring you both joy and sorrow. What makes the film so touchy and significant is its realistic perspective; showing people with their different characteristics, a person can be a hero and a coward, at the same time but the last word and last sword are always for the heroes. Kanichiro Yoshimura is one of the crowd at first, we see him teaching in the classroom, we see him falling in love, we see him taking care of his kids. He's so real... We can smell the poverty and desperation when the trouble strikes. And the destiny takes him to Shinsen-gumi. He is so sincere and open hearted that he is not afraid of expressing his own feelings but deep inside he carries the heart of a very noble and brave warrior. Mibu gishi den's characterizations are marvelous, not only with Kanichiro and Saito Sensei, but also with the Kanichiro's childhood friend who is a rich landlord and the doctor we meet in the beginning of the film. Historical background of the movie is also interesting.

A great movie about samurais, full of historical details and deep feelings, is a story of a brave samurai that put´s love and family first.But when samurai code and family mixed together, emerges a number of moral questions like honor and loyalty and how thin is the line that separates the traitor from the hero.Society in hour days seems different but people still use political and religion arguments to convince others to serve their thirst for power.On the end what really matters is love and some of us learn that by the hard way.

;) "A must see masterpiece"

I watched the DVD of Mibu Gishi Den last night after it was lent to me by a friend. I had never heard of it before so watched it with no idea what it was about, other than I was told it was a story about he Samurai.

Well it blew me totally away. Like many foreign movies, I struggled at first with the names of the characters, and as they were dressed similar and all had the same haircut, I had a bit of trouble working out who was who!

Nevertheless I persevered and after 30 minutes had more or less followed the plot. It certainly got easier as the film unfolded and in the end there was a tear in my eye. I won't give away the plot of the film, as others have already done this. Just to say at the end as the titles rolled there was a lump in my throat. Repeated viewings will make the movie a better experience.

This DVD is available on region 3 now and certainly well worth owning. It is a far superior Samurai film compared to The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise.

Don't pass up the chance to see this remarkable movie. The two leads are excellent actors, and though I have never heard of them before, I should imagine they are very well known in their native Japan.

Grade A.

This movie was recommended to me after I went to see "The Last Samurai (2003)" and was deeply captivated with that story.

This movie takes place during the confusing times when the Emperor attempted to modernize Japan and the time of the samurai warriors and their shogun masters was ending. It tells the story of the "lesser" samurai Kanichiro Yoshimura and his rival Hajime Saito. This is more of a drama than an action movie, and that is where it scored high with me. Call it a samurai movie with a twist - or, if you like, one that probably is more historically correct and pays more respect to the proud samurai warriors.

My face did get wet, I admit that. I really did have empathy (and sympathy for that matter) with poor, hard-working, misunderstood Yoshimura. 10/10!