Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      The Hidden Blade

      R 2004 2h 12m History Drama List
      84% 32 Reviews Tomatometer 84% 10,000+ Ratings Audience Score A lower-class samurai, named Katagiri, secretly loves Kie, a servant in his family's household. Eventually their perception of honor forces them to part, and he must turn his focus toward a disheartening task. His old friend, Yaichiro Hazama, has been fomenting rebellion against the government, and Katagiri must hunt him down and kill him. Read More Read Less
      The Hidden Blade

      What to Know

      Critics Consensus

      A slow and steady samurai flick a la John Ford that brings emotions and psychology to an epic-scale adventure.

      Read Critics Reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (276) audience reviews
      Tran N Tony Leung is a legend and Wang YiBo is the next generation. Superb acting on both parts with an intricate story. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Magic W This is a movie that you need to pay close attention to the details in the first half hour of the movie. This is definitely a movie that you would like to rewatch. Tony Leung is indeed Tony Leung. He never disappoints! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Tony S Made with the same formula, this is a clear rethread of Twilight Samurai but without enticing juxtaposition of the main character's mentality to his duties to a dying system. Hence no real interesting dilemma. Despite being well made, well acted and shot. The singular problem is that it's just not Twilight Samurai. It resonates way less. Hidden Blade double downs on showcasing of the coming of new age to replace samurai. No longer lingering in the background, it's very much upfront. And also provides most of the comedy in the film. That CGI shot however was embarrassing. It couldn't have been impressive back then and most importantly it's completely unnecessary. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/03/21 Full Review Audience Member I could not decide which is better, this film or The Twilight Samurai. Both stories are amazing and deeply moving. These are not action movies, so if you are looking for cheap thrills, you won't find it here. Instead, they are very well written stories that were written with historical accuracy. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member The similarities to the love story in Twilight Samurai is there but the violent ending is awesome. Lovin this more than the Fujisawa's first film. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member A truly beautiful film musing over the familiar Samurai themes of Honour, Courage, Loyalty and Justice. Not an action film, with the exception of a showdown, this film is a touching and beautiful story. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      More Like This

      View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
      34% 58% The Libertine 30% 57% Goya's Ghosts 73% 81% Gangs of New York 26% 64% The Lost City 77% 62% The Ballad of Little Jo Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

      Movie News & Guides

      View All Movie News & Guides

      This movie is featured in the following articles.

      Critical Consensus: "Click" Doesn’t, Ahem, Click; "Waist" Isn’t Deep Enough

      Photos

      View All The Hidden Blade photos

      The Hidden Blade

      On the set of the film "The Hidden Blade." A scene from the film "The Hidden Blade." A scene from the film "The Hidden Blade." The Hidden Blade (2004) The Hidden Blade (2004) The Hidden Blade (2004) View more photos

      Critics Reviews

      View All (32) Critics Reviews
      Jeff Shannon Seattle Times A tenacious survival tale in which passionate lovers are held apart by outmoded traditions. How they overcome obstacles to happiness is what makes the film so dramatically engaging. Rated: 3/4 Jul 14, 2006 Full Review Wesley Morris Boston Globe Yamada's enormously enjoyable The Hidden Blade is a movie that deftly balances the obligations of samurai history with love story. Rated: 3.5/4 Jul 14, 2006 Full Review Ruthe Stein San Francisco Chronicle Reminders of feudal Japan are mixed in with a prescient glimpse into the country's future. The samurai will not be part of it, and The Hidden Blade poignantly shows what is lost in the name of progress. Rated: 3/4 Jul 7, 2006 Full Review Louis Proyect rec.arts.movies.reviews Second installment in Yamada's samurai trilogy. Once again the hero is unlike the super-warriors of the genre, but far more interesting. Sep 7, 2008 Full Review Kam Williams Upstage Magazine A character-driven, martial arts adventure more concerned with motivations than karate moves. Rated: 2/4 Jul 7, 2007 Full Review David Noh Film Journal International Hidden Blade works, then, as that rare, intellectually stirring historical pageant, but also as a deeply emotional, satisfying samurai movie, one of the crown jewels of the genre. Mar 1, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A lower-class samurai, named Katagiri, secretly loves Kie, a servant in his family's household. Eventually their perception of honor forces them to part, and he must turn his focus toward a disheartening task. His old friend, Yaichiro Hazama, has been fomenting rebellion against the government, and Katagiri must hunt him down and kill him.
      Director
      Yôji Yamada
      Producer
      Junichi Sakamoto
      Screenwriter
      Yôji Yamada, Yoshitaka Asama
      Production Co
      Shochiku Co. Ltd.
      Rating
      R (Some Violent Material)
      Genre
      History, Drama
      Original Language
      Japanese
      Rerelease Date (Theaters)
      Jun 23, 2006
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Feb 19, 2015
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $38.1K
      Runtime
      2h 12m
      Sound Mix
      Dolby Digital