The Hidden Blade

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The Hidden Blade

R

2004

2h 12m

History

Drama

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84%

Tomatometer

32 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

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.

Critics Consensus

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

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Jeff Shannon

Seattle Times

07/14/2006

3/4

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.

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Wesley Morris

Boston Globe

07/14/2006

3.5/4

Yamada's enormously enjoyable The Hidden Blade is a movie that deftly balances the obligations of samurai history with love story.

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Ruthe Stein

San Francisco Chronicle

07/07/2006

3/4

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.

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Louis Proyect

rec.arts.movies.reviews

09/07/2008

Second installment in Yamada's samurai trilogy. Once again the hero is unlike the super-warriors of the genre, but far more interesting.

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Kam Williams

Upstage Magazine

07/07/2007

2/4

A character-driven, martial arts adventure more concerned with motivations than karate moves.

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David Noh

Film Journal International

03/01/2007

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.

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Jeremiah C

@Jeremiah_Cobra 01/09/2025

Perhaps it is simply true that I connect more with this protagonist than the one in The Twilight Samurai, but I think this movie is the better film between the two. Of course, this one is excellent, but I found the conflict and plot much more complex in The Hidden Blade. And of course, as usual, Yamada Yoji applies his keen director’s eye to every shot. Every scene is stunning!

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Tony S

@RT94004908 12/03/2021

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.

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05/06/2016

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.

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03/22/2016

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.

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11/03/2013

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.

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03/26/2013

Another Yoji Yamada masterpiece, which may fall short of The Twilight Samurai, but is a masterful film in it's own right.

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Yôji Yamada

Director

Masatoshi Nagase

Munezo Katagiri

Takako Matsu

Kie

Hidetaka Yoshioka

Samon Shimada

Yukiyoshi Ozawa

Yaichiro Hazama

Tomoko Obata

Shino

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

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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: Takeo Hisamatsu, Hiroshi Fukusawa, Ichirô Yamamoto
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