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Love and Honor

Play trailer Poster for Love and Honor PG-13 2007 2h 1m Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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81% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
The wife of a blind young samurai will do anything to defend her husband's honor.
Love and Honor

What to Know

Critics Consensus

The third in director in Yoji Yamada's samurai trilogy is enjoyable, intricately made and well acted.

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Critics Reviews

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David Parkinson Empire Magazine 12/12/2008
4/5
Feudal honour is challenged by love with overwhelming consequences. Even die hard Zatoichi-ites will admire the deftness of Yamada's masterly direction. Go to Full Review
Trevor Johnston Time Out 12/12/2008
2/6
It's a satisfying story, played out in decorous period surroundings of the classic warrior tale but Yamada's 79th film lacks any hint of surprise or excitement. Go to Full Review
Wendy Ide The Times (UK) 12/12/2008
2/5
The storytelling is all rather flat, as is the lighting. And the duel, when it finally comes, is something of an anticlimax. Go to Full Review
Sergio F. Pinilla Cinemanía (Spain) 11/05/2020
3/5
Unites Ozu and Kurosawa's cinema. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Laura Hiros Rincón de cine 03/21/2018
4/5
Tradition, love and intimacy are intertwined in the beautiful Japanese film Love and Honor. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Don Willmott Filmcritic.com 01/02/2009
4/5
the movie has only one sword fight, and it consists of only three or four swings of the blade, but don't let that dissuade you. You won't be bored. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Jeremiah C @Jeremiah_Cobra Jan 9 This film wasn’t as airtight as the two predecessors, but it was still a highly enjoyable film. Yamasa Yoji is an expert at filming sword fights. No shaky cam. No unnecessary cuts. Just intense, well-framed, suspenseful battle. There are some pretty glaring plot holes that kept me from fully investing emotionally with the characters. However, this is certainly a film to indulge with the trilogy. See more Tony S 12/03/2021 Despite having similar feel to previous entries. This is a very different movie, focused on a more realistic take of a 'blind samurai'. The highlight of the film is Takuya Kimura and his character. His juvenile attituded. And both mental and physical struggle to retain control of his life because of blind adherence to archaic tradition are very compelling. See more 05/06/2016 Not as good as The Twilight Samurai or The Hidden Blade, but this film is a worthy successor of the two. See more 04/02/2016 Never seen such a heartbreaking story like this. I could feel Shinnojo's pain. Loved it and now my new favorite jap film, next to 'Hariki' and 'Rashomon'. Such an incredible story. See more 04/16/2014 This third film (bushi no ichibun) in Yamada's jidaigeki trilogy (following The Twilight Samurai and The Hidden Blade) is a rather sombre affair, albeit with excellent production values. Takuya Kimura (from aging superstar boy-band SMAP) stars as a low-rank samurai engaged as a poison-tester of the Lord's meals who eats some bad fish and becomes blind. The consequences of this for his relationship with his wife and for his self-esteem are the focus of the story. Yamada maintains a good sense of the everyday reality of people's lives (although this is somewhat freer from grit and grime than you would expect), which keeps things from becoming too overwhelmingly tragic even though the events portrayed are pretty dire. I can't quite recall the earlier films in the trilogy but I suspect that they are rather better than this one - which is still a fine film (so, if you have to choose...). See more 11/09/2013 This movie is incredible with such a talented cast. It's nomination for 13 Japanese Academy Awards was well deserved. Stamp of Judgement: Platinum Goods See more Read all reviews
Love and Honor

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis The wife of a blind young samurai will do anything to defend her husband's honor.
Director
Yôji Yamada
Screenwriter
Yôji Yamada
Distributor
The Bigger Picture
Production Co
Shochiku
Rating
PG-13 (Some Violent Content)
Genre
Drama, Romance
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 2, 2007, Limited
Release Date (DVD)
Jan 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$58.4K
Runtime
2h 1m