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Still not as good as the first and I still didn't enjoy the plot as much. Regardless, it was a good film and a fine concluding showdown between the two great swordsmen. Saw on HBO.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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Audience Member
Also known as Samurai I, II, and III, Hiroshi Inagakiâ(TM)s five-hour epic (released in three parts), tells the story of fabled samurai Musashi Miyamoto (1584-1645; played by Toshiro Mifune, of course), who progresses from headstrong youth to samurai-in-training to both wise and strong. This may be a version of Joseph Campbellâ(TM)s heroâ(TM)s journey (it is from a novel by Eiji Yoshikawa) but undoubtedly Japanese in content and execution. The young orphaned Musashi cannot control his strength or his emotions but after fighting in the Battle of Sekigahara (1600) and subsequently being captured by a monk (Kurôemon Onoe) and imprisoned and forced to study the way of the samurai, he emerges a more focused man. Every woman in the film falls in love with him but he chooses to suppress his desire, even for his true love Otsu (Kaoru Yachigusa). Instead he embarks on a training mission â" to test his strength against the warriors of the house of Yoshioka. There are some nefarious and deceptive characters surrounding the head of this house, including Toji (Daisuke Katô) who seeks to use Musashiâ(TM)s former benefactress and her daughter Akemi (Mariko Okada) against him. But ultimately he prevails and with compassion. However, he attracts the attention of a more willful but also skilful and power-hungry samurai Kojiro Sasaki (Kôji Tsuruta) who now wishes to challenge him to a duel to determine who will be the Shogunâ(TM)s swordsmanship teacher. Musashi declines, postponing the duel for a year, and heads off to be a farmer, protecting a small village from bandits, with a young boy and an old reformed scoundrel as disciples. He grows in wisdom but he faces two final challenges: the acceptance of love from Otsu and the ultimate dule with Sasaki. Iâ(TM)ve omitted numerous minor characters and a few subplots from this description but suffice it to say that the end result is epic indeed. Of course, it feels a bit bombastic as the epic Westerns of the 1950s also feel â" but it is also stunning in its beauty (in Eastmancolor, but sadly not widescreen format). Duels take place at sunset or in silhouette. The characters and objects are laid out in harmony across the screen. The colors of the sky, the ground, the water, are subtle (if occasionally artificial), even as the costumes may be brilliant in their hues. Mifune handles the role with his usual aplomb (and the occasional familiar mannerism from his Kurosawa films). Although bushido (the code of the samurai) is at the heart of the film, we donâ(TM)t actually learn much about it â" instead, this is a drama of the heart and the sword, leaving history and philosophy behind. Inagaki manages it all well, though one wonders how it would have looked with Kurosawa at the helm. Less stately, more dynamic perhaps? That said, I was fully absorbed by the beauty and spectacle on offer here.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/04/23
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Audience Member
Fitting end tot the series. The suspense was great at some points.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
01/17/23
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Audience Member
While Samurai III was entertaining, it didn't live up to the standard of movie set by the first two installments of this Trilogy. The fighting was well choreographed and the acting was good, but the plot was a big step down from the prior two movies. The movie's main weakness is that it tried to follow too many characters' separate stories while losing sight of the eponymous story line, which could have been much more exciting if done right. Regardless, the movie does ultimately give closure to the various storylines from the trilogy.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/27/23
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Audience Member
Pretty fantastic end to the trilogy. Musashi has grown much, and seeks a life of peace, going back to his roots and farming, no longer seeking fame. But his rival swordsman is obsessed with defeating him in duel... Really portrays the growth of a true honorable warrior.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/01/23
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Audience Member
Hiroshi Inagaki's 1956 film "Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island" is the third and final film of the "Samurai Trilogy" starring Toshiro Mifune as Musashi Miyamoto. After showing mercy at Ichijoi Temple in the last film and receiving help from Sasaki Kojiro, it becomes iminent that those two will have to fight eventually. Musashi realizes this will be the best swordsman he will ever fight and he respects this man more than any other samurai he has met in his years of traveling.
Not as lush and beautiful as the first installment, yet it does include some fantastic images. Slower than the first two and missing a lot of the action.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/15/23
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