Samurai Spy

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Audience Member This is an intriguing film although not necessarily in the way it was intended to be. It is one of the most ambitious films I can recall in terms of it's attempt to combine genres. Samurai Spy might indeed be the first "Ninja-Noir" I have ever seen. The convoluted and ever shifting story line and use of lighting is classic noir. It's also a spy movie (as the name clearly indicates) produced during the middle of the Cold War, yet the sword fighting leans more toward theater-dance routines. In fact, the movie is quite artistic in the '60's sense, and much of it is clearly influenced by more traditional Japanese theater. Overall, this is still very much a movie about a lone samurai, but with the dark dreamy mood and confusion of a classic black-and-white detective film. It is the inverse of Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samouraï in many ways. Imagine Hitchcock with swords and traditional Japanese dancing. Sounds amazing I know, but in the end it falls a bit short. While you have to respect Shinoda's vision, it is still film that is very hard to follow at times, as both the plot and camera jump around quite a bit. The characters tend to philosophize in snippets about the nature of life, death, and war, but overall the film feels like it lacks substance. Sasuke has an attractive strength of character, but his arc is obvious and wanting. The ‘deus ex machina' ending and the lack of anything to really root for leave the whole thing kind of flat. An interesting experiment of a movie that is pretty good but not great. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review s r Very unique. Unlike any other film of its genre. Although the plot could have been told better, this one still stands out. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Another great film from Masahiro Shinoda. This film follows a samurai who is suspected of working for both the Toyotomi clan and the Tokugawa. There are many historical references to the 1600s in Japan such as the battle of Sekigahara and the tension that followed. Excellent Samurai film. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member A labyrinthine narrative that at once feels at odds with it's nuts-and-bolts direction. Yet there's something utterly charming about this film that caputres the imagination. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Sword fighting is a bit wooden and I'll have to see it again to fully understand what is going on...but still so much better than most what critics and media is praising nowadays...good movies are not about best effects and biggest stars....it's about story, atmosphere and heart...things the majority of people will never understand... Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Totally confusing from start to finish. So many Japanese names for characters, armies, places and objects feature in a complex plot full of intrigue that even the most attentive viewer is going to get a little misled here and there whilst being distracted by the less-than-brilliantly translated subtitles. The fight scenes were a little Emmerdale-esque in places, and the mysterious guy in white seems somehow to defy the laws of physics. Just about watchable if you're into Japanese films and are really bored one night. 6.25/10 Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Samurai Spy

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