Description: Based on a true historical event, "Samurai Assassin" stars Mifune Toshiro (Seven Samurai, Yojimbo) in one of his greatest roles. Niiro Tsuruchiyo is a masterless samurai - a ronin - desperate for a last chance to gain a position with one of the great houses. To curry favor, he joins an assassination plot against a Shogunate Elder
4 ½ + Stars: A Samurai Classic Based on Real Events... 1860 proved to be one of the bleakest times for the Tokugawa Shogunate. Triggered by a reversal of isolationist policies which allowed the U.S. battleships to port in Japan; the country became divided between factions of samurai clansmen that support isolationist policies and those who embrace the changes made by Naosuke Ii, nicknamed the "Red Devil" (played by Koshiro Matsumoto). Each faction has their own different ideas for the future of Japan, but they all have one thing in common; each faction is willing to kill anyone who gets in the way of their goals. What results is a time when assassinations and murder became really common in this very chaotic period.
SAMURAI ASSASSIN (1965) is a film based on real people and true events and is one of the most historically detailed chambara films ever made. It has also been hailed as one of the finest Japanese films of that era. The screenplay by Shinobu Hashimoto is truly involving and thankfully he has a knack for working with great directors. In this film, the depth of detail is blended with violent swordplay that also made director Okamoto Kihachi (Sword of Doom) famous. The film is one of the first to embrace the blood splattering violence in samurai films.
Ii Naosuke is the power behind the Shogun in 1858. After the 14th Shogun died, a youth named Iemochi assumed the position. Ii saw to it that the younger of the two heirs would ascend the throne since he could easily manipulate him. Ii openly embraced Western culture and his decisions angered several factions that support the isolationist rule. The Tengu faction of the Mito clan have devised a plan to assassinate Lord Ii. Among their number is a Bishuu Ronin named Niiro Tsuruchiyo (Toshiro Mifune), a skilled swordsman who supposedly has noble blood coursing through his veins, and only Kisoya and his deceased mother knows his father's identity. For valid reasons, his father's identity must remain unknown to him. Niiro seeks to claim a high rank in the samurai clan by assisting in the plot of Lord Ii and would do anything to succeed.
The film is screaming with characters so it would be to the viewer's advantage to pay careful attention. My review's introduction is a bit unorthodox but in order to appreciate this film, you will need a little background. The past is revealed through flashbacks and Niiro's character is fleshed out through the narrations of Sir Kisoya and Hoshino . The film is a collection of Toho superstars: aside from Toshiro Mifune, the familiar faces include Eijiro Tono (Yojimbo), Yoshio Inaba (Seven Samurai), Takashi Shimura (in almost any Kurosawa film), Michiyo Aratama (Kwaidan) and Koshiro Matsumoto (Chushingura) just to name a few. The movie is about conspiracies, machinations and the lust for political power that had been a driving force during this period.
The Mito "Tengu" faction may see themselves as patriots to their country as they are adamant that Ii Naosuke would eventually lead to Japan's ruin. Therefore, they are paranoid and attempt to dispose of any who may pose a threat to their machinations; as demonstrated by their attempts to find a traitor among their midst. One of the group's leaders narrates his investigation into Niiro Tsuruchiyo's background that results in his character becoming fully fleshed out. The film becomes his story; Niiro is a determined samurai. He is tough, skilled, very ambitious and is looking out for his own advancement. While Hoshino's tale delves into Niiro's current state of mind, old Kisoya (Eijiro Tono) narrates his real background to Okiku (Michiyo Aratama), a woman Niiro fancies because she's a dead-ringer for his lost love. The end result is an effective tale of Tsuruchiyo Niiro and director Okamoto made a very wise decision since the audience can truly become attached to the main character. A very wise move since that film is quite tragic and for a tragedy to become truly effective, the audience has to be invested in its main character.
I don't like being repetitive, but Toshiro Mifune can definitely immerse the audience with raw magnetism. The man bears his soul and becomes Niiro himself. Niiro looks out for number one and his past definitely explains why such a man can be this way. Mifune also displays his prowess in action sequences as he cuts down 9 would-be assailants in a matter of seconds. It is not the manner of which he performs the moves, but the manner that the actor does so very convincingly. If you've seen the quick draw scene is "Sanjuro", then you'll definitely know what I'm talking about. Mifune is an awesome actor and there are few who can match his screen presence; and this film is undoubtedly one of his greatest roles. Action fans will not be disappointed, since there are quite a number of swordfights and the climactic battle in the end adds a lot of violent emotion.
The film is quite pessimistic in its views as expressed by at least three different characters but none more so than Niiro when he says; " This world never works the way you wish it to" and by the film's climax, this statement plays out to its ultimate extreme irony. "SAMURAI ASSASSIN" may seem like an obscure gem compared to other masterpieces made by Kobayashi and Kurosawa, but the film does come with a highly recommended rating from me. I do say it is one of the best. The film does end with a large exclamation point and I didn't want the film to end. Overflowing with awesome talent, and it just demands to be seen.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! [4 ½ + Stars]
Note: The dvd from AnimEigo is kept pretty simple and lacks necessary enhancements. The video isn't bad, but it would need a lot of enhancing. Criterion definitely needs to pick this up.
Samurai Assassin (Toshiro Mifune) Terrific film! My son and I are collecting Japanese film and art and this fits nicely into our collection.
great samurai film, bad DVD transfer I was quite happy with this film once I got into it. Having seen others in this genre, like Yojimbo, Sanjuro, the Hidden Fortress, Incident at Blood Pass, this one holds up reasonably well. Mifune is quite good here, and he's given an extremely complex character to portray. While the other reviewers have a point that the film has only one real fight scene, there are smaller ones as well, and they're done with an incredible sense of suspense. Furthermore, there's so much intrigue to the plot, even beyond the main twists. Also, the fact that it's an important part of the end of the Tokugawa period should interest Japanese history buffs. The film does an excellent job portraying clan rivalries, politics, class structure, and most importantly, the psychological and sociological nature of small groups of people intent on causing political change in that society.
Unfortunately, the film really didn't look very good on my TV. Granted, it's an HDTV, using an up-converting DVD player, but the difference between black and white is too great, and it's hard to make out some of the detail in the scenes where there are a lot of characters and movement going on. It really didn't look good compared to Criterion's samurai films, which look great, despite the fact that they're ten years older than this film!
A Very Good Samurai Political Thriller! "Samurai Assassin," released in 1965, is based on actual historical events in 1860. The film centers around a group of assassins who are attempting to assassinate the lord of the House of Ii Naosuke. Ii Naosuke is a very conservative and high ranking member of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The films narrative allows the viewer to witness the changes that are taking place in Japan, both internally and externally, as the film delves into the intrigue of the characters and the sudden changes that are taking place in Japan. For example, there is a power struggle between the factions siding with the Tokugawa Shogunate, who wishes to see Japan remain isolated, and those who side with the Emperor and favor modernization and ties to the west.
Moreover, the Tokugawa Shogunate is now in the last years of its long and nearly 300 year history: with the Meiji Restoration a mere eight years off. The assassins believe that one of them in their midst is a traitor. The main suspects are Tsuruchyo Niino (Toshiro Mifune) who is a ronin [a masterless samurai] and Kurihara Einosuke (Keiju Kobayashi). The film is a long dramatic narrative, and if you are looking for a lot of sword flashing and action, then you are looking for the wrong film. Although there are minor clashes dealing with the ronin Tsuruchyo Niino (Toshiro Mifune).
The film delves more into the character development of these plotters, with lots of intrigue and suspense, due to the changing nature of Japan. I found the film to be very good, and the character development to be top-notch. The cinematography is great, and the narration in the film is outstanding. One very small caveat, however, is that Criterion needs to do this film. They do a much better job with transfers, and this film could use their touch. Not that this is a horrible transfer, it's just that for a 1965 film, it could use that Criterion touch. Afterall, I don't think anyone could argue that they do a great job. This film is highly recommended, and is a worthy addition to your cinema collection: be it samurai genre, or great cinema period. Highly recommended. [Stars: 4.5]
Other reviewers are correct.... It's a good film and everything, but would i ever watch this again? After many positive reviews, i decided to buy this and add it to my samurai film collection(which includes Seven Samurai, Sanjuro, Yojimbo, Ran, Kagemusha, Shogun's Samurai, Shogun Assassin, Sword of Doom, Shogun's Ninja, a Sword of Vengeance and Zatoichi film or two, etc). I liked the movie, was caught up in the story and characters enough, and the ending had a good pay-off with an extended fight that was well done(great to see so many characters involved in such a desperate battle to accomplish their mission).
But here's the problem, that was the ONLY major fight/action sequence in the entire (lengthy)film. Plus, once you get the 'twist' in the story line(which is pretty easy to figure out), and you find out what happens to everybody, and what it means to the future of the samurai in Japan; I'm not sure if I'll ever really need to watch it again, let alone over and over again(as opposed to me re-watching other samurai films ad nauseum). Don't get me wrong, I liked what i saw the first time around and never got bored. But with so much dialogue and so little action, repeated viewings is questionable(note: i don't need lots of action in my samurai films, but more than one big fight scene helps in the re-watch department). However, the dvd does have some brief bios of the many characters in the film and a nice in-depth background essay to help you understand the importance of the 'incident' for which this film is based upon as bonus features. Those features, and the thought of me maybe wanting to watch this again in the future has prevented me from selling this disc.
Overall, i'd recommend others to see the movie(rent or borrow). But if the only way you can see it is to buy it for 20-30 dollars, you might want to hold off a bit. Put it on the backburner while you buy other samurai films you've been dying to get. Then come back to this one at a later date. Btw, be sure to check out the upcoming 4-disc 'Rebel Samurai-60's Swordplay Classics' collection from Criterion, also available at amazon.com in 10-25-05. It's pricey, but it's 4 samurai films(supposedly: Samurai Rebellion, Samurai Spy, Sword of the Beast, and Kill!).
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