The 13 Best Recommendation Samurai Movies of 2000s! most exciting Japanese live-action films
Starting from a black-and-white samurai movie, it might make you bored, stage by stage presents samurai movies with more interesting and modern concept and look. is the best about the blood by the katana which is an adaptation, a remake, or with a new story, some of these samurai movies seem acceptable if we add them as a list of the movies consumed all the time:
29.04.2017-JP| Blade of the Immortal |Rate: 7.3/10 (704)
 |
| Blade of the Immortal |
Blade of the Immortal (2017) is a British-American action drama film based on the comic book 1993 Blade of the Immortal by Hiroaki Samura, tells the story of Manji, a samurai who apparently cannot be killed by any injury. He crosses paths with Rin Asano, whose parents were killed by a group of master swordsmen, and promises to avenge their deaths. This film became the 100th film Takashi Miike as a master director.
Manji is a highly skilled samurai, becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle. He has taken a lot of lives, both innocent and guilty, and now lives life in feudal Japan as a criminal. Haunted by the brutal murder of his sister, Manji knows that only fighting evil will regain his soul. Until he kills enough evil, Manji meets a young girl named Rin, and promises to help her avenge of her parents, who were killed by a group of master swordsmen led by ruthless warrior Anotsu. The mission will change Manji in ways he could never imagine.
Blade of the Immortal (2017) is produced by Warner Bros.; Oriental Light and Magic; Recorded Picture Company; GyaO; Ken-On; Kôdansha; Rakueisha; TV Asahi; Toei Kyoto Studios, and distributed by Warner Bros. (Japan); and Magnet Releasing (USA). Directed by Takashi Miike, with Shigeji Maeda, Misako Saka, dan Jeremy Thomas as producer. Meanwhile, Hiroaki Samura and Tetsuya Oishi was applies as story writer and script. Cast for the main characters in the film includes: Takuya Kimura, Hana Sugisaki, Sôta Fukush, Sôta Fukushi, Ebizo Ichikawa, Min Tanaka, and Tsutomu Yamazaki. The film premiered in Japan in April 29, 2017 and UK in November 8, 2017.
13.09.2018-JP| Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends (Rurôni Kenshin: Densetsu no saigo-hen) |Rate: 7.6/10 (6,408)
 |
| Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends |
Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends (2014) is a Japanese action adventure drama film based on the manga series Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki. At this time Shishio has set sail in his ironclad ship to bring down the Meiji government and return Japan to chaos, carrying Kaoru with him. In order to stop him in time, Kenshin trains with his old master to learn his final technique. The story follows two prior films, Rurouni Kenshin and Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno.
When Kenshin wakes up, he find himself at his master (Hiko Seijuro)'s house after getting washed by the waves to land while he was unconscious at sea for 3 days. Kenshin asks Seijuro to teach him the ultimate and pinnacle technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi school, the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. Seijuro accepts Kenshin's request after they spar with each other. Meanwhile in Tokyo, Prime Minister Hirobumi Ito attends a meeting with Makoto Shishio who forces him to declare Kenshin a wanted outlaw and have him publicly executed or else Shishio will destroy both Tokyo and the government. After several incidents, the deal was failed and Kenshin finally made it into Shishio's vessel, followed by Sanosuke Sagara, Yūsuke Iseya, and Hajime Saitou. Together, they fight against Shishio.
Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends (2014) is produced by Warner Bros.; Amuse; Shueisha; KDDI Corporation; Gyao, and distributed by Warner Bros. (Japan). Directed by Keishi Ohtomo, with Satoshi Fukushima as producer. Meanwhile, Nobuhiro Watsuki, Sean Whitley, Kiyomi Fujii, and Keishi Ohtomo was applies as story writer and script. Cast for the main characters in the film includes: Takeru Satoh, Emi Takei, Yūsuke Iseya, Munetaka Aoki, Yu Aoi, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Masaharu Fukuyama, Yosuke Eguchi, and Tatsuya Fujiwara. The film premiered in Japan in 13 September 2014.
Keywords: #japan #violence #flashback #based on comic #1870s #katana #samurai #ronin #based on manga #based on anime #kyoto japan
01.08.2014-JP| Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno (Rurôni Kenshin: Kyôto taika-hen) |Rate: 7.7/10 (9,487)
 |
| Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno |
Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno (2014) is a Japanese action adventure drama film based on manga Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki, tells Makoto Shishio who is attempting to overthrow the Meiji government. Makoto Shishio, a assassin like Kenshin, was betrayed and burned, but he survived. Now Makoto Shishio wants to get revenge with Kyoto concept with his troops. The fate of the country hangs in the balance as Kenshin Himura takes up the sword that he vowed to never draw again. It's the first of two sequels to the 2012 live-action Rurouni Kenshin film.
The Chief of Police Hajime Saito and a team of policemen hunt down the outlaw Makoto Shishio, who was betrayed by the government after defeating the Tokugawa shogunate; however Shishio and his men slaughter the police officers and only Hajime survives. Kenshin Himura is summoned by the government to help them to find Shishio in Kyoto. He refuses first, but when a minister is murdered, he accepts to go and leaves the dojo of Kaoru Kamiya and the boy Yahiko Myojin, his friend Sanosuke Sagara and Dr. Megumi Takani. Although Kaoru forbade Kenshin to leave, Kenshin insisted on leaving for Kyoto to help his country not return to civil war.
Kenshin meets the thief Makimachi Misao that tries to steal his sakabato on the way to Kyoto and they stumble upon a boy that tells that his brother and his parents are in danger. They find the trio murdered by Shishio's men and Kenshin defeats them in the nearby village. A man called Sojiro Seta contacts Kenshin and brings him to meet Shishio that asks Sojiro to duel Kenshin. Their sword fight stops when Kenshin's sakabato is broken and Shishio and his men go away.
Meanwhile, Kaoru decides to find Kenshin in Kyoto but Yahiko with Sanosuke follow her. When Kenshin arrives at Kyoto, Kashiwazaki Nenji, who was the ninja Okina that worked for the Tokugawa shogunate, runs the place and teams up with Kenshin. He seeks out the talented blacksmith Shakku Arai to repair his sakabato and finds that he is dead. Arai's son Keiku does not help Kenshin, but when the evil Sawagejo Cho kidnaps his baby, he calls Kenshin to save his son and gives him a new sakabato. Kenshin defeats the Shishio's warrior and he is arrested by the police. Soon Hajime and Kenshin learn that Shishio intends to burn Kyoto down and they prepare the defense of the town. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno (2014) is produced by Warner Bros.; Amuse; Shueisha; KDDI Corporation; Gyao, and distributed by Warner Bros. (Japan). Directed by Keishi Ohtomo, with Satoshi Fukushima as producer. Meanwhile, Nobuhiro Watsuki, Sean Whitley, Kiyomi Fujii, and Keishi Ohtomo was applies as story writer and script. Cast for the main characters in the film includes: Takeru Satoh, Emi Takei, Yūsuke Iseya, Munetaka Aoki, Yu Aoi, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Masaharu Fukuyama, Yosuke Eguchi, and Tatsuya Fujiwara. The film premiered in Japan in 1 August 2014.
Keywords: #japan #19th century #1870s #kyoto japan #katana #based on anime #based on manga #ronin #samurai
25.12.2013-US| 47 Ronin |Rate: 6.3/10 (126,236)
 |
| 47 Ronin |
47 Ronin (2013) is a American action adventure drama fantasy film that tells about a fictional account of the Forty-seven Rōnin, a real-life group of masterless samurai in 18th-century Japan who avenged the death of their lord, in the style of Chūshingura. Kai as the leader of the group, Together they seek vengeance upon the treacherous overlord who killed their master and banished their kind. Inspired by styles as diverse as Miyazaki and Hokusai, Rinsch will bring to life the stunning landscapes and enormous battles that will display the timeless Ronin story to global audiences in a way that's never been seen before.
In Ako, Lord Asano and his samurai Ôishi are hunting in the forest and they find a half-breed boy. Lord Asano brings him to Ako and the boy that is named Kai is raised with his daughter Mika. Years later, Mika and Kai are secretly in love with each other. Lord Asano welcomes the Shogun Tsunayoshi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) and the Lord Kira at home. However, Kira's Witch casts a spell on Lord Asano and he tries to kill Kira. The Shogun sentences Lord Asano to death and offers the option of committing Harakiri to die with honor. Ôishi and his samurais become ronin and he is arrested in a hole; and Kai is sold as a slave in another village. One year later, Ôishi is released from the imprisonment and he plots a scheme to revenge Lord Asano with Kai and the other ronin. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (IMDb)
47 Ronin (2013) is produced by H2F Entertainment; Mid Atlantic Films; Moving Picture Company (MPC); Stuber Productions, and distributed by Toho-Towa (Japan); Universal Pictures (USA). Directed by Carl Rinsch, with Pamela Abdy and Eric McLeod as producer. Meanwhile, Chris Morgan, Hossein Amini, Chris Morgan, and Walter Hamada was applies as story writer and script. Cast for the main characters in the film include: Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rinko Kikuchi, and Min Tanaka. The film premiered in japan in December 6, 2013, and December 25, 2013 in USA.
Keywords: #shogun #samurai #ronin #half breed #revenge #japan #dishonor #seppuku #based on true story #tournament #forest #slave
25.08.2012-JP| Rurouni Kenshin (Rurôni Kenshin: Meiji kenkaku roman tan) |Rate: 7.6/10 (16,597)
 |
| Rurouni Kenshin |
Rurouni Kenshin (2012) is a Japanese action drama history film adaptation of the manga of the same name originally written by Nobuhiro Watsuki, focuses on fictional events that take place during the early Meiji period in Japan, telling the story of a wanderer named Himura Kenshin, formerly known as the assassin Hitokiri Battōsai. After participating in the Bakumatsu war, Kenshin wanders the countryside of Japan offering protection and aid to those in need as atonement for the murders he once committed as an assassin. This film will be the first live-action adaptation of the manga.
The legendary and feared killer Kenshin Himura, throws down his sword and vows to turn his back on bloodshed. Kenshin wanders through Japan with a reverse-edged sword during the transition of the samurai age to the New Age. Choosing instead to live his life as a peaceful wanderer, Kenshin soon finds that the world around him is rapidly changing-and not for the better. He found a sadistic drug lord, Kanryu, oppresses the people, poisoning them with opium and stealing what little they have left. When this greed-driven monster threatens the beautiful kendo instructor Kaoru, Kenshin can no longer stand idly by. Together with his street fighter comrade Sanosuke, Kenshin sets his sights on a showdown with Kanryu and his deadly henchmen. In a staggering action sequence for the ages, longtime fans will find out if Kenshin can survive his promise to face his own blade-before spilling the blood of his enemies!
Rurouni Kenshin (2012) is produced by C&I Entertainment; IMJ Entertainment; RoC Works Co.; Studio Swan; Warner Bros., and distributed by Warner Bros. (Japan). Directed by Keishi Ohtomo, with Shinzô Matsuhashi as producer. Meanwhile, Nobuhiro Watsuki, Kiyomi Fujii, and Keishi Ohtomo was applies as story writer and script. Cast for the main characters in the film includes: Takeru Satoh, Emi Takei, Yosuke Eguchi, Munetaka Aoki, Teruyuki Kagawa, and Koji Kikkawa. The film premiered in Japan in 25 August 2012.
Keywords: #japan #samurai #gatling gun #katana #based on manga #swordsman #ronin #based on anime #based on cartoon
15.10.2011-JP| Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Ichimei) |Rate: 7.3/10 (5,968)
 |
| Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai |
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (2011) is a Japanese 3D drama film as a remake of Masaki Kobayashi's 1962 3D film Harakiri, based on novel by Yasuhiko Takiguchi depictured of the 17th century when the samurai class struggled to find work. An tale of revenge, honor and disgrace, centering on a poverty-stricken samurai who discovers the fate of his ronin son-in-law, setting in motion a tense showdown of vengeance against the house of a feudal lord. Just like 13 Assassins, The film was also produced by Jeremy Thomas and Toshiaki Nakazawa.
A mysterious samurai who arrives at the doorstep of his feudal lord, requesting an honorable death by ritual suicide in his courtyard. The lord threatens him with the brutal tale of Motome, a desperate young ronin who made a similar request with ulterior motives, only to meet a grisly end. Undaunted, the samurai begins to tell a story of his own, with an ending no one could see coming. Hanshiro undeterred by Kageyu asks for the House’s top samurai to assist him, but they are absent. Hanshiro then makes one last request, setting in motion a showdown driven by revenge.
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (2011) is produced by Recorded Picture Company (RPC); Sedic International; Amuse Soft Entertainment; Asahi Shimbun; Dentsu; Kôdansha; Oriental Light and Magic (OLM); Shochiku Company; Yahoo Japan; Yamanashi Broadcasting System; Yamanashi Nichinichi Shimbun, and distributed by Shochiku Company (Japan); Revolver Entertainment (UK). Directed by Takashi Miike, with Toshiaki Nakazawa, Jeremy Thomas, and Kensuke Zushi as producer. Meanwhile, Kikumi Yamagishi and Yasuhiko Takiguchi was applies as story writer and script. Cast for the main characters in the film includes: Ichikawa Ebizō XI, Eita, Hikari Mitsushima, Naoto Takenaka, Munetaka Aoki, Hirofumi Arai, and Kazuki Namioka. The film premiered in Japan in 15 October 2011, and 4 May 2012 in United Kingdom.
Keywords: #ronin #samurai #based on novel #revenge #katana sword #remake #harakiri #japan #sword
25.09.2010-JP| 13 Assassins (Jûsan-nin no shikaku) |Rate: 7.6/10 (54,353)
 |
| 13 Assassins |
13 Assassins (2010) is a Japanese-British action adventure drama film remake of 13 Assassins, a 1963 black-and-white film by Eiichi Kudo based on story by Shōichirō Ikemiya, depictured the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a wartorn future. It is the third film in which Yamada and Takaoka co-starred, the first two being Crows Zero and Crows Zero 2, both directed by Takashi Miike.
In 1844, the peace of Feudal Japan is threatened by cruel Lord Naritsugu Matsudaira, who is politically rising and getting closer to his half-brother, the shogun. After the harakiri of the Namiya clan leader, samurai Shinzaemon Shimada is summoned by the shogun's advisor Sir Doi of the Akashi Clan to listen to the tragedy of Makino Uneme, whose son and daughter-in-law have been murdered by Naritsugu. Then Sir Doi shows a woman with arms, legs and tongue severed by Naritsugu and she writes with her forearm a request to Shinza to slaughter Naritsugu and his samurai. Shinza promises to kill Naritsugu and he gathers eleven other samurais and plots a plan to attack Naritsugu in his trip back to the Akashi land. But the cunning samurai Hanbei Kitou that is responsible for the security of his master foresees Shinza's intent. Shinza decides to go with his samurai through the mountain, where they find the hunter Koyata that guides them off the mountain and joins the group. Now the thirteen men prepare an ambush to Naritsugu and his army of two hundred samurai in a suicide mission to stop evil. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (IMDb)
Shinzaemon Shimada gathers eleven men, including a butcher ronin named Kuzuro Hirayama (Tsuyoshi Ihara) & Shinzaemon Shimada's own nephew Shinrokuro Shimada (Takayuki Yamada), who is a gambler, alcoholic and womanizer. As their plan progresses, Naritsugu Matsudaira's head samurai Hanbei Onigashira (Masachika Ichimura) hears of the assassinaton plan. Years ago, Hanbei Onigashira & Shinzaemon Shimada were fellow pupils of the sword, but ideological differences led them to part ways. Now, a mental battle between Hanbei Onigashira & Shinzaemon Shimada begins.
13 Assassins (2010) is produced by Sedic International; Recorded Picture Company (RPC); Asahi Broadcasting Corporation (ABC); Asahi Shimbun; Dentsu; Higashinippon Broadcasting Co.; Hiroshima Home TV; Hokkaido Television Broadcasting Co. (HTB); Kyushu Asahi Broadcasting Co.; Nagoya Broadcasting Network (NBN); Rakueisha Co.; Sedic Deux; Shizuoka Asahi Television Co. (SATV); Shogakukan; TV Asahi; Toho Company; Tsutaya Group; Yahoo Japan, and distributed by Toho Company (Japan); Magnet Releasing (USA). Directed by Takashi Miike, with Minami Ichikawa, Shigeji Maeda, Takahiro Ohno, Tôichirô Shiraishi, Michihiko Yanagisawa, and Kôji Yoshida as producer. Meanwhile, Kaneo Ikegami, Shoichirou Ikemiya, and Daisuke Tengan was applies as story writer and script. Cast for the main characters in the film includes: Kōji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yūsuke Iseya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Hiroki Matsukata, Mikijirō Hira, Gorō Inagaki, and Masachika Ichimura. The film premiered in Japan in 25 September 2010 and 23 October 2010 in United Kingdom.
Keywords: #samurai #suicide #japan #assassin #massacre #violence #beheading #decapitation #multiple amputee #seppuku #shogun #lord
25.10.2008-JP| Ichi |Rate: 6.7/10 (2,872)
 |
| Ichi |
Ichi (2008) is a Japanese action crime drama thriller film based on story and characters by Kan Shimozawa, explained a blind woman named Ichi who roams about town with her shamisen (a three-stringed Japanese guitar), but she has exceptional sword skills with which she fights off yakuza and other villains.
She keeps her sword concealed in her cane, only drawing it when the situation necessitates. With everything she has, she walked to searching for the man who trained her, the man she believes to be her father. When Ichi is ambushed by a group of vicious gangsters, a sympathetic samurai rushes to the rescue. But Ichi can fend for herself, and before long she's saving his life. Traveling together to a nearby village, the duo later encounters a young orphan, who becomes their guide. It seems that a disfigured gangster named Banky (Shidou Nakamura) has the village in his iron grip. Even the local yakuza head has failed to end Banky's reign, a fact that the crime boss' ambitious son doesn't take lightly. When Ichi gets drawn into the fray, swords start swinging. — Jason Buchanan, Rovi (rottentomatoes)
Ichi (2008) is produced by Asahi Shimbun; Dentsu; Geneon Entertainment; Kôdansha; Lawson Ticket; Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS); Oxybot; Sedic International; Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS); Warner Bros., and distributed by Warner Bros. (Japan). Directed by Fumihiko Sori, with Nobuhiro Azuma, Yoshitaka Hori, Yoshio Irie, Sumio Kiga, Hiroyoshi Koiwai, Toshiaki Nakazawa, Yûji Shimamoto, Yasushi Umemura, Takeshi Yamaoka, and Kôji Yoshida as producer. Meanwhile, Kan Shimozawa and Taeko Asano was applies as story writer and script. Cast for the main characters in the film includes: Haruka Ayase, Shido Nakamura, Yosuke Kubozuka, Takao Osawa, and Tetta Sugimoto. The film premiered in Japan in 25 October 2008.
Keywords: #japan #blind warrior #swords #revenge #samurai woman
30.10.2004-JP| The Hidden Blade (Kakushi ken oni no tsume) |Rate: 7.8/10 (5,075)
 |
| The Hidden Blade |
The Hidden Blade (2004) is a Japanese action drama history romance film based on a short story by Shūhei Fujisawa, revolves in Japan in the 1860s, focused on the lives several samurai during a time of change in the ruling and class structures of Japan. There are two samurai, Munezo Katagiri (Masatoshi Nagase) and Samon Shimada (Hidetaka Yoshioka), preparing to bid farewell to their friend, Yaichiro Hazama (Yukiyoshi Ozawa), who is to serve in Edo (present-day Tokyo) under the shogunate of that region.
Munezo Katagiri (Masatoshi Nagase), an honest and low ranking samurai is trapped in a state of personal and professional imbalance. Secretly in love with his family's maid, Kie (Takako Tabata), Munezo begins an uneasy courtship with her, knowing that a relationship is impossible. Raised to respect traditions from the past and the demanding moral code of the samurai, circumstances have now forced Munezo to look to the future. Required to master western military strategies, particularly the art of artillery, Munezo is ordered to find and kill Yaichiro, a former friend, samurai, and brilliant swordsman. Munezo knows that he cannot beat Yaichiro with fire power alone, so he enlists the help of his old teacher, Kansai Toda, a master swordsman who entrusts Munezo with the secret and power of The Hidden Blade. (asianwiki)
The Hidden Blade (2004) is produced by Eisei Gekijo; Hakuhodo DY Media Partners; Nippon Shuppan Hanbai (Nippan) K.K.; Nippon Television Network (NTV); Shouchiku Co.; Sumitomo Corporation, and distributed by Shochiku Company (Japan). Directed by Yôji Yamada, with Hiroshi Fukazawa as producer. Meanwhile, Yôji Yamada, Yoshitaka Asama, and Shûhei Fujisawa was applies as story writer and script. Cast for the main characters in the film includes: Masatoshi Nagase, Takako Matsu, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Yukiyoshi Ozawa, Tomoko Tabata, Reiko Takashima, Kunie Tanaka, Chieko Baisho, and Min Tanaka. The film premiered in Japan in 30 October 2004.
Keywords: #suicide #japan #hostage #swordsman #samurai #edo period #rifle #revenge
06.09.2003-JP| The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (Zatôichi) |Rate: 7.6/10 (42,850)
 |
| The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi |
The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003) is a Japanese action comedy crime drama film based on novel by Kan Shimozawa, described a 19th century blind nomad named Zatoichi who makes his living as a gambler and masseur. However, behind this humble facade, he is a master swordsman gifted with a lightning-fast draw and breathtaking precision. The film is a revival of the classic Zatoichi series of samurai film and television dramas.
While wandering, Zatoichi discovers a remote mountain village at the mercy of Ginzo, a ruthless gang-leader. Ginzo disposes of anyone who gets in his way, especially after hiring the mighty samurai ronin, Hattori, as a bodyguard. After a raucous night of gambling in town, Zatoichi encounters a pair of geishas--as dangerous as they are beautiful--who've come to avenge their parents' murder. As the paths of these and other colorful characters intertwine, Ginzo's henchmen are soon after Zatoichi. With his legendary cane sword at his side, the stage is set for a riveting showdown.
The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003) is produced by Asahi National Broadcasting Company; Bandai Visual Company; DENTSU Music And Entertainment; Office Kitano; Saitô Entertainment; TV Asahi; Tokyo FM Broadcasting Co., and distributed by Office Kitano (Japan); Artificial Eye (UK). Directed by Takeshi Kitano, with Masayuki Mori and Tsunehisa Saitō as producer. Meanwhile, Takeshi Kitano and Kan Shimozawa was applies as story writer and script. Cast for the main characters in the film includes: Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano, Michiyo Okusu, Yui Natsukawa, Daigoro Tachibana, Taichi Saotome, and Yuuko Daike. The film premiered in Japan in 6 September 2003.
Keywords: #japan #zatoichi #samurai #swordsman #ronin #murder #gambling #revenge #based on novel
22.11.2003-JP| The Last Samurai |Rate: 7.7/10 (341,731)
 |
| The Last Samurai |
The Last Samurai (2003) is a Japanese-American-New Zealand action drama history war film based on a story by John Logan, depictured a United States Captain of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, whose personal and emotional conflicts bring him into contact with samurai warriors in the wake of the Meiji Restoration in 19th Century Japan. Inspired by the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion led by Saigō Takamori, and the westernization of Japan by foreign powers, though in the film the United States is portrayed as the primary force behind the push for westernization. To a lesser extent it is also influenced by the stories of Jules Brunet, a French army captain who fought alongside Enomoto Takeaki in the earlier Boshin War and Frederick Townsend Ward, an American mercenary who helped Westernize the Chinese army by forming the Ever Victorious Army.
Captain Nathan Algren, a cynical veteran of the American Civil war who will work for anyone, is hired by Americans who want lucrative contracts with the Emperor of Japan to train the peasant conscripts for the first standing imperial army in modern warfare using firearms. The imperial Omura cabinet's first priority is to repress a rebellion of traditionalist Samurai -hereditary warriors- who remain devoted to the sacred dynasty but reject the Westernizing policy and even refuse firearms.
Yet when his ill-prepared superior force sets out too soon, their panic allows the sword-wielding samurai to crush them. Badly wounded Algren's courageous stand makes the samurai leader Katsumoto spare his life; once nursed to health he learns to know and respect the old Japanese way, and participates as advisor in Katsumoto's failed attempt to save the Bushido tradition, but Omura gets repressive laws enacted- he must now choose to honor his loyalty to one of the embittered sides when the conflict returns to the battlefield. —KGF Vissers (IMDb)
The Last Samurai (2003) is produced by Warner Bros.; Bedford Falls Company, The; Cruise/Wagner Productions; Radar Pictures, and distributed by Warner Bros. (USA; Japan). Directed by Edward Zwick, with Tom Cruise, Tom Engelman, Marshall Herskovitz, Scott Kroopf, Paula Wagner, and Edward Zwick as producer. Meanwhile, John Logan, John Logan, Edward Zwick, and Marshall Herskovitz was applies as story writer and script. Cast for the main characters in the film includes: Tom Cruise, Timothy Spall, Ken Watanabe, Billy Connolly, Tony Goldwyn, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Koyuki. The film premiered in Japan in 22 November 2003.
Keywords: #samurai #japan #emperor #honor #1870s #rebellion #civil war #warrior #battlefield
18.01.2003-JP| When the Last Sword is Drawn (Mibu gishi den) |Rate: 7.6/10 (4,218)
 |
| When the Last Sword is Drawn |
When the Last Sword is Drawn (2002) is a Japanese Drama film based on a novel by Jiro Asada, based on real historical events, tells the story of two Shinsengumi samurai. One of them is Saitō Hajime (Kōichi Satō), a heartless killer and the other is Kanichiro Yoshimura (Kiichi Nakai), who appears to be a money-grabbing and emotional swordsman from the northern area known as Nambu Morioka. The main storyline is set during the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate, but it is told in a series of flashbacks as two characters reminisce. The themes include conflicting loyalty to the clan, lord, and family.
Kanichiro Yoshimura is a Samurai and Family man who can no longer support his wife and children on the the low pay he receives from his small town clan, he is forced by the love for his family to leave for the city in search of higher pay to support them. In his search he joins a notorious clan, known as the Shinsengumi where he does as much as possible to get money. Looked at as a money grubber, Yoshimura proves his strength physically and mentally by being loyal to his honor. During the dramatic period, with the rise of the Emperor and the fall of the Shogun. Yoshimura shows us the struggle of life in a personal way, by changing the lives of the people he meets and the way life is looked at. —C. Maginnis (IMDb)
When the Last Sword is Drawn (2002) is produced by TV Tokyo; Television Osaka (TVO); DENTSU Music And Entertainment; Eisei Gekijo; Culture Publishers (CP); Shochiku Company, and distributed by Shochiku Company (Japan). Directed by Yôjirô Takita, with Nozomi Enoki and Hideji Miyajima as producer. Meanwhile, Jirô Asada and Takehiro Nakajima was applies as story writer and script. Cast for the main characters in the film includes: Kiichi Nakai, Kōichi Satō, Yui Natsukawa, and Takehiro Murata. The film premiered in Japan in 18 January 2003.
Keywords: #shinsengumi #samurai #honor #jidai geki #suicide #hara kiri #greed #decapitation #sword fight #japan #seppuku #based on novel
02.11.2002-JP| The Twilight Samurai (Tasogare Seibei) |Rate: 8.1/10 (19,197)
 |
| The Twilight Samurai |
The Twilight Samurai (2002) is a Japanese drama history film inspired by the short story "The Bamboo Sword" by Shuhei Fujisawa, follows the life of Seibei Iguchi, a low-ranking samurai employed as a bureaucrat, in mid-19th century Japan, a few years before the Meiji Restoration. Poor, but not destitute, he still manages to lead a content and happy life with his daughters and his mother who has dementia. Through an unfortunate turn of events, the turbulent times conspire against him.
Seibei (Hiroyuki Sanada) is a low-level samurai struggling to get by on stipend of 50 rice bales a year while working as a clerk at the clan office. While his co-workers who mock him behind his back with the nickname Tasogare (Twilight), spend their evenings sucking down sake at the local pub, Seibei rushes home to look after his elderly mother, who has dementia, and two young daughters, Kayano and Ito, instead of bonding with his supervisor and other samurai colleagues.
Even though he is a samurai, Seibei neglects his appearance, failing to bathe or shave his head, and being shabbily dressed. The well-being of his young daughters and medicine for his mother take priority over new clothes or the monthly bath fee, and his daughters say they are both happy, even without a mother.
When Seibei meets Michinojo Iinuma, his childhood friend tells him that his sister Tomoe Iinuma has just divorced from he brutal husband Toyotarou Kouda. Seibei reencounters Tomoe, for whom he has been in love since he was a child, but Tamoe is member of a family of 400 koku and Seibei believes their difference of classes makes their marriage impossible. When Kouda challenges Iinuma to a duel, Seibei accepts to replace his old friend and needs to use his skills of swordsman again.
The Twilight Samurai (2002) is produced by Eisei Gekijo; Hakuhodo; Nippon Shuppan Hanbai (Nippan) K.K.; Nippon Television Network (NTV); Shochiku Company; Sumitomo Corporation, and distributed by Shochiku Company (Japan). Directed by Yôji Yamada, with Hiroshi Fukazawa, Shigehiro Nakagawa, and Ichirô Yamamoto as producer. Meanwhile, Shûhei Fujisawa, Yôji Yamada, and Yoshitaka Asama was applies as story writer and script. Cast for the main characters in the film includes: Hiroyuki Sanada, Rie Miyazawa, Nenji Kobayashi, Ren Osugi, and Mitsuru Fukikoshi. The film premiered in Japan in 2 November 2002.
Keywords: #samurai #widower #poverty #starvation #sheath #katana sword #sword fight #based on novel #seppuku #japan
Comments
Post a Comment