Sword Of Desperation

I really loved this Samurai movie set in the Edo period of Japan. Some may find the plot a bit slow and plodding but I liked how the slow build up of the story and characters only added to the amount of tension in the final sword fight scene. You know the fight is coming but you're on the edge of your seat when it finally does. The beginning of the movie is seen partly through a series of flashbacks which can be a bit confusing at first but bit by bit it all falls into place, is revealed and becomes clear. The lead actor Etsushi Toyokawa gives a stunning and stoic performance as do all the actors in this fine film. I fell in love with his character. I won't give a synopsis of the film as I don't want to spoil anything for other lovers of the Samurai genre. I'm very glad I got this movie for my Asian film library and it is a definite must watch again movie. Some may say it's a formulaic Samurai movie but as I said I just loved everything about it, the costuming, sets, cinematography, subtle nuances, treachery, deceit, romance, loyalty, intrigue and of course a great sword fight. It's all in there.

A masterpiece! What clear, simple storytelling -- it makes you care for the people in it, even as it builds relentlessly toward a climax in which every measured cinematic stroke that went before pays off by creating the deepest emotions in the midst of a paroxysm of bloody slaughter. I love the echoes, in that gory and deeply disturbing final battle scene, of two other great samurai classics: HARIKIRI Harakiri (The Criterion Collection) and SWORD OF DOOM (Daibosatsu Toge) The Sword of Doom (The Criterion Collection) . Like those two earlier films, SWORD OF DESPERATION is almost morbidly critical of samurai society; but, unlike them, it is not in the least nihilistic. You are likely to leave the movie feeling uplifted and inspired and loving the simple greatness of ordinary human beings.

I won't repeat what everyone wrote below - it is a great flick! Super production values, great acting ....Love it - with one reservation..... The penultimate scene with extravagant the sword fight is overdone. The survival of the protagonist in light of multiple strikes, cuts, wounds and stabbings just prior to using the title strike, just didn't work for me. That scene was impossible, implausible and incredible and detracted from the plot and impact of the film. Nevertheless, a good film.

The film arrived quickly and in good condition. Of course, I am fascinated by the history of Japan and the Samurai. However, this film resonates with me a great deal for entirely separate reasons. If you've survived to middle age, as any kind of officer, then there will be something somewhere in the main character, Kanemi Sanzaemon for you to identify with and admire. The slow pacing and flashbacks don't bother me at all. The film is serious, beautifully crafted and well acted. It may be a somewhat "middle aged" film, but hey, for some of us that's a plus. There's plenty violence, but it's not a might makes right, black and white heroes and villains type of situation. Fans of The Last Samurai, the Shogun remake and the new Zatoichi film might be under stimulated. What do you do when the cause you've served and given everything for stabs you in the back and you only have one last move to make, what would that move be; The Sword of Desperation, but it comes at a price, as so many decisions in real life frequently do.

I don't know what it is about the Japanese and the samurai genre, but it is masterful film making when a good serious samurai film comes to the screen. "Sword of Desperation" delivers on story, acting and setting, and even the plot is unique and intriguing, if somewhat sad. My only complaint about this DVD is that the image is a little soft. Even so it's a very decent watch, and I'm not sure a bluray edition with a sharper or more well defined image, would add much to the film. Excellent pacing, excellent scripting, good direction, and a sad story when all is said and done, this is a very well done samurai film. Thank goodness the Japanese still make good movies, unlike the American film industry.

This film, directed by Hideyuki Hirayama, is a fine film. Fine acting, excellent cinematography, excruciating detail of Japan in the 1800s. This story concerns the events of a guard who spends a years confinement in house arrest for the assassination of a royal concubine, but later is appointed to be a royal bodyguard. Good story too. But ... The movie is a little too slow-moving for my tastes. Much of the script deals with interpersonal intrigues. While everything I said before is true, the slow pace of the story detracts against its many virtues.

I am a fan of Japanese cinema and I believe this is the very best Japanese movie I've seen. It is flawless in every respect, from the costumes to the sets, from the photography to the measured pace of the action. It is one of those rare films where the viewer is transported into the actual time and place being depicted and becomes part of that world. In this case it is Japan during the Edo period. It is movies like this that can help preserve an epoch such as this which regretably has gone forever.

I expected this to be a rather dull and uninteresting film, but bought it on a lark anyways. I generally like bushido/samari films. (One of my favorite films ever is Masaki Kobayashi's "Harakiri.") This is a slow-paced movie, but it's filmed beautifully, and so the visuals held my interest. Also the story builds slowly, but it does build. The ending is quite powerful too--nothing I will forget easily, if at all. I'm VERY happy I bought the DVD, and I know I'll be watching it again very soon.

très bonne qualité , attention n'est pas lisible sur n'importe quel appareil, zone 1: en japonnais sous-titres anglais, cependant il faut lire vite pour suivre

Great stuff ! Great stuff ! Great stuff ! Gre...........etc,etc,etc

Really enjoyed this film in the vein of the 47 Ronin in which some samurai are brought together to eliminate a corrupt official whom being the brother of the current shogun has shed the blood of the people and abused his power and position to roun roughshod over the people in his domain and nearby domains. With the soon advancement to the shogun's war council the shogun's brother is basically hoping to return to the state of war that rule the country for many years before the current peace. Basically 7 men are gathered together to elimate the shogun's brother before he reaches the capital, a suicide mission when facing the official and his retainers who protect him on his journey. The final battle is truly over the top to a large extent, but the desire to die an honorable death and what it means to get there shows the horror of what the battle for this death truly is, in essence from my opinion that there is no real honor. Just killing with purpose and no purpose. Great film to watch though some may feel it is slow moving for the first half as the story is set preparing for the final epic battle.

nice

Really liked the movie. "Sword of Desperation" refers to a unique sword technique known only to the main character. I thought the movie felt very much like the Twilight Samurai and as it turns out, same writer! Twilight Samurai is the recollection of a father told by his daughter. Sword of Desperation is similar but much more masculine and certainly political. Without giving out too much, the story involves a justified but violent action that leads to a conspiracy and ultimately in an action packed final showdown. This is part of the Samurai Trilogy, I found out while watching one of the extra features. Now I want to also see The Hidden Blade, and Love & Honor. Twilight Samurai should be added to make it a Quadrilogy. Sadly I could not find the movies as a Trilogy; each movie has to be purchased individually. It also would have been nicer on Blu Ray but DVD was the only copy I could find. Far away faces are blurry but overall video quality is excellent.