Aru kengo no shogai (Samurai Saga) (Life of an Expert Swordsman) (1959)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Keiko A

  
  Greatest samurai in his village? As well as him getting around to other things??? Hmm some great acting and nothing much to hate but it got boring around the second half but i still liked it a lot.

• Luke B

  
  A Japanese Cyrano de Bergerac. The only thing I knew about Cyrano de Bergerac was that it centered around a guy with a big nose. Therefor, this was a rather pleasant surprise for me. In equal amounts, it played up Mifune's big nose for both laughs and sympathy. Mifune himself… More
  A Japanese Cyrano de Bergerac. The only thing I knew about Cyrano de Bergerac was that it centered around a guy with a big nose. Therefor, this was a rather pleasant surprise for me. In equal amounts, it played up Mifune's big nose for both laughs and sympathy. Mifune himself gives a great comic performance and soon transfers it over to heart shattering romance. He falls in love with a beautiful woman and he expresses this love by protecting the man she longs for. The relationship between Mifune and Takarada plays out brilliantly. There is no malice or jealousy towards his rival, Mifune tutors him in the ways of battle, life and love. His gift to the woman he loves is crafting her the perfect man. The fight scenes are well executed, coming off as real, tense but never choreographed to perfection, there's a certain roughness to them. The final scenes are wonderful examples of powerful romance dealt with restraint. An excellent film all round.