although this film played well at the festivals that it played at, i struggled the whole way through with how much i actually liked the film. at parts it felt like a strong 3 1/2 star film, but in the end it turned out to be rather average when compared with other samurai films over… More
although this film played well at the festivals that it played at, i struggled the whole way through with how much i actually liked the film. at parts it felt like a strong 3 1/2 star film, but in the end it turned out to be rather average when compared with other samurai films over the past decade. the acting and cinematography were superb and i really enjoyed the art direction in the film, but the dialogue was sub par, the story was scattered at times and in some moments almost incoherent, and the ending added an element of pretentious manipulation to a story that didnt build well at all to the climax the director was looking for. some good elements, some not so good, average film.