The Sword of Doom (1966) User Reviews

interpretation of the ending of "Sword of Doom"

[ithearod · 7/10 · 9 November 2007]

I won't go on at length about the film, because others have already done so, and well enough.

I will add my opinion about the ending, though.

Let me begin by saying that I understand the film was intended to be the first part of a trilogy, and so the unresolved ending could easily be attributed to a "cliffhanger" ending that might be resolved in a second film; however, we don't get the rest of that trilogy, so we must contend with the film as a complete work of art.

With that in mind, I propose that the unresolved ending of the film - the sudden, freeze-frame ending, still within the throes of an unfinished combat - is meant to suggest this:

:::Ryunosuke has actually died at some unknown point during the final sword battle; what we are in the process of observing, then, is Ryunosuke in his own real and private Hell, an afterlife of endless opponents, brutal killings, and constant injuries to his own body, none enough to kill him, but enough to cause him pain and torment:::

The reasons I see to accept this idea are several:

1) The inn is now on fire; fire is an easy metaphor for Hell (certainly for Western audiences, but possibly for Eastern ones as well). As to that fire, no one is responding to it directly, as people would tend to do if a well-populated inn was burning. There is no sound or image of commotion, shouts, running for exits, etc., as we usually see during burning-building scenes, even when there is a battle going on.

2) The scene immediately before the final battle is focused on ghosts and hauntings - it begins with Omatsu telling the tale of the courtesan who killed herself in the now-unused room, and quickly proceeds to multiple images of Ryunosuke fighting the ghosts of his own victims.

3) The room that Ryunosuke is in, and proceeds to tear apart before the attack of the samurai, becomes almost supernatural - the curtain walls he cuts through are endless, repeating, circling back upon themselves - he cannot escape this room, even by cutting his way through and out. Then, the rooms of the inn he fights his way through become endless, maze-like, and repetitive, with no occupants except the endlessly attacking samurai.

4) The final freeze-frame suggests to the audience that there is no logical ending to this scene; indeed, it never ends.

So there you have my interpretation of the ending of "Sword of Doom". If you like it and ever quote it, please give me, and this review, the credit!

"Study the soul to know the sword. Evil mind, evil sword"

[glock38_110 · 9/10 · 11 September 2010]

Here, in one of Nakadai's best performances, he plays a young, seemingly evil Samurai who lives by his own moral code. He ruthlessly slays anyone who he thinks should die, and it's hard to say whether his killings are unjust or deserved, even though his actions might seem despicable at first. For example, in the beginning of the film, he encounters an ageing pilgrim praying for a quick death. Upon hearing this, Nadakai's character kills him in one swift move. This scene sets the tone for the rest of the movie.

Nakadai's fighting style echo's his attitude to an extent, it's an ultra defensive style in which he never strikes the first blow. In an iconic scene later on in the film, Mifune's older and wiser samurai tells Nakadai, "The sword is the soul. Study the soul to know the sword. Evil mind, evil sword." In Japanese culture, the sword and style of a samurai could be seen as a window to his soul and "Sword of Doom" beautifully yet brutally echoes this sentiment. In the penultimate scene of the film, Nakadai's samurai is haunted by his past actions and starts to hallucinate, he is clearly a broken man and regrets some of his actions.

The ending of the film is surely a controversial one but I personally loved it. Nothing is resolved, apparently there were sequels planned but they never came to light for one reason or another. Nevertheless, it didn't take away anything from the film and for me it actually added to the mystique and moral ambiguity of Nakadai's character.

Impeccably shot and beautifully choreographed, the film is a feast for the eyes. Nakadai's performance as a self destructive samurai was highly intense and full of emotion, his shift in character alone was astonishing and really displayed Nakadai's talent as a versatile actor. Mifune is also in the film and has his fair share of excellent scenes and lines. In summary, an excellent film that I'd recommend to anyone with a remote interest in Samurai movies.

You might even call him evil.

[KingM21 · 7/10 · 2 September 2005]

A classic Samurai picture that is as confusing as it is violent. Ryunosuke Tsukue is the main character, a Samurai with a dark and merciless nature. You might even call him evil. The path he takes (with multiple subplots that don't always seem to be resolved) leads him to madness. The confusing aspects may be due to the fact that there were supposed to be sequels, as well as the fact that the story was a famous one in Japan and hence, certain parts were to be assumed by that audience. Nonetheless, it was still a fairly compelling watch, especially with the action, a precursor to the violence in such films as the excellent Lone Wolf and Cub series. Hands and fingers are cut off, blood is shed, and the climatic ending features a body count along the lines of The House of Blue Leaves!

Extraordinary swordsman walks path of self destruction

[tais0 · 4 May 2000]

As an afficionado of samurai films, I have to admit that Sword Of Doom stands out as an oddity amongst my modest collection because of its progressively stylish presentation (a 'cool' samurai flick if I ever saw one) and its unusual ending. Much has been made (by those I know who have seen this film) about the abrupt, violent climax that for spoiler reasons will not be elaborated upon in any further detail. But to truly understand why this film ends the way it does, one must go all the way back to the beginning and realize with completeness the destructive path Ryunosuke (played superlatively by Tatsuya Nakadai) takes throughout the film. At the beginning, Nakadai finds an old man praying to die so that he won't be a burden on his granddaughter anymore. As if Nakadai were the deliverer of that prayer's intent, he strikes the man down for no good reason other than it was asked. This sets off a chain of events that revolve around the granddaughter and the choices people make because of her. And her story isn't the only one Nakadai affects in the movie. If nothing else, Sword Of Doom espouses the notion of karma at length, and effectively at that.

The movie carries a philosophy that if a man's sword is violent, then it is because the man is violent or will become violent because of it. This idea implies that a bond between a samurai and his sword is an evolving, mutually effecting affair. We see many times throughout the movie how Ryunosuke uses his strength to survive. As the story progresses, we come to realize that the man only knows one way, the way of the sword, because it has ever been all he has needed to get by. He's never bothered to learn compassion since he's never had a use for it.

There's a romantic sympathy for this destroyer, this slayer of men. We see that he is listless and morose and truly wants a cause, any cause, to fight for and believe in. But because he kills anything in the way of what he wants, he inevitably destroys the object of his desire in one way or another. And Nakadai emotes this tragic quality with the greatest skill, makes you care about him even though you'd probably hate him if you knew him. You can see that he is a strong man, determined to live and die by by his skill. Life is there for him to take, if it suits his needs. As Ryunosuke descends into madness, his psyche haunted by his own cruel actions, we see the intensity of his plight in Nakadai's expressiveness. Without having to say anything, we know that the character is falling prey to his own crimes and that the pressure is building within his soul. Ryunosuke keeps the guilt inside him, lets it swell, until the end of the film when it becomes too much for even his intensity to contain any longer. Then he becomes a storm of chaos and violence.

The premise of karma is, in the most plebian of terms, 'you get what you deserve'. There's more to it than that, but in this film Ryunosuke suffers in many ways because of who he is and the choices he's made. In one scene that subtly ratifies this point, he visits the school run by Toshiro Mifune, who in this role plays a wise teacher of fencing, and asks to have a duel with him. Nakadai instead ends up fighting Mifune's top student, and defeats him in front of all to see. It is obvious to Mifune the cruel intent in Nakadai's technique, and because of this decides not to fight him. He knows no good can come of a duel between the two. For Mifune, it's simply a wise decision to avoid the conflict for a number of basic reasons. But for Nakadai it's a reflection of his karma: to unwittingly destroy his own ambitions, which in this case is a fight with Mifune to prove who's better.

The disappointments all add up for Nakadai's Ryunosuke, and he responds to it by continuing on in his chosen path with a sullen, steely gaze. Sword of doom, indeed. Doom for all others around him but even more so for himself. Although he brings suffering to others in the hopes of attaining his ambitions, he is denied the one thing, due to his skill and mindset, that would probably be best for him: his own destruction. Nakadai plays the character as knowing deep down in his heart that he is the cause of his own suffering, but refuses to fully accept it. Furthermore, he seems to be hanging on to the notion that redemption is around the corner. If he can just find himself a cause to live for, every crime will be erased and he will have proven to everyone that his methods, in fact, led him to his destiny. This is all the more ironic considering his mistress and their illegitimate child live with him, and that he could at any time find a cause in devoting his life to them.

But that would require he surrender his blade, and he can't do that because that would be admitting failure. And it's so obvious that Ryunosuke wants to be right about his choices. He needs so much to be justified that he continues on this path, regardless of what may come of it, for self vindication's sake. The ultimate culmination of this, without revealing too much of the ending, is that he finally DOES get what he needs in the end, although not how you'd expect.

Sword Of Doom is a success in every area it endeavors. The acting is powerful, the story is moving, and the action is intense and masterfully portrayed. And while I won't call the film 'perfect', it's pretty close.

The Failure of Bushido

[Hereticked · 10/10 · 4 February 2018]

An old man kneels to pray on the mountaintop trail of his pilgrimage. He pleads to Buddha for death so that he will no longer be a burden to his granddaughter. Appearing from a pure white cloud, seeming to step out of the sky itself, Ryunosuke arrives, dressed in pure black, ready to carry out the old man's wish. Is he just a wandering samurai? Is he the angel of death? Or is he, as the original title "Dai-bosatsu tôge" (The Great Bodhisattva Pass) might suggest, a "Danava": a dark Asura from Buddhist mythology. This question is never answered directly and The Sword of Doom is a much better film for it. The mystery of Ryunosuke is far more compelling than any answer to his origin and purpose could possibly be.

From the opening scenes it's established that, mortal or not, Ryunosuke is an empty vessel with no compassion. His father, in their only encounter in the film, tells him to his face that he's cruel and disturbed. Ryunosuke agrees to an act of mercy on behalf of a fellow student only if the student's wife will sleep with him. Ryunosuke seems to approach the world with relentless selfishness and single minded ferocity, finding fulfillment only in conquest and death. He is, to put it mildly, a sociopath, which puts him at odds with the whole of Japanese society, a people culturally fixated on morals, shared responsibility, sacrifice and putting others first.

But who's to say that a sociopath can't be a great samurai? Like European chivalry, the code of Bushido had much to say about social ritual and character development, but in the end they were doctrines engaged in the futile attempt to make war, to some extent, "civil." What if a man with no scruples and nothing at his core but a thirst for violence was to cast aside the moral platitudes of that system but still play, in a technical sense, by its rules? Would the world be a better place? Or would it be much worse?

The key to understanding Ryunosuke and the themes of The Sword of Doom lies, I believe, in a scene that takes place in the middle of the film. Having rented his skills out to the Shinsengumi (a secret force employed by the Shogunate), Ryunosuke and his party ambush a government official on a snowy winter night. They descend on their target only to discover that it's the wrong man. Rather than the political figure they were after, out steps Toranosuke Shimada, one of the greatest swordsmen in all of Japan. All but Ryunosuke attack him and Shimada cuts down their entire party in short order, leaving dozens of bodies strewn in the bloody snow. Ryunosuke watches in awe, but does not act. Shimada, sensing that he's no threat, sheathes his sword and speaks cryptically to Ryunosuke about good and evil.

Why?!? Until this point Ryunosuke has never shown a hint of hesitation. Most seem to attribute his actions to fear, but that's unlikely. We know he's a sociopath, we've already seen his supernatural skill, we're keenly aware that he finds an almost orgasmic bliss in violent confrontation and as a committed samurai, he's not afraid to die. This is not typical fear, this encounter has disturbed him on a much deeper level. So why doesn't he attack? The answer is simple: he can't. "Honor" forbids it.

Not only is he the wrong target, but Shimada never attacks him and so Ryunosuke can't respond. It should also be noted that Ryunosuke's cruel style of combat relies on baiting his opponents into striking first which he can read/sense with uncanny efficiency and counter-attack for a kill. But now he's met a virtuous samurai who won't be baited. Shimada is an "Aditya" (benevolent Asura) to his "Danava" and Ryunosuke is shaken for the first time.

If you study the film and review each violent incident that Ryunosuke is party to, you will notice one critical similarity. At no point does Ryunosuke ever violate Bushido:

1. Old man on the mountain prays to Buddha for death (mercy kill) 2. Official match vs Bunnojo (Bunnojo threatens his life with an illegal move, Ryunosuke kills him in defense) 3. Mountain ambush (self defense) 4. Assassination of clan official (Ryunosuke waits for the official to attack first, then kills him) 5. Assassination #2: (Shimada never threatens him so Ryunosuke doesn't act) 6. Killing his mistress (Hama attempts to murder him in his sleep, self defense) 7. Clan massacre/final scene (self defense)

Since Ryunosuke is an utter sociopath he has no way to internalize the morality that Bushido attempts to impart to its adherents, but nevertheless uses it as a system to govern his actions. He's someone who follows the rules of honorable conduct in combat while completely ignoring the spirit of Bushido. You could say he's the ultimate "lawful evil" character.

And yet, if we strip away Ryunosuke's sinister personality and simply compare his actions to the vast majority of samurai throughout history, are they really so different? It's in this frame that The Sword of Doom can be viewed as a criticism of Bushido and a dissection of the moral failings of Japan's (often glorified) samurai caste. Indeed, perhaps all samurai hold "the sword of doom" in their hands, no matter what philosophy they may incorporate to justify their actions. Ryunosuke is simply the most pure distillation of that reality laying bare the ugly truth.

Since this is a review in addition to an analysis, I want to focus on the aesthetics of the film for a bit. The Sword of Doom is one of the most beautiful films I've ever laid eyes on. The sets are immaculately conceived, the camera angles are diverse and the shots amazingly composed. It's use of black and white is so stunning that I wouldn't even want to see it in color.

The script is tight and, with the exception of a few historical footnotes, narrowly focused on moving the plot forward. The characters are well defined and even the minor ones impart meaningful dialogue. Tatsuya Nakadai portrays a brooding nihilist more skillfully than anyone I can think of and the movie is full of good performances from its supporting cast as well.

There are many period pieces where the action contains cartoonishly extended clashes between two characters, but The Sword of Doom's action set pieces are conducted smoothly with a dead seriousness that's only too appropriate for the movie's tone. Every face-off between two characters is over in moments, much like it would be in real life.

Most notably, the sound in The Sword of Doom is incredible. It uses music only when appropriate and its use of sound effects stands out in the best possible way. There are several moments where the sound from one scene bleeds into the next, creating haunting transitions that give the film an ethereal quality.

From the nonstop pounding of a water mill's hammer alluding to the illicit sex happening just off screen to the dizzying use of light and shadow in the lead-up to the grand finale, The Sword of Doom is also full of skillful visual tricks and metaphors. I've seen the film a dozen times and still feel like I've yet to discover all that's hidden in the depths of its images.

In the final scene Ryunosuke's past has caught up to him. His previous victims assail him psychically. He is trapped in a hall of shadows and assaulted on all sides by an endless stream of samurai as fire begins to rage around him. It's hard not to see this as symbolic of hell and yet his maniacal laughter informs us that he welcomes the chaos. Ryunosuke is trapped in an endless cycle of violence. "Honor" will not lead him out of it. Bushido cannot give him the basic humanity required to cultivate the virtues it prescribes. It can only justify his killing.

It's a shame we'll never get to see the next two films (The Sword of Doom was meant to be part one of a trilogy), but in a way I'm glad it ended where it did. There's no guarantee that subsequent entries would have been as good or that Ryunosuke's evolution would have been as interesting as the character study we're given. The Sword of Doom stands as a dark masterpiece and, in my opinion, the ultimate samurai film.

A favorite of mine

[zetes · 10/10 · 25 July 2005]

It's not especially deep, but it's a dark and disturbing chambara about a merciless samurai, Ryunosuke (Tatsuya Nakadai), who can – and will, without hesitation – kill anybody who challenges him with a sword. He sees himself as a force of karmic balance. The film starts off with him disposing of an old man praying for death. The film is based on a newspaper serial that began in the 1910s and continued for several decades. The story never really ended, and, likewise, the film, which only covers certain bits of the novel, has no resolution. This has often bothered people, but I think it works well. Whatever the case, even if the film doesn't satisfy you as a whole, there are a number of outstanding setpieces. Nakadai's being ambushed in the forest near the beginning. The battle in the snow, where Toshiro Mifune dispatches of a dozen or more attackers while Nakadai watches cautiously from the sidelines. And that final sequence is the mother of all rampages, where Nakadai goes apesh*t in a brothel. Tatsuya Nakadai is really a fantastic actor. I know, his performance here isn't particularly complex, but he is absolutely frightening in his infinite evil. Compare this to his overwhelming humanity in The Human Condition. Okamoto's direction is assured, and Hiroshi Murai provides some of the best black & white photography ever captured. The new Criterion disc is quite good. It is without extras, but the accompanying essay is a big help at putting the film and its source material in context.

A pure action movie

[alberich68 · 10/10 · 4 February 2002]

Imagine your favorite action movie, then take out all the cheesy one-liners ("Asta la vista, baby!"), the irritating sidekick, the love interest, the techno-porn, and the off-handed moralistic ending. Then add a Commando-league body count, incredible swordplay, and great photography, and you've got Sword of Doom. This is a wrenching, visceral drama about an antagonist armed not with a stolen nuclear device, but with the best sword-fighting skills in Japan and a psychopath's indifference to human life. Unlike other more recent movies that try to portray the same raw, killing-machine kind of character, Sword of Doom does not resort to grimy photography or an adolescent delight in visual assault. Instead you get pure, distilled, ultra-kinetic fighting suffused with a thrilling coldness.

truly great and original piece of film-making

[thunderfoot75 · 10/10 · 26 March 2004]

Sword of doom is a truly great and original piece of film-making. As soon as the film had started, and the dark and eerie soundtrack kicked in, I knew I was about to enjoy a gem of japanese cinema. The most original element of the film is that the main character Ryunosuke is a real mean, killing machine, seriously, he is the lead in the film, but whereas in any other samurai/martial arts film he would normally turn up for a few scenes of mayhem, then turn up at the very end for a much deserved death. Well in this film the villain is the lead, Ryunosuke is such an interesting character, that days after watching this film you will find yourself thinking I wonder if... or what if that had happened. Sword of doom is one of those movies that just sticks in your head days after viewing time has ended. It doesn't even matter that the ending comes quite abruptly, that just let's the viewer imagine their own conclusion to the film. Sword of doom is without doubt the darkest and the most mysterious martial arts/samurai film that i've ever had the pleasure of viewing. The action scenes in the film are first rate too, with very believable sword duels. I put this film right up there with the very best that eastern cinema has to offer. 10/10

Doesn't wrap up well

[HEFILM · 7/10 · 5 January 2006]

The villain of this piece is one of the most memorable in Japanese, maybe even film, history. His crazed looks and more than that his oddness, seem just right for a killer, it's more the look of a dangerous unpredictable animal than a human being.

Much of what's said by others about this movie is true, but I'm writing to give you a few very minor tips that I think will enhance the movie. I'm not really giving anything away, but just to set your perceptions.

First Tishiro Mifune has what amounts to a very small part, he's an important part but does not star in the film by any stretch. Also the plot it somewhat confused upon first viewing. The final sword fight is very very good and bloody but....

The problem with the ending is that it doesn't resolve a major subplot. Kinda I suppose like a Cohen brothers movie it sets up stuff that it has no interest, I guess, in dealing with in conventional ways, but in this case as in the case of the rare "lesser" Cohen Brothers movies this time it does hurt the film.

Still memorable, villain saves the day, both in performance and direction. Too bad they didn't quite keep it all together plot wise and ending wise.

From a woman's point of view...

[AkuSokuZan · 10/10 · 24 July 2001]

This movie is intricately directed down to the sigh of a breath from the character which can be easily labelled as "evil" and "insane" (which so you know occurs at the referee's announcement of "DRAW" at the end of the Mt. Mitake duel). Was Ryunosuke evil to begin with? Or was he born without a conscience? And did the characters around him play any role in his misery? Compare the antihero to other characters such as the man who sold Omatsu (a girl) to a brothel. His actions spring from impulse and what seems to me to be boredom. In any case this movie should not be labelled as just an action flick because I thoroughly enjoyed it even though I'm not crazy about sword films. Don't be fooled by careless reviewers, the ending made perfect sense because the film is not a story of revenge, romance or insanity its much more and it resists any attempt for us to label it. If Ryunosuke was killed in the duel with Homa (unlikely) then you can say the movie was about revenge. If Ryunosuke was killed by the fencing teacher (played by Mifune) you can say the movie is about good vs. evil...and so on but it doesn't end that way. Sword of Doom aka The Great Buddha Pass (a more appropriate name) is a masterpiece.

Edgy Samurai

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 18 February 2015]

Through his unconscionable actions against others, a sociopath samurai builds a trail of vendettas that follow him closely.

This film embraces the anti-hero sentiment of the 1960s, as seen in spaghetti westerns and the like. This is violence to a new degree, and a hero we really do not want to stand behind, but cannot help but watch his exploits. This is stylized violence, a kind that was very influential. Notably on Sam Peckinpah, but obviously on future generations such as Quentin Tarantino, as well.

Placing this in the context of the samurai film is not something i am qualified to do. However, of those I have seen, I can certainly say this had far more action and much less ritual than what is often seen (such as in the films of Kurosawa).

A magnificently executed exploration of amorality.

[Bessemer · 10/10 · 5 May 2000]

"Sword of Doom" is an unusual film. Firstly, it is one of the most brilliantly photographed films I have ever seen, in composition, mise en scene, and the play of black and white.

Secondly, "Sword of Doom" is that rare film in which the aim of the director and the power of the lead mesh together to form an unforgettable portrayal.

Tatsuya Nakadai plays Ryunosuke, a skilled swordsman, who, from the opening moments of the film, proves also to be homicidally indifferent to human life. Ryunosuke is a strange and difficult character. His fighting style is passive, and he remains mostly uninvolved, both with the political turmoil surrounding him, and with his family - from his dying father, who fears the evil in him, to his lover (the wife of an opponent he kills) and his child. Nakadai's performance is magnetic, comparable to Montgomery Clift in it's singleminded, unyielding intensity.

While some of the subplots without Ryunosuke aren't quite as compelling, the ending is memorable and disturbing, and the direction will remind in some ways of Orson Wells.

Following Nakadai's career

[screaminmimi · 7/10 · 13 May 2008]

Most of the comments have focused on direction. I'm more interested in the acting. Naturally, that is a function of how the director shapes performances on the set and in the editing suite, but the director has to have something to work with.

Tatsuya Nakadai has, for his long career as a performer and teacher, a justifiably great reputation. But there's an arc to his development as an actor that has him starting out by chewing scenery as a younger performer and gradually becoming a decent, and then sublime, actor.

Sometimes in his early performances a director was able to rein in and/or harness Nakadai's excesses to good effect. For instance, I don't think Kurosawa brought him under control at all in "Sanjuro," but managed to make the best of his hamminess in "Yojimbo," largely by having him channel Elvis Presley's swagger and sneer.

The situation is similar in "Sword of Doom," except in this case Nakadai is channeling James Dean's brooding intensity, but with not nearly the subtlety James Dean was famous for. That sort of subtlety comes a lot later in Nakadai's career, most notably in "Kagemusha," when Kurosawa, or Nakadai himself, found his volume knob and turned it down. We don't realize how fortunate we were to have Dean in full-blown genius mode from the beginning. He was a preternaturally old soul. Nakadai just had to age the normal way in order to uncover that inner core that makes a screen performance transcendent.

I felt like I should have liked it more

[Zoopansick · 5/10 · 6 April 2005]

This is one of those movies that I felt I didn't enjoy as much as I should have, especially since I like Samurai movies. The real problem for me, and possibly others, wasn't in the acting or action (even though there isn't as much as some people may have you believe) but in the story and specifically the many unresolved plot points. I have read that this was supposed to be the first part of a series but a sequel never got made. I wish the filmmakers would have either condensed the story to fight one film or made a sequel. As it stands now the movie is unfufilling. The subplot of the girl (Omatsu I think) who lost her grandfather was given a lot of attention and looked finally to be tying into the main story at the end. But since it ended without any resolution it becomes increasingly frustrating that her subplot wasted so much screen time so as the main story couldn't finish. Even more frustrating is the fact that there was never a showdown between Utsuki and Ryunosuke. Some movies don't have resolutions I understand that, but the fact that the buildup to the fight took center stage here hurts the ending (in my opinion). Furthermore the knowledge that there was a planned sequel leads me to believe that Ryunosuke didn't die which dilutes the impact of the maddening climax. This maybe the rare case of a movie that is actually hurt by not having a sequel! Go figure that we live in a world where crap like Deuce Bigalow gets a sequel and an interesting stories like The Sword of Doom don't fully get to tell theirs. This criticism aside, the movie was really well made. The cinematography was particularly excellent and the fight at the end especially was well shot. It's definitely worth seeing if you are a fan of the genre, otherwise I can't say I'd recommend it.

Unusually Violent for 1966

[eibon09 · 23 February 2001]

Three years before The Wild Bunch(1969) and the same year as Django(1966) came a film called Dai-Bosatsu Toge/Sword of Doom(1966) which was one of first body count action dramas in 1966. Not only a terrific samurai film but also a terrifing portrait of a samurai warrior who's on the brink of madness. Tatsuya Nakadai gives one of his best performances that is surpassed only by his excellent performances in the following Kurosawa films, Kagemusha(1980) and Ran(1984). Sword of Doom(1966) contains elements that reminds me of Henry:Portrait of a Serial Killer(1986) because Ryunosuke also kills at random and is a very scary person. Toshiro Mifune is magnificent in his role as the wise samurai teacher, Shimada. The high body count ending would influences people like Sam Peckinpah and John Woo as well as the Lone Wolf and Cub films. Dai-Bosatsu Toge is about a lone samurai warrior who is unable to live outside of his sword. The cinematography is great and the story is very interesting. The film has some scenes of graphic violence that must have shocked Japanese audiences back in 1966. The film ends on an amazing body count blood bath battle that is ahead of its time. One of the most underrated Samurai pics of all time.

Awesome swordplay. Intense drama.

[The PIKL · 10/10 · 19 February 1999]

Imagine Nakadai's murderous Onosuke from Yojimbo; then raise the level of his single-minded purpose an order of magnitude to the fated dancer of The Red Shoes and you get a vague idea of Ryunosuke, a psychopathic samuari hunted by the righteous and villainous alike. Hiroshi Murai's gritty B& W photography is awesome; and the choreography and staging of the swordfighting sequences are far and away the most rivetting I've ever seen (and I think I've seen most of them) -- not romantically stylized as in Inagaki's Samurai Trilogy -- something like the subtlety of Kurosawa meets the textured action of John Woo. The characters are intense and memorable. The final freeze frame may put you in mind of Butch Cassidy. You'll never forget it.

One of the best movies ever in my opinion

[xphyxia · 10/10 · 1 August 2002]

It captures the feel of Feudal Japan very well. Samurai of that period were so involved with their sword style and technique that it seeped into there personality and very soul. Most upheld strict conduct in their technique. This story is about a man whose style is so devious and frankly brutal that it turns him into a mirror image of his technique. Think Lord of the Rings and Frodo's battle with the ring or Star Wars and the battle betweeen Light and Dark forces. It is much better than Star Wars and is just as deep and creepy as Lord of the Rings. Nakadai' acting is flawless and he draws you right into the story. Toshiro Mifune also has a few good parts and a great battle scene. I have let many friends watch this movie (almost none of which had ever watched a subtitled movie) and every one of them Loved it. It's also one of those movies that draws you you in even more with repeated viewings, as you catch a lot of little things that are integral with the story. BUY IT and watch repeatedly!

Not a standard drama!

[ChungMo · 9/10 · 15 November 2003]

I had heard of Sword of Doom for years but never read anything that would have lead me to believe the film was more than above-average.

It is a dense and very Japanese film in it's outlook. It's very jarring when you get to the end as many things are built up in a way that would end in a great duel to the death if this was a Hollywood style film. Fortunately, it isn't. The film takes two wild shifts in the last 10 minutes and the film ends without what you thought was was going to happen happen. I initially wondered why it ended so abruptly but I realized that the filmmakers had a more subtle plan hiding under the shocking final fight. The hints are there, you just can't take what's being said lightly. It has more in common with the usual twists and turns of real life than a contrived drama.

(Update Sept 2005) I just found out that this film was the first installment of a planned trilogy that was never completed. That might explain the abrupt ending but I like my interpretation better since we will never see the intended continuation.

Beside the intensely brutal fight at the end, this film features many corrupt main characters, much like the Italian westerns of the time. This is a tough movie but it's one of the best samurai dramas I've seen.

A criminally neglected Director

[grendel-37 · 10/10 · 22 June 2005]

I saw this film first, years ago. Must have been 10 or more years back. And it made me think of Kurosawa. And how much more I enjoyed the films of Okamoto over Kurosawa.

I like Kurosawa, I'm just not one of the rabid legion of fanatics for his films. The remakes of his Yojimba, Seven Samarai (which really are remakes of John Ford westerns, translated to the east) such as Leone's Dollars movies, and Sturge's Magnificent Seven, I prefer to Kurosawa's films.

While technically a marvelous Director, Kurosawa's work can be cold, distant. There is a standoffishness there, that is similar to Fritz Lang's willingness to stand back and bask in his angles, and patterns, the frame of the story.

Directors like Sturges are about the meat of the story, they are directors of moments rather than motion. Which is why I rate his Magnificent Seven higher than the Seven Samurai. It connects with me more.

Leone, while also a clinical director, concerned with framing, alternates that with a consummate passion for closeups, that makes his spare films, bloody with warmth.

I used to write it off to just East West differences, that accounted for the regimented to the point of distance... films of Japan. However, then I saw this film, SWORD OF DOOM, a film as clinical, and precise as any made by Kurosawa or Lang, but filled with a pathos and passion that dripped from every frame.

A longing... for everything and nothing.

Others have commented on this film: -from the patently odd assertions of this film's protagonist as some "avenging angel sent by God" (if that was the case he would have felt no guilt for his crimes, and the glorious, berserk ending would not have come about. The beauty of this film is that it is about a man... floundering, peering into the last gates of hell, and hoping against hope for something to break his fall. What makes this film interesting, is that sense, given only through the eyes, of inner conflict in everything the Sword Bearer does.) -to the missing the point cries of "explanatory sequel/2nd half needed" and "compromised end". I've seen the films this movie is based off of. They are all, complete, informed, every "I" dotted, and every "T" crossed, and every single one is grossly inferior to this film.

This film doesn't need a beginning, and it doesn't need an end. Doesn't need a sequel or a prequel, it is a Masterpiece for the simple fact of it's open ended nature. It transcends Alphas and Omegas, because it lives in that freeze frame between them. It is forever a film of the now, and one man caught in it.

The best review of all posted, and the one I urge you to read, is one of the earliest. Done back in May of 2000 by tais0.

To that review of the film itself, I cannot add or subtract anything. It is the best of all that I have read, the most brilliant. However I will clarify several mistakes regarding the director.

Someone wrote this film was an aberration for the director, and mentioned NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. Though that is not a comparison that makes sense. NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, a brilliant film, was the only one ever directed by Charles Laughton. Okamoto, who just recently passed away this February, directed 39 films.

And while this is his best, he directed several nearly as good, and just as beautiful. At his heart the Director had a love for musicals, like many of the greatest directors he had the heart of a composer. His early films included three crime/Underworld films with Toshiro Mifune. his two John Ford inspired DESPERADO films (mixing action with humor),and then finally a musical... that bombed horribly.

After that he got into the Samurai genre (the genre that was profitable at the time), but brought to it an editing style, and a use of sound, that was completely musically inspired. What is startling and brilliant about SWORD OF DOOM, is the soundtrack. The use of sound and silence as bold counterpoint to the story unfolding before your eyes.

That style permeates all of his films from 1964 on, to include: Warring Clans(1964), Samurai Assassin (1965), Sword of Doom (1966), Kill! (1968), Red Lion (1969), Zatoichi series Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970).

Two of his films I'm dying to see are later works, infused with the comedy and love of music that characterized his often overlooked career. Dixieland Daimyo(1986)- the story of a quartet of Black jazz musicians lost in 19th-century Japan, and Vengeance for Sale (2001- the director's final film)-light-hearted Samurai tale.

So by no means was Kihachi Okamoto a one hit wonder. I think history will reevaluate his contributions to film, and place his name up there with Kobyashi and Kurosawa and Seijun Suzuki as one of Japan's best.

good action, but not exceptional film

[funkyfry · 6/10 · 12 June 2007]

This is a very grim film which attempts to explore the connection between power (or, if you will, skill) and evil. We're treated to scenes of intense violence punctuated by periods of relative calm in the life of Ryunosuke (Tatsuya Nakadai), an expert martial arts swordsman with no clan loyalties who gets caught up in a cycle of revenge after killing an opponent (Ichiro Nakaya) in a duel. He compounds his problems by running away with his bitter wife (Michiyo Aratama), who is pregnant from an encounter with Ryunosuke by which she hoped to save her husband's life before the duel. Ryunosuke spends the rest of his years drinking sake and working for some kind of assassination mafia, while waiting for the man's younger brother Hyoma (Yuzo Kayama) to seek him out for revenge.

The best thing about the film is the intense visuals – director Okamoto frames the action with psychological intent and Murai's photography emphasizes the hopelessness and desolation of Ryunosuke's situation. The battle scenes at the end are viscerally effective, even if for my taste they were a bit excessive. Basically it made Ryunosuke into more of a mythic figure as opposed to a human one. It's certainly possible to make an exciting Samurai/Ronin film without departing so far from reality – for instance in Kurosawa's famous "Seven Samurai" we have 7 trained warriors fighting 30-something relatively untrained fighters on horseback… a relatively realistic though still daunting encounter. But in "Sword of Doom" we have one man becoming a killing machine, dispatching dozens of men within minutes. In this finale and in the battle where sword-master Toranosuke Shimada (Toshiro Mifune) defends himself from an assassination attempt, the assailants wait to attack one by one like video game opponents. It's reminiscent of Kurosawa's "Throne of Blood" as well as later films like DePalma's version of "Scar Face" and Tarantino's "Kill Bill". I understand that this is a stylized presentation of violence and I understand that not it's not requisite that film be realistic, but to me this type of action is like slashing with the sword instead of stabbing – a lot of blood is spilt but none of the wounds are deep. Eventually we reach a point where all that's left is action without real violence. And in that case it becomes very difficult to form a critique of violence -- which I think was the primary goal of this film.

Just generally speaking the conclusion of this film was unsatisfactory to me. All this drama was built up around Hyoma, and unless I missed something in the flurry of killings nothing ever happened to this major element in the plot. Also totally unresolved was the issue of Hyoma's love for Omatsu (Yoko Naito), a young girl who was in danger of becoming a concubine. Either I missed this resolution, or this film was intended to end on a cliffhanger. Basically though the last time we see Omatsu she's cowering in fear in a corner of the dojo and Ryunosuke goes ballistic because of something she says about her father. Now there's several ways to see this – we could conclude that Omatsu is safe because Ryunosuke is now fully distracted by his dementia. Why did Ryunosuke become so upset over the mention of her father, who he so casually slaughtered at the beginning of the film? Was he driven mad by the realization that he was caught in a "circle of fate", with his former victims returning to even the score of fate? He didn't seem intimidated by the idea of Hyoma's vengeance, so it seems odd that he would be so upset by the news that Hyoma's girlfriend was the grand-daughter of the random pilgrim he killed that sunny afternoon – unless the killing wasn't random? It's not inherently bad for a film to leave the audience with questions of course. But for me these are not questions that have any real weight or consequence.

All in all, I think the film deserves credit for some thrilling sequences but it does not add up to any kind of substantial or relevant theme. The only thing we really get is "an evil mind makes the evil sword" – where Ryunosuke's father had insisted that his skill and power with the sword had gotten to his head and made him evil, Shimada's conclusion is that he was evil in the first place and that caused him to become an evil warrior. To me it's not a hugely interesting premise and the film didn't do enough to make it relevant to my life.

Brilliant, unique action movie.

[roninmlb · 10/10 · 26 March 2004]

Sword of Doom is not a really coherent or satisfying (in the traditional sense) film, but, none the less, I love it. It blends a fascinating character study with the more traditional trappings of a Japanese samurai film. The reason it succeeds so well with me is that it breaks every rule of both.

First of all, our `hero' is, well, not one. He is an unpredictable lunatic with no moral sensibilities whatsoever. Ryunosuke is a person who succumbs to the inner darkness that dwells in every man, and revels in it. It's like the director was going to make a fairly traditional samurai action flick, but as a twist he decided to make it from the point of view of the villain. It takes a, uh, `different' kind of person to relate with Ryunosuke. The fact that I can relate with him very well opens the door for me to thoroughly enjoy this brilliant work of art. Tatsuya Nakadai's performance is absolutely phenomenal. He truly understands this complex and unique character and brings him to life brilliantly through a series of unsurpassed broods and scowls.

The plot is quite interesting at first, and then turns more conventional as it builds up a duel between Ryunosuke and the brother of one of his victims. You would expect a typical climax to happen, but, in a stroke of pure genius, the film takes a turn for the insane. Instead of the obligatory end duel, Ryunosuke descends into the mouth of madness as wave after wave of fencers attack him while the house burns down around them. The ambiguous fate of our `hero' is the icing on the cake. I couldn't love this movie any more for its freak-you attitude in the face of conventionalism, and for the brilliant performance by Nakadai.

In a world of psychopaths, the sociopath is an outcast.

[refugnik · 6/10 · 3 May 2020]

A sociopath is a misfit in a world mostly populated by psychopaths. Beautiful images make up for what it lacks in editing.

Bad Karma

[GyatsoLa · 9/10 · 25 November 2007]

What an amazing movie! I got this expecting an action packed samurai movie - what I wasn't expecting is for it to be so intense, so fascinating in its exploration of notions of karma. This is one movie that I'd strongly recommend anyone to read up the discussions here - there are some very interesting contributions about the background to the movie, otherwise much of it will be inexplicable to the casual western viewer.

Kihachi Okamoto is not a director whose movies I'd seen before, but apparently he worked with many of the greats from the 1940's onwards. He certainly had an amazing, if very dark vision. This movie is superbly directed, with great pacing, beautifully filmed settings and some staggeringly good action scenes that rank amongst the very best I've ever seen. The story is in many ways unexpected and confusing - this is at least partly due to it being part of a series that was never (sadly) completed. But also it seems that Okamoto's intention was not to produce a simple good vs. bad movie with a satisfying ending. Instead he is much more interested in Buddhist notions of karma and how bad karma infects all around it, dragging people literally into hell (or at least this is my interpretation of that very puzzling, but also memorable ending).

So long as you don't expect the movie to follow a traditional and predictable story arc, I'd strongly recommend it. The directors vision is dark and violent, but it is brilliantly realised. You will not forget Tatsuya Nakadai's disturbed and evil swordsman in a long time and the action sequences are dazzling.

The sword is the soul.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 31 May 2021]

This unconventional samurai flick ostensibly puts you in the point of view of a villain, with its protagonist being a merciless sociopath whose introduction literally sees him cut down an old man in cold blood. 'The Sword Of Doom (1966)' is interesting, not to mention unique, because there really is very little in the way of redemption for our hero. At the same time, though, he has an odd, almost serpentine charm to him. He's beguiling, so - no matter how cruel he gets - you kind of can't help but care what happens to him and want to see him survive, if not succeed. The movie's more heroic and honourable characters are presented as antagonists simply because of the point of view we're in. In any other feature, these would be the heroes. It's really intriguing, to be honest. The protagonist's life is basically an endless stream of violence; he kills someone, then kills whoever seeks vengeance for it, then kills whoever seeks vengeance for that, and so on. It's a self-perpetuating cycle that barely seems to affect our amoral assassin. In fact, he often seems darkly amused by it, a sly smile spreading across his lips in the aftermath of his destruction. Though many of his actions are reactionary (technically self-defence), he isn't just caught up in a series of bad situations; most of them stem from earlier decisions that are themselves inexcusable, meaning that the man can garner no sympathy for lives he later 'must' take to survive. The movie itself is brilliantly crafted, from its sharp and suspenseful choreography to its layered and almost painterly chiaroscuro cinematography. It features a number of fantastic, surprisingly explicit (for the time) fight scenes, from tense one-on-one duals to frenzied one-on-many battles. These are usually as exciting as they are deadly. The movie's highlight is arguably a striking, nightmarish set-piece that devolves into a brutal, bloody battle in which the lead cuts down foe after foe in increasingly vicious fashion. It's the kind of sequence that makes you sit up in your seat, your eyes wide with a mixture of shock and horror. It really is phenomenal. There are quite a few moments that almost match this quality, but much of the second act is surprisingly slow. The picture is often content with allowing you to fill in the gaps, so some of its narrative comes across as a little loose or, even, inefficient. For instance, a B-plot emerges about halfway through that seems unconnected from the main story until the two converge in the final act. It's a fine thing to do, but this side story undeniably impacts the pacing of the main one and, because of the way the picture ends, almost feels irrelevant to a certain extent. That ending is probably the piece's weakest aspect, abruptly bringing things to a halt without any real semblance of closure. The story is left unresolved and ambiguous; its expected finale simply doesn't occur. I mean, it's literally like the movie is missing its final reel. In a way, that's because it is: the film was conceived as the first part in a trilogy based on its source book, which has been adapted many times and is a massively sprawling affair, but its sequels were canned when the powers that be realised those films would have to be even more violent than this one. Yet, though it's certainly somewhat frustrating, I don't dislike the ending. In the moment, it's a bit of a disappointment; in retrospection, it isn't as big a deal as you might first think. Without spoiling anything, it's an appropriate place to leave our protagonist. It's also easy to imagine what would happen after the final freeze-frame. It's bold to end things like it does and I appreciate that. Overall, this is a distinct and entertaining film. Although its mid-section is slow, its ending a little unsatisfying and some of its plot seemingly superfluous, it has some truly amazing sequences and often gets you on the edge of your seat. It's typically enjoyable and is intellectually stimulating, too; the more you think about it, the more you come to appreciate its unexpected approach to morality. It's a strong samurai film that stands the test of time. 7/10.

plot is confusing and final showdown is a bit stupid

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 16 July 2005]

Although I love samurai movies and movies with Toshiro Mifune, I was very surprised I didn't like this movie all that much. I think it's because the plot is VERY confusing and the final showdown is done so poorly. First, the plot: there are lots of plots and subplots and not all of them are necessary or well developed--particularly the events leading up to the infighting at the end of the movie. Second, the final fight is such a disappointment. Neither the brother nor Mifune get to kill the evil samurai. Almost out of nowhere, the evil faction begins killing each other. Now here is where it gets really dumb---the evil samurai who is a fantastic swordsman kills dozens of men with a single blow. At the same time, he is hit again and again and again YET he continues to fight and kill them. Even when he is covered in blood and falls to the ground, he miraculously arises and kills dozens more!! It seems that after losing several gallons of blood, he is STILL the greatest swordsman! Third, there's just too little Mifune in the film.

The only real plus? I liked the realism of the fighting--lots of blood and limbs flying across the screen. While I am NOT a fan of gratuitous violence, it is silly that many older samurai movies have men being cut in half with huge swords yet there is little, if any, blood.