Mibu gishi den (2002) Reviews

• The real last Samurais

  LordofHavoc2004-06-03

  This movie is about the "Shinsengumi" (New Group) a famous group of Samurai in the last days of Tokugawa-shogunate that really existed. At first they were a kind of police-company in Kyoto. Later on this group was fighting on the shoguns (Military head of state) side against emperor Meijis forces who stood for a modernized Japan. It is about the samurai system and their way that could not survive Japans transition into a modern state. But foremost it is a about people, emotions and honor.The characterization is fantastic and always believable and the swordplay is great. If you have never heard anything about the Wolfs of Mibu (mibu no ogami(In Japan every child knows them)) you should not miss this movie, and if you know them, even better.

• Excellent Samurai film

  simon_booth2003-12-27

  It's hard to believe that this is from the same director as the truly awful Onmyoji! WTLSID is an almost infinitely better film. After watching THE LAST SAMURAI I was inspired to check out two recent Japanese films focussing on a similar time period, THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI and WHEN THE LAST SWORD IS DRAWN. It's interesting comparing the Japanese perspective of the Samurai with the Hollywood perspective - TLS romanticises the people and lifestyle far more than the Japanese films, though WTLSID is more misty-eyed than TWILIGHT when thinking about those Samurai whose world had left them behind. Both Japanese films are much more character driven than THE LAST SAMURAI, representing the Samurai as much more human and complex people, and also giving a much less simplified view of the sociopolitical conditions of the time (though in both films the social conditions are much more in the background). Of the three films, I think I enjoyed WHEN THE LAST SWORD IS DRAWN the most. The characters, acting, action, cinematography and soundtrack were all top notch - and though the end of the film is dragged out too much, it is very moving. I think all three films deserve to be seen though. I find it rather tragic that THE LAST SAMURAI is sure to play in every mainstream theatre in Japan, but TWILIGHT SAMURAI and WHEN THE LAST SWORD IS DRAWN will be lucky to play a couple of festivals and maybe a short art-house run in the US, with an R1 DVD likely to be years off if it comes at all. Those that have the bravery to check out the import DVDs for the Japanese films will definitely benefit from the experience, though!

• Excellent movie that deserves more recognition

  loco122004-10-13

  I watched the DVD of Mibu Gishi Den last night after it was lent to me by a friend. I had never heard of it before so watched it with no idea what it was about, other than I was told it was a story about he Samurai. Well it blew me totally away. Like many foreign movies, I struggled at first with the names of the characters, and as they were dressed similar and all had the same haircut, I had a bit of trouble working out who was who! Nevertheless I persevered and after 30 minutes had more or less followed the plot. It certainly got easier as the film unfolded and in the end there was a tear in my eye. I won't give away the plot of the film, as others have already done this. Just to say at the end as the titles rolled there was a lump in my throat. Repeated viewings will make the movie a better experience. This DVD is available on region 3 now and certainly well worth owning. It is a far superior Samurai film compared to The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise. Don't pass up the chance to see this remarkable movie. The two leads are excellent actors, and though I have never heard of them before, I should imagine they are very well known in their native Japan. Grade A.

• Possibly not one to enjoy as such, but definitely one to watch!

  keith_g2005-06-06

  One acid test for a movie is that of whether or not you find yourself caring for (any of) the characters as you watch it. This superb study of human personality and of self-sacrifice, honour and duty in difficult circumstances passes that test like almost no other film I've seen. I've read many of the comments here that want to split this film into good parts and bad parts and would only say that I, for one, cannot see the join - from start to finish the film is well-paced with a series of events that will make you laugh at times and may well make you cry at other times. For me, it was uncomfortable a lot of the time, as I wasn't much pleased with the way the story unfolded and the direction the events took - with just about everything going against the way I would have liked it to! (Risk of a spoiler prevents me being too specific here!) Too many personal chords were being struck for me to actually *enjoy* the film at times but it maintained an unusual integrity in sticking to its own uncomfortable/unsatisfying course and reaching its own rather superb conclusion in a way that many movies seem unable to do without pandering to their audience's expectations in some way. Technicalities were mostly excellent: The acting (possibly because of the non-familiar faces) was impeccable, the soundtrack was excellent and all other aspects were most satisfactory despite a slight air of claustrophobia with much of the film taking place in a somewhat shut-in environment with only the briefest picture-postcard views of Japan. Also, with the copy I saw, the colour could have been better at times, as could the lighting of the interiors... The temptation to say avoid this film and any disquiet it might bring you is strong, but instead I say watch it and I have no qualms in giving it 9 out of 10 - it's worth it!!

• Excellent first 2/3. Last 1/3 bad and sugary-sweet

  showa482005-01-12

  (There might be small inaccuracies in this review, because I saw the movie 1 year ago). This movie starts out with a mini-mystery of a kind: Two seemingly non-connected persons (a modern, western-style doctor and an aging samurai) meets - and discover they do have a link, namely a third man: Kanichiro Yoshimura. The plot thickens when we gradually find out that one of the men (the doctor) almost only knows the man for his good sides (unselfishness, family man, etc.), while the other man (the aging samurai) only knows the man for his bad sides (greed, cowardliness, being a ridiculous clown, etc.). This is in itself a very interesting way to start a movie, and a surefire way to keep the viewer wondering: What IS the truth about this man - if there is any single truth.... In the first (and good) 2/3's of the movie, these two views are gradually combined into one consistent picture of the enigmatic Kanichiro Yoshimura: He would do anything, no matter how low, to support his family back home. This part of the movie, with the gradual revelation of the Kanichiro Yoshimura's past is really well-made, and in itself deserves praise. The bad part starts when we have watched about 2/3's if the movie, hence the headline of this review. For some reason the point-of-view changes to Kanichiro Yoshimura's. Suddenly he seemingly forgets everything about his family's survival (and the director forgets how the Kanichiro Yoshimura-character had been until then). He starts throwing himself into massed ranks of enemies with rifles, only armed with two swords. While he survives that, the movie doesn't quite "survive", and instead devolves into a series of sentimental tear-jerkers, involving both Kanichiro Yoshimura and the persons around him. I just ask: Where in the world did the old (...and WAY more fascinating and ambiguous) Kanichiro Yoshimura go?!?!? Wby this sudden change in character?! Conclusion: A movie, which could have been good, had it not been for the strange character development and overt sentimentalism of the last 1/3 of the movie. Vote: 6/10.