Summer of Samurai
So many filmmakers, from Jarmusch to Tarantino, pay homage to Japan's classic Samurai movies that it's sometimes a shock to find that somebody's still making the genuine article. Yoji Yamada, the seventy year old director who earned an Academy Award nomination with THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI, returns with another elegant tale of traditional warriors in conflict with a changing world.
In HIDDEN BLADE, a sword-for-hire (Masatoshi Nagase of MYSTERY TRAIN) longs for love that's out of reach (she's of a lower caste) and faces an enemy he doesn't understand (they use guns and cannons). He's a hero whom John Ford and Sam Peckinpah would understand.
Tartan Films is known for importing the the classier Asian horror films, but this indie outfit is also known for bringing the best Asian drama to US screens (the "VENGEANCE" trilogy from Chan-wook Park) and some of the more adventurous European independents, too. They've got the DVD of Michael Winterbottom's 9 SONGS and Richard Jobson's SIXTEEN YEARS OF ALCOHOL.
Read a few more reviews of HIDDEN BLADE:
New York Times, Jeannette Catsoulis
The Onion: Keith Phipps of The Onion
Village Voice: Michael Atkinson
