The greatest movie ever made..!

Am I Missing Something?

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Viewed on DVD. Cinematography = seven (7) stars; restoration = six (6) stars; subtitles = four (4) stars; editing = two (2) stars; score = one (1) star. Director Hideo Gosha's mounting of a pedestrian Chanbara (sword play) that starts with a superfluous, expository voice-over (which is never a good sign) and quickly begins to suffer from the effects of ham-handed editing. The film uses flashbacks that repeat everything described in the voice-over. Flashbacks occur without warning with the narrative just suddenly (and confusingly) jumping to past events (for sure, the film could benefit from events emerging in chronological order). In one scene, a prostitute suddenly appears and murders a nearly drown samurai for reasons never fully explained. In another, a major sword fight suddenly jumps from an interior set to an exterior field of tall grass. The list goes on and on. (It is obvious that too much (or not enough) has been left on the proverbial cutting-room floor!) Sword fights are poorly choreographed and seem amateurish. They take on the unmistakable aura of children playing with wooden sticks. The Director seems to have exerted a firm hand on his actors/actresses with the former turning in credible performances (except for their wielding of swords). But, alas, it is not enough to compensate for a weak and wobbly script (gold-panning samurai, anyone?. The movie's title is explained/ underlined ad nausea in scene after scene. Cinematography (wide screen, black and white) is very good. It is often understated with subtle nuances. The use of tall grass and a boulder-laced stream for exterior scenes is excellently staged. Film score includes contemporary jazz rifts that should have been used elsewhere and not in a photo play of the mid 1800's. Restoration is fine. Subtitles are often too long given the fast flash rates. A hallmark of Criterion releases. (Keep a finger poised over the pause button!) A partial cure for insomnia. WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.

There are many films set in the feudal period of Japan that can be read as commentary on contemporary Japanese life. Here a couple of well-meaning and excellent sword-fighters are used by their superiors to further selfish agendas. The "beast" of the title is not a crazy samurai but rather the noble hero who is forced by treachery to forgo his social connections and travel from place to place like a roaming beast.As western values permeate Japan, the conflict between the individual, as personified by the wandering noble ronin who gives up attempting to reconnect with normalcy (or in American cinema, the western hero who rises above social norm and becomes an ideal to attain), and the good samurai who upholds social stability to the detriment of his own needs (no real American equivalent) found itself expressed in period Japanese films. Many Japanese films of the 1960's and 70's feature characters who reject old fashioned values in the name of justice, yet suffer and never really are able to enjoy their good deeds. This film is set in the time after Commander Perry's ships essentially invaded Japanese territory and threw Japanese society for a spin.Well-made, good acting and a solid directorial effort makes this a good samurai film even if the repeated flash-backs might be confusing. Unfortunately there are some excellent films that cover this topic already so this particular film seems unremarkable by comparison.Good film and recommended.

Near the end of the Edo Period and on the eve of the Meiji Restoration Japan was a country entrenched in Civil War. Conservative factions supporting the Shogunate and Revisionist factions supporting the Emperor fought each other for the future of the country. Like most revolutionists, Yuuki Gennosuke was quite young and full of ideals when he slew a conservative counselor. However, instead of receiving a higher position after his daring deed, Gennosuke is forced to become a bandit and is pursued by the daughter and son-in-law of the slain counselor.With only his swords and his wits to protect him, Gennosuke continuously flees his pursuers to keep alive. Having abandoned the samurai code, Gennosuke incorporates every method to save his own skin. However, because his pursuers have been granted permission to seek a vendetta against him, vendettas were only official if given government approval, they can also use whatever means necessary to seek their revenge. Heading deeper into the wilderness, Gennosuke learns from a petty vagabond that a nearby mountain is covered in gold. Having to support himself for his life on the run, Gennosuke agrees to help the man acquire some gold. However, it is illegal to search for gold on the mountain and also Gennosuke and his partner are not the only two on the mountain searching for gold… Part of the Criterion Collection's Rebel Samurai Collection, The Sword of the Beast takes the samurai ethics displayed in such classics like Inagaki Hiroshi's Miyamoto Musashi and turns it on its head. Loyalty to friends and loved ones is sacrificed for wealth and in one case with Jurota and his wife Taka the pact of marriage is of lower worth than gold. Full of action and several well done swordfights, Sword of the Beast is not to be missed by fans of samurai cinema, however, for the common viewer Kobayashi Masaaki's Hara-kiri or the samurai films of Kurosawa Akira would be a better place to start.

One of Gosha's earlier movies, it contains all the elements that made him a "chambara" director to be admired and emulated: Well-composed and thoughtful cinematography, a cynical view of authority (with certain implications for modern Japanese society), human drama, and OF COURSE, some excellent swordplay!Certainly a solid and watchable samurai drama, both for "popcorn" and "cinema" appeal. I'd see Goyokin and/or Hitokiri first, but see this one next!