Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

When you see the word 'Samurai' in the title of a Japanese film, you sort of expect it to have innumerable fight scenes, a lot of stunts and bloody violence. But 'The Twilight Samurai' is so very different from most of the other Samurai films. It involves very little fighting. This has been clearly made by a director who is more concerned about the Samurai as a person and less so about his fighting skills. Yoji Yamada shows us the life of the Samurai, his loved ones, the real problems that he faces and how he manages to survive in a fast changing society.The film opens with the voice-over from Ito, the 'Twilight' samurai's daughter at a later stage in her life. She tells us how she and her elder sister lost their mother and how their father Iguchi Seibei had to take up all the duties and responsibilities of the family. He had to take care of his young daughters and a senile mother. He works as an accountant in the stores castle of the clan. In his effort to take care of his family, he becomes distant from his work colleagues and couldn't mingle with them. He starts taking very little care of himself and his appearance and gradually develops and dirty, shaggy look and acquires foul body odour which leads to an embarrassing encounter. While watching all this I couldn't help but notice how humanistic an approach Yamada employs to tell us the story. The characters are very realistic, they say things which are very natural and believable, no one shouts too much as is the case in some other Samurai films. The scenes involving Seibei at his home with his family reminded me so much of Pather Panchali which was the first film in Satyajit Ray's masterful "Apu Trilogy". There is a similarity in how both the films show the families living their lives. There are elevated shots in Twilight Samurai where we see different characters in the same frame doing different things and walking in and out of the shot which lends a great deal of humanistic naturalism to the scenes and the film as a whole.Although the film is understated, quiet and intimate with real, relatable people, but Yamada still manages to use bigger themes. He shows how times were changing, the Samurai breed were slowly losing masters and becoming extinct. Japan was going through times of famine and civil wars. We see changes in society, with girls going to school and studying, soldiers learning to use guns,etc. But Yamada shows that obedience of the caste system was still deeply ingrained in the minds. People keeping to themselves and leading innocent lives still bowed down to their superiors in the social system and had to carry out every order that the authorities gave them. The factions in power clashed against each other ideologically but used common, ordinary folks to do their dirty works. Iguchi is an example of a good, hardworking individual who falls prey to conventions of bowing down to power and ends up endangering his life to carry out the order given to him against his own will. The film ends with a fascinating duel which is more about a clash between contrasting ideologies of a Samurai than a mere clash between two swords, as a matter of fact it can be called a duel between two sides of Iguchi's mind and it is brilliant.The film is colourful and it uses good interior as well as on- location cinematography. Yamada uses simplistic style of cinematography and camera-work. Instead of fancy tracking shots and zoom-ins, he uses the static camera to great effect. He allows the camera to stay calm like the characters and allows the actors to act.Although there are other good performers, but this film belongs to Hiroyuki Sanada. He is understated, subtle and uses his eyes a lot. However when it comes to the few fighting scenes, he perfectly goes through the transition from being an ordinary human being to a deadly Samurai.The Twilight Samurai is a very deep, intimate film with humanism. Yoji Yamada does use big themes, but never allows his actors to fade into the background.

Told from the perspective of an impoverished samurai's daughter, the film becomes a study of a man of great character--meditative, caring for his two daughters and senile mother, reluctant to fight until ordered to by his clan. It develops slowly, with time to give dimensions to the main characters, and a sense of the daily lives of the minor characters. The care with which the characters are developed reminds me of Ozu's wonderful films. The contrasts between dark interiors and the sunlit landscapes enhances the sense that humans needlessly create suffering in such an environment. The "Twilight" in the title also indicates that in the 19th century, the various clans were breaking up,and the land was filled with wandering lord-less samurai, loyal only to themselves.

As a rule I will generally avoid Samurai movies at all cost. But this is truly a different kind of animal. I was awestruck by how well-crafted it really is. It's a real gem.This is a very quiet film that's strength is in it's ability to transport you back to Edo-era Japan. You feel certain that this is exactly how life must have been led in that time. There's nothing out-of-context anywhere. No powerlines or paved roads visible in the background, no modern references or terms, and a strict adherence to the contemporary cultural demands.The story is not terribly deep or intricate, but it delivers all the same. You feel the pressure of the demands of one's station in life and the constraints on normal desires. It's just very well done.

The film was very good, even though I expected it to be better. It is well directed and I especially liked the protagonist's performance. It's a bold drama piece, focusing on the characters' thoughts and feelings.What most people expect from a samurai film is bloody fights with katana, but this movie has little action. Thus some may call it boring. Perhaps the second fight scene could be a little more impressive, but the first battle is really nice.All in all, Twilight Samurai is a nice drama. I highly recommend watching it late in the night, due to its quiet atmosphere and interesting plot.