Genre: Drama
Starring: Kiichi Nakai, Koichi Sato, Yui Natsukawa, Takehiro Murata, Miki Nakatani
Release year: 2004
Language: Japanese
Subtitle: English
SYNOPSIS:
Kanichiro Yoshimura is a Samurai and Family man who can no longer support his wife and children on the the low pay he receives from his small town clan, he is forced by the love for his family to leave for the city in search of higher pay to support them. In his search he joins a notorious clan, known as the Shinsengumi where he does as much as possible to get money. Looked at as a money grubber,Yoshimura proves his strength physically and mentally by being loyal to his honor. During the dramatic period, with the rise of the Emperor and the fall of the Shogun. Yoshimura shows us the struggle of life in a personal way, by changing the lives of the people he meets and the way life is looked at.
RATING: ?/10
USER RATING:
REVIEW:
" No quesion about it, "When the last Sword is drawn" tries to depict the twists and turns during an age in which sword fighter clashed with fire arms, when industrialization made its way into the country, and when civil war, as well as famine plagued the land. However, in fact the film shows all of this just on a side note, and that's a good thing, because the topic has been dealt with in many movies before already. The magic of Yojiro Takita's work lies in the writing of the characters, the actors and the emotional impact of the story. Latter one is based on a novel by Jiro Asada, who already delivered the fundament for the scripts to "Failan" or "Love Letter". This becomes apparent pretty soon as the characters stand as the film's true strength. Yoshimura is a samurai, but the likes you may have never seen before. He is a splendid fighter, yet talks very much at times, and makes himself the laughing stock of many with his greed for money. In general, his character sometimes appears to be quite comical, which also leads to some scenes that are unexpectedly funny, yet, you shouldn't make the mistake and deny him to have the honor code of a samurai.
Yoshimura's character is very complex. It wasn't easy for him to betray his clan as we get to understand later on. He simply did so because it's not the Shogun he really is loyal to, but to his family. And he is willing to make any sacrifice necessary for them. The real personal qualities of Yoshimura are only unfolding slowly before us, so that we don't just learn to respect him, but even start to admire him later on. That's also how you can explain why even a man like Saito, a former enemy, eventually becomes a friend. In Yoshimura there is simply something shiningly good, a light that doesn't even get extinguished by the fact that this samurai also leaves some dead behind on his way. When we see him with his family and how selflessly he cares for his comrades, then even Saito has to realize that something "pure" is to be found within Yoshimura's soul. Kiichi Nakai ("Love Letter", "Warriors of Heaven and Earth") does an excellent job with his portrayal of this multi-layered character, but he sometimes is outshined by Koichi Sato ("Infection", "Aegis") as Saito. Saito is arrogant, sometimes seems conscienceless, but later we also learn more about his softer side, even though he always knows how to hide it behind a hard shell.
The film is also carried by some beautiful pictures. The scene on the snow-covered brigde at night, when Yoshimura bids farewell to his daughter, is really an especially memorable one. But the japanese gardens, the buildings etc. are all captured by nice pictures, too. Every now and then the serene pacing is picking up thanks to some good and realistically depicted sword fights, which sometimes can also be unexpectedly bloody. Nevertheless, "When the last Sword is drawn" basically is a drama that works with its characters. This is also the reason why the fate of Yoshimura and Saito is really something we care about. Saito's tragic love story with a geisha, played by Miki Nakatani ("Memories of Matsuko"), bestows something warm and natural on Saito's character, while Yoshimura's family is also sketched very well, so that the film's last 30 minutes may move you to tears.
Nevertheless, at the end, and also on other ocassions, one certain weak point sticks out. Sometimes the film is a bit overdramatic. Yoshimura's last scene mainly manages to be not as cheesy as it could have become thanks to Kiichi Nakai's great acting. Maybe this is also partly fault of Joe Hisaishi's soundtrack, which seems just too prominent for some of the dramatic moments. However, I also have to stress that Hisaishi's soundtrack as a whole really is an enrichment to the movie. Moreover, "When the last Sword is drawn" can move you despite some overdramatic scenes. Personally, I like "Twilight Samurai" a lot more, and you can also criticize that "When the last Sword is drawn" could have been a lot more consistent, and that some of the flashbacks seem a bit superfluous, but as a drama revolving around samurais, honor and "being human", Yojiro Takita's work truely radiates its own undeniable kind of magic. "
Source: Asian Movie Web
PREVIEW:
RELATED LINKS:
MU:
DISC 1: Part 01 - Part 02 - Part 03
DISC 2: Part 01 - Part 02 - Part 03
SUB
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