Directed by Masahiro Shinoda • 1964 • Japan
Masahiro Shinoda's Assassin (aka Ansatsu) was the director's first period film - but it is hardly set in the "safety" of a past era, as its story, of a masterless samurai (Tetsuro Tamba) making his way amid the chaotic aftermath of Commodore Perry's forcible contact with Japan in 1853, seems to resonate clearly in Japan's post-World War II era. Shinoda presents a stark picture of social and political upheaval, spreading duplicity and dishonor, and the consequences of up-ending the established order in a society built on expectations of a rigid social order.
Up Next in Samurai
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Three Outlaw Samurai
Directed by Hideo Gosha • 1964 • Japan
Starring Tetsuro Tamba, Isamu Nagato, Mikijiro HiraThis first feature by the legendary Hideo Gosha is among the most beloved chanbara (sword-fighting) films. An origin-story offshoot of a Japanese television phenomenon of the same name, THREE OUTLAW SAMURA...
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Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance
Directed by Toshiya Fujita • 1974 • Japan
Starring Meiko Kaji, Juzo Itami, Kazuko YoshiyukiMeiko Kaji returns in Toshiya Fujita’s invigorating sequel to his own cult hit LADY SNOWBLOOD. Our furious heroine is captured by the authorities and sentenced to death for the various killings she has co...
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Zatoichi and the Doomed Man
ZATOICHI #11
Directed by Kazuo Mori • 1965 • JapanAn elderly prisoner accused of murder begs Zatoichi to find evidence of his innocence. The blind swordsman, for the first time, chooses not to help, but fate has other plans for him. Director Issei Mori, who played a significant role in getting ...
