Give the gift of Criterion!
Live stream preview

Watch this video and more on The Criterion Channel

Watch this video and more on The Criterion Channel

Start your free trial

Already subscribed? Sign in

Starring Toshiro Mifune

The Sword of Doom

2h 0m

Directed by Kihachi Okamoto • 1966 • Japan
Starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Toshiro Mifune

Tatsuya Nakadai and Toshiro Mifune star in the story of a wandering samurai who exists in a maelstrom of violence. A gifted swordsman plying his craft during the turbulent final days of shogunate rule in Japan, Ryunosuke (Nakadai) kills without remorse or mercy. It is a way of life that ultimately leads to madness. Kihachi Okamoto’s swordplay classic is the thrilling tale of a man who chooses to devote his life to evil.

Up Next in Starring Toshiro Mifune

  • Samurai Rebellion
    2:01:21
    Samurai Rebellion

    Samurai Rebellion

    Directed by Masaki Kobayashi • 1967 • Japan
    Starring Toshiro Mifune, Yoko Tsukasa, Go Kato

    Toshiro Mifune stars as Isaburo Sasahara, an aging swordsman living a quiet life until his clan lord orders that his son marry the lord’s mistress, who has recently displeased the ruler. Reluctantly, fathe...

  • Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
    1:56:01
    Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo

    Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo

    ZATOICHI #20
    Directed by Kihachi Okamoto • 1970 • Japan

    After a two-year absence from screens, the blind swordsman returns in one of his best adventures. Zatoichi treks to a village that has always been a favorite spot of his, only to discover that it’s become a living hell, plagued by feuding f...

×