The Hidden Blade

This film has resounding echoes of the Twilight Samurai. But yet it holds it own. The film likes its predecessor is set in Japan just before the Meiji Restoration with the role of the Samurai changing drastically in Japanese society. The film centers around Katagiri Munezo, a lowly Samurai of the Unasaka clan. Rather than concentrating on the "sword is the soul" side of the Samurai, the film focuses on his inner turmoil and contemplations. The movie again highlights that Yôji Yamada too, like some of his Asian contemporaries has mastered the use of stillness to convey emotions.

Rating: * * *