Kattiera Nana I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Jemima It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Curt Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Tweekums One might be forgiven for thinking for thinking a film about a samurai would be full of swordplay and bloodshed; that isn't the case here though. The protagonist Katagiri is a samurai in the nineteenth century when Japan is opening up to new technology and the samurai are having to learn for to use rifles rather than the swords they have traditionally used. Some time after seeing his friend Hamaza depart for Edo Katagiri learns that his former servant Kie is being mistreated by her husband's family so he brings her back to his house where she returns to good health; it is clear that they have feelings for each other but they are of different social classes so marriage is out of the question. After a while people start to talk and he has to send her back to her parents; around this time his old friend Hamaza returns as a prisoner accused of plotting against his superiors. When he escapes Katagiri is told that he must either fight and kill Hamaza or he will be considered an accomplice.While this wasn't quite the film I'd been expecting I enjoyed it none the less, largely because it depicted a period of Japanese history that I knew nothing about. The story was interesting with a good cast of characters and while there wasn't much action the fight scene was pretty good. Surprisingly there were quite a few laughs too; just about any time the samurai were receiving training from their instructor from Edo some laughs were to be had. Some viewers may find the upbeat ending a little bit cliché but I for one was rather pleased with it. Away from the story itself I must comment on the look of the film; everything looked great whether it was the houses, the scenery or just a shot of the cherry blossom that is a feature of so much Japanese culture. I'd certainly recommend this to people wanting to see a film about this period in Japanese history without being full of bloody swordplay.

danielnquinn And I've seen a few. A film revolving around the advent of artillery warfare and the outmoding of the Samurai shogunite, directed with nostalgia and passion, against the backdrop of feudal Japan, fixed in it's ideas of honour and duty, makes this film a true depiction of 19th century Japan.The love story aside, which is a real and understandable love, the film is more central to the beliefs Japan held on to for 500 years that suddenly and devastatingly became untenable, and yet the honour remains.See this film. Brilliant in every regard.

bs3dc Director Yoji Yamada covers the same ground as with the masterful and Oscar-nominated Twilight Samurai (Tasogare Seibei, 2002) with a very similar story set in the mid 19th century Japan, showing how the rapid cultural changes were affecting the 'ordinary' people. Though seen by some as merely a remake of his earlier work, it is a great work in its own right.The protagonist of the Hidden Blade is a low-caste samurai from a small village, Munezo Katagiri (a splendidly restrained performance by Masatoshi Nagase), who is in love with his servant Kie (Takako Matsu, also superb), but because of their relative difference in status he is unable to marry. He also comes under pressure from the chief retainer of the clan due to the fact his friend has been declared a traitor. Katagiri has to live with the knowledge that his father committed hara-kiri over a seemingly trivial matter to regain his honour, while the chief retainer demonstrates that he has little of this quality himself. This is against a backdrop of the Samurai converting to firearms and artillery despite the opposition of many to these as cowardly weapons. There are some humorous scenes of the clan retainers trying to get to grips with western military training such as drill and cannon firing.The camera-work is simple and effective, completely lacking in the CGI that most modern filmmakers seem unfortunately unable to live without. The pacing of the story is beautifully done, so that the film, though long, never becomes dull despite the relative lack of action - there are only two fight scenes to speak of. This does not detract from the movie at all as this is about far more than simple carnage and reflects the fact that Katagari is reluctant to kill despite his skill with the sword. There is far more focus on the themes of love, revenge, duty and honour, and is all the better for it.

dromasca 'The Hidden Blade' does not reach the picks of beauty and does not fascinate like other samurai films, but is a solid, well filmed and well told story worth watching. The period when the action happens is the same one where 'The Last Samurai' is located, the time when Japan underwent rapid transformation and opening to the Western culture and way of life, but the angle is the one of the traditional samurai world. Like in the more famous movie the centuries old code of honor of the samurais enters in conflict with the rapid pace of change of the society around, but this conflict takes a secondary role here.It is actually the old code of honor that motivates Munezo, the principal character and which prevents him to consume his love to the servant Kie who belongs to another social class, and leads him into a life and death fight with his old friend who revolted against the stagnating system. The moral value of the code prevails and saves eventually the heroes in a kind of happy end, not unexpected, but yet well desired by audiences who identified with the heroes. The film is well acted and uses less the high tomes and interjections that sometimes discourage the Western audiences watching Japanese movies. The cinematography is consistent in approach and dominated by balanced nuances of brown and yellow. Without daring too much 'The Hidden Blade' is a well told story and should not be avoided by fans of Japanese films, or even as plain entertainment.