The Twilight Samurai (2004)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Excellent, a Must See

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

I think I've seen this movie five times or more. The reason is simple. In merely two hours we can see both the style of Kurosawa, Ozu and Mizoguchi (the three great directors of the Past) filtered trough the lens of another great film maker, Yamada Yoji, who teach us a precious way of living. Simple and not ambitious. But that can be remembered forever. I think the samurai movie setting, resembling to Kurosawa's "Yojimbo", "The seven samurai" or "Red Beard", is just the scenery where the action takes place. The hero, the samurai Seibei, however, is alone here too but with a difference. He has a family. Something Kurosawa should have not underlined. The family is poor and weak and the samurai has seen his wife passing away and so,after all that, needs to rise up two daughters and look after his old mother. This element could make use think to Ozu productions. However we can find another clue. The female characters so important in this story as well as for the early movies of Mizoguchi, as "Osaka Elegy" and "Sister of Gion". Our hero Seibei then, start a love relationship with a woman, Tomoe, a childhood friend, then divorced from her husband. In this one character, the woman one, we have bounded together the sufferings stressed by Mizoguchi, the mute feelings of Kurosawa (the love between Katsushiro and Chiko in "The seven samurai") and the motherly sweet attitude of many woman in Ozu movie (think to the majestic role of Noriko in "Tokyo Story"). The way the movie develops is so great that you can feel the same of what is felt by the main character. His anxiety, his duty but, after all, his love. And not an ordinary one. A feeling that embraces both his family and Tomoe. Another time, as in Ozu's movies, the obstacle of all this is just the social life. The contrast between simplicity and austerity is stressed by the career and duty Seibei has to follow. The same duty that can be accomplished just because, seems to tell us the director at the end, he forgets for a while his beloved ones. However, and we have the greatest an unique point of this story,that makes it so different from common samurai movies, the same ones wait for him in the last sequence. So, when the work ends, a man should have something to protect. Duty is necessary but transitory. Love is something up to people but eternal. As the memory of Seibei when his younger daughter, already old, put some flowers over his grave. Close to the one of Tomoe. Japan has changed, from a samurai country trough an industrialized one. His duty was part of the past. The memory of Seibei's love and devotion to his dears not. Is eternal.

Told from the perspective of an impoverished samurai's daughter, the film becomes a study of a man of great character--meditative, caring for his two daughters and senile mother, reluctant to fight until ordered to by his clan. It develops slowly, with time to give dimensions to the main characters, and a sense of the daily lives of the minor characters. The care with which the characters are developed reminds me of Ozu's wonderful films. The contrasts between dark interiors and the sunlit landscapes enhances the sense that humans needlessly create suffering in such an environment. The "Twilight" in the title also indicates that in the 19th century, the various clans were breaking up,and the land was filled with wandering lord-less samurai, loyal only to themselves.

As a rule I will generally avoid Samurai movies at all cost. But this is truly a different kind of animal. I was awestruck by how well-crafted it really is. It's a real gem.This is a very quiet film that's strength is in it's ability to transport you back to Edo-era Japan. You feel certain that this is exactly how life must have been led in that time. There's nothing out-of-context anywhere. No powerlines or paved roads visible in the background, no modern references or terms, and a strict adherence to the contemporary cultural demands.The story is not terribly deep or intricate, but it delivers all the same. You feel the pressure of the demands of one's station in life and the constraints on normal desires. It's just very well done.

The film was very good, even though I expected it to be better. It is well directed and I especially liked the protagonist's performance. It's a bold drama piece, focusing on the characters' thoughts and feelings.What most people expect from a samurai film is bloody fights with katana, but this movie has little action. Thus some may call it boring. Perhaps the second fight scene could be a little more impressive, but the first battle is really nice.All in all, Twilight Samurai is a nice drama. I highly recommend watching it late in the night, due to its quiet atmosphere and interesting plot.