The Sword of DoomFate is like a thread. It leads us along the way, even if we do not know where it leads. It binds us together with others--some like us, some different--as our paths intersect and affect us in unforeseeable ways. The Sword of Doom is a samurai action film about fate, and about how one man--a ronin named Ryunosuke Tsukue (Tatsuya Nakadai)--and his actions create a rippling effect which alter the lives of those around him, even if his actions are generally limited to the act of killing. It is also a story cautioning against unchecked amorality, and the inevitable consequences it has on one's soul.
|
|
Ryunosuke is a master of an unorthodox version of Kogen Ittō-ryū, a Japanese style of swordsmanship; unorthodox in that he defies the expectations of his opponents, affording him opportunities to catch them off guard. His style is described as "cruel" by the sensei of the dojo--later revealed to us to be his father--of which he had been an erstwhile member, because he draws his opponent out and capitalizes on his vulnerability or overestimation of his abilities. His father asks Ryunosuke to throw the upcoming match to determine who should be the inheritor of the Kogen school's legacy to a rival called Bunnojo Utsuki (Ichiro Nakaya), a move which would benefit the Utsuki family and provide the Kogen school with a successor interested in carrying the mantle. Shortly thereafter, a woman named Hama (Michiyo Aratama)--who claims to be Bunnojo's sister, but is evidently his wife--also pleads with Ryunosuke to take a fall, to which he counters that a man's swordsmanship is like that of a woman's chastity, sending a message all too clear to Hama. When Bunnojo learns of Hama's infidelity, he divorces her, and vows to slay Ryunosuke in the formal match. As they face off, Bunnojo attempts a lethal tsuki thrust, only to have the blow parried, resulting in Bunnojo's death. As Ryunosuke leaves the match, he is ambushed by Bunnojo's supporters, who attack him en masse, only to fall swiftly under the master samurai's blade. Ryunosuke mows them down like blades of grass, with an elegance and form that is a display of his terrifying prowess. Up to this point, it is left intentionally ambiguous as to whether Ryunosuke has baited this whole scenario from the start to satisfy a sadistic streak within him, or whether he is simply adhering to his convictions. After all, it seems somewhat unfair that Ryunosuke should be asked to throw a fight when he is regarded as the superior swordsman. Even his timely arrival at the beginning of the film--when an old man is praying for death on the mountain--is answered in the form of Ryunosuke, an action which begs the question whether he was acting out of a justification to kill or as an administer of the old man's prayers. But Ryunosuke's cruel smile following the ambush at the end of the first act indicates that either way, he has embarked down a road from which he cannot return.
In the wake of Ryunosuke's ostracization from his family, he has taken in Hama as his unofficial wife, as she tends to her baby--and presumably Ryunosuke's baby, although it is never made too clear. Would that Ryunosuke--now calling himself Yoshida--cared about Hama, her attempts to browbeat him might have some sting. But Ryunosuke cares only for an excuse to enter into mortal combat, willing to take mercenary jobs for a group of samurai assassins, and challenging students to hone the edge of his skill. Ryunosuke ends up challenging a young man in a dojo led by master swordsman, Toranosuke Shimada (Toshiro Mifune), soundly defeating him, and leaving the young man--shortly after revealed to be Hyoma Utsuki (Yuzo Kayama), brother of Bunnojo--contemplating to how to win should he face Yoshida again. Hyoma reaches the same conclusion his brother unfortunately made: the tsuki thrust must defeat Ryunosuke's form. Ryunosuke has expected that he will face Hyoma in battle; can he know at some level that the student he challenged was Hyoma? And if so, was his form in their match designed to lead Hyoma to that very conclusion, as it had been with Bunnojo? Either it was a carefully laid trap which Ryunosuke claims later he was unaware of, or it is an all too perfect coincidence; there is a word for that: fate. The duels in The Sword of Doom are exquisite displays of swordsmanship, where the participants and actors portray the combat with character and depth. Ryunosuke's stance is one that appears almost lazy, and he never makes eye contact, denying his opponent a chance to "know" him in battle. Deception is his real weapon, psychologically disarming his opponent, letting them sweat and grow anxious at the unorthodox style, thus compromising their guard. The face offs between the swordsmen are eerily quiet when one on one, where even the slightest step of the foot or rustle of the hakama is a key move. Other sword fights are less tranquil, but showcase the skill of the practitioners. For instance, when the murderous political assassins Ryunosuke works for attempt to ambush and kill a person of interest during a snowstorm, it is revealed that Shimada has taken his place, and dispatches the assassins with exacting skill, an encounter which leaves Ryunosuke in doubt about his own prowess, and plummets him into despair. Another plot weaves throughout Ryunosuke's and Hyoma's stories--that of the granddaughter of the old man Ryunosuke killed in the mountain pass, a girl named Omatsu (Yoko Naito). She was taken in by the same wandering man from the beginning of the film, who has tried to keep her as his ward, although she is staying with a callous woman who is ostensibly teaching her how to become a courtesan. Omatsu and Hyoma's stories intersect, first in Edo, then later in Kyoto, during a large-scale party for the political assassins--now calling themselves the "Shinsengumi"--who Ryunosuke has fallen in with. It is finally when Omatsu lets slip the connection between her and Ryunosuke that he finally sees the connections which have bound his life along this path of doom. It is not a moment of quiet revelation which follows, but a bloody howl to the heavens in rage, manifest in blood and fire. In the end, Ryunosuke is so stricken by the blood on his hands, that he is literally attacking shadows on the wall. Much of The Sword of Doom is told in flashbacks, so that even the strict chronology is not guaranteed, contrary to the title cards designating different years in the story. Although Ryunosuke and Hyoma are supposed to have a duel in 1862, we are shortly thereafter fast-forwarded a year, and the two remain alive, leaving us to wonder as to the resolution to that conflict. The feeling one gets from this is that like the film, life is like the flash of a sword, and we may only get a slice of the picture. The Sword of Doom was originally intended to be the first part in a trilogy adapting a novel of the same name by Kaizan Nakazato, which would justify the altogether abrupt ending. I prefer to view the end as an inevitability of Ryunosuke's violent path, where all trappings of drama and character have fallen away in the wake of the bloodlust which has finally consumed Ryunosuke completely, his fate sealed and bound to his destined path.
Recommended for: Fans of a grim samurai action film with lots of sword fights set amid an interesting political period in Japanese history. It is a thrilling tale with lots of turns that make you wonder just how bound to fate are we, just as Ryunosuke is.
In the wake of Ryunosuke's ostracization from his family, he has taken in Hama as his unofficial wife, as she tends to her baby--and presumably Ryunosuke's baby, although it is never made too clear. Would that Ryunosuke--now calling himself Yoshida--cared about Hama, her attempts to browbeat him might have some sting. But Ryunosuke cares only for an excuse to enter into mortal combat, willing to take mercenary jobs for a group of samurai assassins, and challenging students to hone the edge of his skill. Ryunosuke ends up challenging a young man in a dojo led by master swordsman, Toranosuke Shimada (Toshiro Mifune), soundly defeating him, and leaving the young man--shortly after revealed to be Hyoma Utsuki (Yuzo Kayama), brother of Bunnojo--contemplating to how to win should he face Yoshida again. Hyoma reaches the same conclusion his brother unfortunately made: the tsuki thrust must defeat Ryunosuke's form. Ryunosuke has expected that he will face Hyoma in battle; can he know at some level that the student he challenged was Hyoma? And if so, was his form in their match designed to lead Hyoma to that very conclusion, as it had been with Bunnojo? Either it was a carefully laid trap which Ryunosuke claims later he was unaware of, or it is an all too perfect coincidence; there is a word for that: fate. The duels in The Sword of Doom are exquisite displays of swordsmanship, where the participants and actors portray the combat with character and depth. Ryunosuke's stance is one that appears almost lazy, and he never makes eye contact, denying his opponent a chance to "know" him in battle. Deception is his real weapon, psychologically disarming his opponent, letting them sweat and grow anxious at the unorthodox style, thus compromising their guard. The face offs between the swordsmen are eerily quiet when one on one, where even the slightest step of the foot or rustle of the hakama is a key move. Other sword fights are less tranquil, but showcase the skill of the practitioners. For instance, when the murderous political assassins Ryunosuke works for attempt to ambush and kill a person of interest during a snowstorm, it is revealed that Shimada has taken his place, and dispatches the assassins with exacting skill, an encounter which leaves Ryunosuke in doubt about his own prowess, and plummets him into despair. Another plot weaves throughout Ryunosuke's and Hyoma's stories--that of the granddaughter of the old man Ryunosuke killed in the mountain pass, a girl named Omatsu (Yoko Naito). She was taken in by the same wandering man from the beginning of the film, who has tried to keep her as his ward, although she is staying with a callous woman who is ostensibly teaching her how to become a courtesan. Omatsu and Hyoma's stories intersect, first in Edo, then later in Kyoto, during a large-scale party for the political assassins--now calling themselves the "Shinsengumi"--who Ryunosuke has fallen in with. It is finally when Omatsu lets slip the connection between her and Ryunosuke that he finally sees the connections which have bound his life along this path of doom. It is not a moment of quiet revelation which follows, but a bloody howl to the heavens in rage, manifest in blood and fire. In the end, Ryunosuke is so stricken by the blood on his hands, that he is literally attacking shadows on the wall. Much of The Sword of Doom is told in flashbacks, so that even the strict chronology is not guaranteed, contrary to the title cards designating different years in the story. Although Ryunosuke and Hyoma are supposed to have a duel in 1862, we are shortly thereafter fast-forwarded a year, and the two remain alive, leaving us to wonder as to the resolution to that conflict. The feeling one gets from this is that like the film, life is like the flash of a sword, and we may only get a slice of the picture. The Sword of Doom was originally intended to be the first part in a trilogy adapting a novel of the same name by Kaizan Nakazato, which would justify the altogether abrupt ending. I prefer to view the end as an inevitability of Ryunosuke's violent path, where all trappings of drama and character have fallen away in the wake of the bloodlust which has finally consumed Ryunosuke completely, his fate sealed and bound to his destined path.
Recommended for: Fans of a grim samurai action film with lots of sword fights set amid an interesting political period in Japanese history. It is a thrilling tale with lots of turns that make you wonder just how bound to fate are we, just as Ryunosuke is.