Customer Reviews

Shinsengumi: Assassins of Honor

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The shinsengumi are unusual heroes. Not only did they lose their battle, which can sometimes be seen as honorable as in the case of the defenders of the Alamo, but they fought for the wrong side entirely. The group supported the military Shogun government against the efforts to restore Imperial rule which eventually led to the Meiji Restoration and the modernization of Japan. No doubt they would be little more than a footnote in history if they just weren't so darn cool. And of course the uniforms.

There are dozens of movies about the shinsengumi, but this is the only one starring Mifune Toshiro. Mifune slips easily into the role of leader Kondo Isami, a farmer-caste born warrior who rose through the ranks by his strength and skills. Recruiting amongst the ronin and non-samurai warriors, Kondo and his co-commander Hijikata Toshizo (Kobayashi Keiju, Battle of Okinawa) develop a stern code of rules that keeps the rough crowd in-line. Completely devoted to the samurai ideals, even though many of them are not samurai themselves, including leader Kondo, the shinsengumi wage a lost battle against the overwhelming forces of the Emperor. Even losing, however, they do it honor and without compromise, so that their deaths continue to ring through the ages.

This was director Sawashima Tadashi's last film, and he played it right for the heroic machismo. Although they do dwell somewhat on the outdated morality they are defending, showing off their cool uniforms and strict code there is no mistake who the heroes are in this conflict. Other films, like Taboo and When the Last Sword Is Drawn, delve deeper into the dubious morality of the conflict and the group, but not this one. Sawashima just plays it straight, and with the charismatic Mifune in the lead that is exactly the way to go. Sometimes it is alright to cheer on in film those you are secretly glad lost in real life.

As usual, Animeigo put together a great DVD for this classic flick. One of the most difficult parts to grasp about "Shinsengumi" is that it is a famous historical story, and the director doesn't feel the need to explain who each and every character is. It is like watching a Revolutionary war picture and having a "General Washington" appear. There is no need to explain that this is the future first president of the country; we all know that. Same thing here. Characters appear without explanation because they would be familiar to every Japanese person. Animeigo's unique "captioned subtitles" helps deal with this by popping up historical facts and character introductions. There is also a brief introduction to the history of the shinsengumi included as an extra feature.

i have an extensive collection of samurai films, as well as other toshiro films from other genre's. while this is not at the top of the list by any means, it is a solid film. toshiro is great as always and the story moved quickly and it moved well. worth a watch, especially for the fan of samurai films.

I bought this recently when it was on sale at amazon for a paltry $6 so i couldn't resist. It's another take on the Shinsengumi history, and while i'm not a Japanese history buff enough to know what's fact or fiction, it takes the entire subject matter seriously and tries to present a clear and vivid picture.

I'll let more knowledgeable fans of the subject matter dispute the film's historical merits. I just wanted to say this is a very compelling and watchable film filled with tragic moments and memorable scenes and characters. Well-paced and colorful, it also has quite a few small and large action sequences so if you enjoy that type of thing you will find it here. Good cinematography and performances, plus Toshiro Mifune as good as usual, top it all off.

Extras include program notes(info that go into detail about certain people/places/events from the film), the film's trailer, pic gallery, and a sub-title option that is basically liner notes on screen while you watch the film(had to turn this option off as i had to concentrate on the english subs of the dialogue). The program notes were very helpful as i read them before i watched the movie. In fact, i got so caught up with the film that i re-read them after the film was over. So, if you enjoy good movies this is definitely worth a watch. If you like samurai films or films about Japanese history, perhaps a purchase is warranted.

I'm glad i took a chance on it anyways. And as a point of reference, i've seen, recommend, and enjoyed these other samurai-related films: Shogun Assassin, Ran, Seven Samurai, Heaven & Earth, Yojimbo, Sword of Vengeance series, Sword of Doom(all-time favorite, not sure why though), Shogun's Samurai, Zatoichi films, Shogun's Ninja, Samurai Assassin, Sanjuro, Hidden Fortress, and to a lesser degree Incident at Blood Pass and Hanzo the Razor(least favorite).

If life is a series of choices Isami Kondo and the Shinsengumi made all the wrong ones.

The first thing that has to be understood while watching this film is The Emperor and the Shogun were at war because of the opening of Japan to the west 1863-1868 the old way of life represented the Shogun vs the future, which was the Emperor, who understood knowledge from the west was critical to japan's survival. It took unequal treaties from the west for eyes to open in a country were changes were slow.

This film is seen through the eyes of Isami Kondo (Mifune) a country dojo instructor who becomes one of the original Shinsengumi (farmers and ronin who fought to protect and secure the Shogunate) and later it's sole leader. The film shows the heart of these men and their dedication to protecting the Shogun at all cost even if it ment killing anyone who oppossed their beliefs. These men are brave, fighting armies and dying for the Shogun but as the Shogun's power diminishes, different fiefs' began abandoning the Shogunate and rallying behing the Emperor and it is becoming clear that the Shinsengumi is a lost cause yet Kondo strong in his belifs refuses to disband the Shinsengumi even after it becomes clear the samurai way of life is over. Kondo is a farmer turned warrior he is not an educated man he refuses to see the politics of the situation and pays a dear price for it. I love samurai films I have many Shinsengumi movies in my collection but this film puts a magnifying glass on the infamous warriors without romanizing the group. The movie clearly shows the outdated moral codes many in Japan continued to live by during this time. The whole country of Japan was stagnant while the world was changing and the Shinsengumi were slow to understand these changes. Im a fan of Kinji Misumi, in fact im a big fan of his movies, his film The Last Samurai is his swan song about the Shinsengumi and gets all the glory, while it is a good film, It's hard to clearly get a solid understanding of the Shinsengumi the way you could in this film, and it doesn't hurt to have one of world cinema's best Toshiro Mifune, who is fantastic as always. This is a must buy ladies and gentleman

For a brutal flipside of the Shinsengumi check out the Cruel Story it's officially unreleased but you can find the dvd on Ebay.

Great movie. Mifune as always is dramatic and effective. This video shows again the confusion that the Samurai encountered during the transition back to royal rule, which was actually a modified republic rule. The move from shogun/saurai control to emperor/merchant control will always be romanticized but I think the video does a good job of showing the violence and chaos of the transition. Good acting and great camerawork thoughout the video. A must have for any samuraii video collector.

I have long loved this movie, having seen it in the theaters when released and again later under the title "Band of Assassins." I was very pleasantly surprised to see it released on DVD, under a different title: no wonder I couldn't find it for awhile.

I won't comment on the historical accuracy of this film, leaving that to those perhaps more qualified than I, but must rave about the excellent cinematography, first rate acting and above all the stellar writing and viewpoints it posits.

This is one of the most thoughtful of samurai movies I have ever seen, Mifune and others displaying heartfelt concern over what they are doing, why they are doing it, and the ultimate results of their behavior, as it concerns the principals and Japan and its culture in general. There is great humanity among all the killing. This movie is savagely bloody enough when it has to be, yet is capable of intense self-reflection between action scenes, especially near the end. This is one of the first uses of graphic violence being so explicitly depicted; later these techniques became standard fare.

A first rate film and don't let anyone tell you any different. I reccommend it for anyone into samurai movies, or one who is into historic period movies of it's time. The history of Japan in the 1860s and its political background is very clearly explained, so the viewer can readily identify with the characters, the times they lived and acted in, and a full understanding of the gestalt dynamic is the result. I don't know how historically accurate this movie is, but it is one hell of a story. Check it out.

I'm not a student of Japanese History, but it's clear the Shinsengumi are like the Defenders of the Alamo. Heroes doomed, but to be learned from. The Shinsengumi story is told in a fairly straight forward manner here, and in other films, it is touched on tangentially. This film is a great example, giving basic history in a good story. Very watchable, as to acting, cinematography, and human interest. Recommended Highly.

This excellent film could be considered as a precursor to "When the Last Sword in Drawn." The historicity of the film is not to be denied. The cutting of it into an episodic structure adds to the sense of a historical (mock) documentary, rather than an action film (which it certainly is). Anyone interested in the troubled period in Japan's history known as the Meiji restoration would find this period piece fascinating.

Very good movie. A lot to learn about the japanese culture of those days. Unfortunatelly there are not many extras on this DVD, but the purchase was worth it.

Toshirô Mifune. Need I say more? If your a fan of his work (besides the obvious titles), you should check it out.