Customer Reviews

Shogun's Samurai - The Yagyu Clan Conspiracy

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

 

 

This is a great movie. If you want an all-out action film or a Sonny Chiba showcase, then you will be disappointed. But if you want an epic samurai film with a gripping story, lots of intrigue, memorable characters, and some good action sequences, then this is your film. If you've ever seen Shogun's Ninja(also with Sonny Chiba), it's kinda like that but with a better, more coherent story and performances but has less of the wild action scenes and less of the campiness as well. Think of a Kurosawa-esque film with more action, or a martial arts film with a greater emphasis on character and plot and you'll have Shogun's Samurai.

The film is fictonal, although it's based on some historical facts and settings. Basically, the second shogun of Japan has died(poisoned) and his two sons are fighting for the right to be the next Shogun. Iemitsu Tokugawa(the eldest who is supposed to be the heir) is backed by the Yagyu clan, while his younger brother Tadanaga is backed by almost everyone else. This sets the stage for an epic struggle between two determined sides. The best thing about the movie is that it presents us with BOTH sides of the conflict. It really doesn't take sides, just presenting them(we see both brothers being manipulated by their advisors) and in the process introducing some very memorable characters(including some bad-ass fighters in the process). No, the film doesn't have long fight scenes that showcase all of them(in fact, some disappear for long periods at a time); but samurai films by nature rarely have long extended fights anyway.

Ok, so should you buy this? Hard to say, but let me set the stage for why I was gripped by this film. The first 'very talky' scene shows Tajima(head of the Yagyu Clan) convincing Iemitsu that he should be the next Shogun and that he would do everything in his power to help. Despite the dialogue-heavy nature of the scene, it didn't bore me. In fact, it fully immersed me into the film as well as help me decide who to side with in the movie. But as the movie progressed and introduced new characters and situations, the blurry line of good guy/bad guy and what side was what got even blurrier to the point where you root for individuals and not actual sides. As stated before, not a lot of action scenes. But believe me, when they happen, you watch REALLY carefully...to make sure the character(s) you like doesn't meet their demise. And the ending of the film...wow. No huge battle sequence, but it is very memorable(although it could've 'looked' more realistic) and despite the film's complexity actually brings the film to a satisfying conclusion. Overall, highly recommended.

(DVD=16:9 anamorphic, mono, Japanese language with English subs, only has original Japanese trailers and insert with liner notes)

Director Kinji Fukasaku was Japan's answer to Sam Fuller: he made films of unflinching brutality and political anger. As a child who witnessed the death and destruction of the Second World War, he brought his sense of injustice and outrage over the victimisation of ordinary people by the powerful in the existential thrillers he made under the thriving studio system.

SHOGUN SAMURAI: THE YAGYU CLAN CONSPIRACY was Fukasaku's first Samurai film after his hugely successful Yakuza films of the 60s and 70s, and possesses the same sense of social critique of the former films. A tragedy about ambition and lust for power, the story about the Shogun's sword master Yagyu and his schemes to install the late Shogun's hated older son to power over the favoured younger son, Fukasaku uses a shadowy chapter of Japanese history to reflect the turmoil and anxiety of the 1970s, drawing parallels with Watergate, political conspiracies, covert operations, cover-ups and assassinations, creating a powerful allegory for the times. The scope of the story is almost Shakespearan as Yagyu will stop at nothing to ensure his prince takes the seat of power, not even the death of his own children or an entire village of former allies will stand in his way.

One of the biggest hits in Japan at the time, this was a prestigious production, boasting a virtual who's who of Japanese acting A-list in an epic tapestry of the class system in medieval Japan. Sonny Chiba plays the renowned samurai Jubei Yagyu, one of his most beloved roles, but served as fight choreographer as well. There's not a single dull moment in the film as Fukasaku fills every frame with intrigue, betrayal and copious bloodshed, all to drive home the point about the corruption of power and the inescapable consequences of one man's actions.

Shogun's Samurai was hardly what I expected. With a cast that includes Sonny Chiba, Toshiro Mifune, Tetsuro Tanba, and Hiroyuki Sanada, I imagined an almost non-stop 130-minute action fest. Shogun's Samurai completely defied my expectations, and surprised me by containing some genuinely great characters and some touching dramatic moments.

Director Kinji Fukasaku is, in my opinion, one of the most talented filmmakers of the 20th century. His resume includes more than 60 directorial credits, and the vast majority of his films are, if not always intellectually stimulating, totally engrossing cinematic achievements.

In Shogun's Samurai, he molds a long, epic tale of loyalty and betrayal. There are still quite a few action scenes, but the trend here is for brief explosions of violence that get us quickly back into the narrative. That really is the best policy in a film as complicated as this one: there are so many characters and so many secrets, if Fukasaku had taken much more time on any of the action pieces he would have lost us, leaving us confused and unsatisfied. As it is, though, Shogun's Samurai should keep you intellectually involved and sitting on the edge of your seat; know what to expect, a complicated political drama with a bit of violence, and you are sure to enjoy the film.

I only give it four stars because of one painfully irritating performance: Kinnosuke Nakamura as Tajimaru Yagyu. His performance isn't bad, per say, just horribly out of place. The rest of the cast speaks quickly, realistically, and you can see the thought processes going on in their minds before and as they speak. Nakamura, however, feels as if he was torn straight from a Kabuki performance. I, personally, love Kabuki theatre, but in the film Nakamura's slow-as-molasses, extremely over-emphasized dialogue is distracting and annoying.

The DVD by Adness, who also recently released the Japanese horror series "Tomie" on DVD, was surprisingly quite good. The disc is anamorphically enhanced, and for the majority of the film there is hardly a trace of dust or any damage to the print. There are a handful of brief instances where some debris is noticeable on the print, but for a 30 year old film, Shogun's Samurai looks great! The disc also provides three trailers (two teasers and one full-length theatrical) that are also anamorphically enhanced and very sharp. They're quite fun to watch, and all of the dialogue and on-screen text are subtitled. All in all it's a very worthy disc for the film.

Whether you're a fan of Fukasaku, any of the cast, or Japanese period-epics in general, Shogun's Samurai is certainly a worthy purchase.

I totally enjoyed this movie. Admittedly I saw it only becasue of Toshiro Mifune however he had only a small part. Nevertheless I was not disappointed. The action, romantic angst,the conspiracy and intrigue more than mdae up for it. The battle scenes were engaging without being needlessly gory. I say this is a great film.

"Shogun's Samurai," is the type of film you would expect from director Kinji Fukasaku. Having made numerous Yakuza films throughout his career, he wove a great film dealing with the same sort of deception and backstabbing that was his trademark with his crime films. The film is highly recommended, and one also gets quite a different look at Sonny Chiba's character. The beginning of the film sets the tone for the entire film. The heart of the recently deceased Shogun has been stolen from his resting body. Why? Did something happen to the Shogun which has cast doubt among others? One of the characters in the film who plays a very good role [and there are many] is Yagyu Tajima (Kinnosuke Nakamura). Who tries to convince the eldest son to assume power. I don't wish to give out too many details of his character, as it will ruin the film for you, but I will write that he plays the role of a conspirator exceptionally well.

The Shogun's recent death has left a vacuum among the Japanese people. There are two sons who are the heir to the Shogunate. With factions backing the eldest son, Prince Iemitsu Tokugawa (Hiroki Matsukata) and other factions backing the younger son, Prince Tadanaga Tokugawa (Teruhiro Saigo) the motions have been set for great intrigue and conspiracy at the highest levels. In fact, there are so many conflicting areas the film comes at you, that you sometimes wonders which side to root for. It appears everybody is being deceived at some point for some reason. As the struggle for a successor builds up tension in the film, the viewer is given a great look at the backstabbing and intrigue that is behind the two sides vying for power, and why sides are taken. Not all is what it appears at times.

"Shogun's Samurai" is an epic tale that will captivate you with both the loyalty and the betrayal of certain characters in the film. There are not many action scenes in the film, although there are a few. However, the films narrative is more about how politics shape the characters in the film, and why their loyalties are to one of the heirs and not the other. And moreover, whether or not their loyalties are genuine--or if they are just temporary due to the chaotic situation all parties now find themselves in. The cinematography of the film is great, the characters are terrific, and the narrative flows wonderfully. This is a highly engaging and recommended film, which I think you will find worth owning. It is at least worth the rent. Recommended.

I think that I had every shogun movie but this.

Now this was certainly not what I expected. They don't just give you a simple story, they explore this story in every possible way. I wish that I could give a better review, but I wouldn't give a good one with how good the story is with this. Also if I reviewed it I would give it away, and that would be a real shame.

So don't expect a sonny chiba cause this movie is certainly an epic that doesn't highlight just one actor like the last samurai did.

The dvd itself has a VERY good picture and good 2-channel audio, but don't really expect any serious bass. The subtitles are good and I can only remember one line where I did't get a translation, but I can guess whta he said so it didn't matter. It also has nice notes inside the dvd case.

So go out and get this and do not wait around like my stupid-ass did.

"Cut down Buddha himself if he stands in your way". Yeah, it's pretty good!

Just a note: this is a prequel to the popular television series that many of us are familiar with.

This is one of those Sonny Chiba films that I actually thought were intersting and not cheesy funny. It makes you think and it makes you question on what really happened to the prince. WATCH THIS FILM!

Time to splashed some cold water on your faces out there. On a whole, this historical fantasy samurai drama movie is just about average as one can get. Its script is pretty average, acting is pretty average and action is also pretty average. There really nothing wrong here but there really nothing exceptional either. There are some big Japanese movie stars here but like some American movies with big stars, it don't mean it will be a great movie. This movie is basically your standard samurai movie, much like watching an average western movie. Nothing stands out. Its an entertaining movie to a point, nice time killer. This movie seem to be more of a "political" movie then an action movie. Sonny Chiba's role is limited but yet important. He plays the hero/anti-hero Yagyu Jubei who seem to have his own agenda in this movie. Playing Yagyu Jubei was Chiba's greatest role and he did it well in numerous Japanese movies and TV shows. (If you watch Kill Bill, Uma Thurman uses many of Chiba's Yagyu style.)

Less you know about Japanese history, better you will enjoyed this movie. Its about historically accurate as Braveheart which means its about 99% historically wrong. I hope NO ONE think they can get a history lesson out this movie.

If you are Sonny Chiba fan, you can't go too wrong by watching this movie. If you like fantasy Japanese samurai politics at work, this is a good movie for it. But for some, this movie will probably disappoint because of lack of action, too much political talking and total lack of historical taste.

The first time I saw this movie, I didn't like it too much. My fault, I wasn't paying attention. It's because one scene and the climax are completely different from the Yagyu Clan Conspiracy television show I remembered from growing up in the Los Angeles area. Having watched the movie more closely with this release, I caught the slight difference in the story, which completely changed the meaning of the movie.

The second Tokugawa Shogun has died, which brings about a struggle to succeed him between his two sons. The eldsest son, Iemitsu, is unpopular, but is supported by the Yagyu Clan, and the younger son is supported by their mother, and a lot of daimyo. Enter into the mix, the nobility, who plan on restoring the emperor to power.

I can't go into detail about the plot, for it is one of the best things about this movie. Lets just say that it has more twists that a knot that is difficult to untie. You want political intrigue, you got it. You want conspiracies, you got that, cover-ups, that, too. Although this is a fictional telling of the transition to the third Tokugawa shogun, it's kind of like the Kennedy assassination, but in Edo period Japan.

Outside of the plot, the movie has Sonny Chiba playing Yagyu Jubei, one of his most memorable film characters, and Kinnosuke Yorozuya, playing Yagyu Tajima, the father of Jubei, and as usual, Yorozuya gives a strong performance. Etsuko Shiomi plays Akane, Jubei's sister, and Hiroyuki Sanada is also in the film playing a ninja. Not to mention Mikio Narita, who always plays a great villian. The gang is all here.

The director, Kinji Fukasaku, does a great job of weaving all these different twists, and moving the stroyline along. The actors really seem to step into their roles. You would think that with Sonny Chiba playing Yagyu Jubei, and two of his students in supporting roles, the movie would be all about the action, but it's not. The action is a bonus to the acting, the directing and the writing.