Another classic Samurai film from the 60’s. Sword of the Beast tells the story of a man made to do the dirty work of his clan, only to be cast out into the cold.
The films starts off introducing Gennosuke, a samurai on the run from his clan after he killed one of their high ranking counselors. He moves from place to place avoiding capture, fighting and fleeing until he eventually escapes into the mountains.
Once at the mountains he works with a thug in plan to pan some gold from Government property, which they’ll need on the run . Once they arrive at an apparently abandoned shack, they realize that someone else has beat them to it! Another Samurai and his wife are panning gold from the river and have a substantial collection.
Despite the risk of execution from the government, they plan on taking a huge quantity and returning it to their clan, with the promise of a big promotion (to become a retainer) and a substantial pay rise.
But Gennosuke has plans to steal the gold for himself!
Becoming the Beast?
Gennosuke talks about becoming a Beast – hence the name ‘Sword of the Beast’. Leaving the life of a mission behind, he is cornered yet dangerous as he is a warrior in desperation, being hunted by the clan he was once a member of.
As events unfold we learn how Gennosuke was used by one of the counselors to kill another with promises of him reforming his clan and becoming a key member. By implying certain actions be taken, he puts Gennosuke in the position of a fugitive after he carries out his ‘implied mission’ all so he can gain a higher position in the clan.
What’s most interesting is how Gennosuke, in my opinion, fails to become the beast.
Gennosuke saves the wife of gold thief’s from death, and learns of their mission. In time he learns that they too have been used to advance the clan only to be discarded (killed). He then forgets his selfish mission to save them in what seems, to me, to be a way of making up for his previous mistakes.
It’s reasonably interesting to watch as most of these classic Samurai films are, but the interesting side of the story unfolds more toward the end of the film. The movie takes a look at Gennosuke’s thoughts on ‘becoming a beast’ in order to survive yet he is unable to ignore his morals.
It’s a decent story about Gennosuke’s motives and how they change, I found it to be reasonably entertaining.
The Martial Arts
There’s a few nice sword fights in this film, showing off some old fashioned action which is performed rather well with a down to earth sense of realism and Samurai fighting style.
The action is spread reasonably thin, but there’s still enough to keep swordplay enthusiasts happy. What I’ve always appreciated about these old Japanese films is that these is no overplayed fights with guys getting stabbed 50 times before dying, no fancy flips and ‘flying’ wire work – just realistic sword fighting – you get cut then you die.
Overall the action only supports a decently told story and is definitely not the star, but good nonetheless.
On DVD –
Region 1 (US & Canada)
Sword of the Beast (The Criterion Collection)
