The Hidden Blade (2005)

Strong and Moving!

Good movie but grossly overrated

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

And I've seen a few. A film revolving around the advent of artillery warfare and the outmoding of the Samurai shogunite, directed with nostalgia and passion, against the backdrop of feudal Japan, fixed in it's ideas of honour and duty, makes this film a true depiction of 19th century Japan.The love story aside, which is a real and understandable love, the film is more central to the beliefs Japan held on to for 500 years that suddenly and devastatingly became untenable, and yet the honour remains.See this film. Brilliant in every regard.

'The Hidden Blade' does not reach the picks of beauty and does not fascinate like other samurai films, but is a solid, well filmed and well told story worth watching. The period when the action happens is the same one where 'The Last Samurai' is located, the time when Japan underwent rapid transformation and opening to the Western culture and way of life, but the angle is the one of the traditional samurai world. Like in the more famous movie the centuries old code of honor of the samurais enters in conflict with the rapid pace of change of the society around, but this conflict takes a secondary role here.It is actually the old code of honor that motivates Munezo, the principal character and which prevents him to consume his love to the servant Kie who belongs to another social class, and leads him into a life and death fight with his old friend who revolted against the stagnating system. The moral value of the code prevails and saves eventually the heroes in a kind of happy end, not unexpected, but yet well desired by audiences who identified with the heroes. The film is well acted and uses less the high tomes and interjections that sometimes discourage the Western audiences watching Japanese movies. The cinematography is consistent in approach and dominated by balanced nuances of brown and yellow. Without daring too much 'The Hidden Blade' is a well told story and should not be avoided by fans of Japanese films, or even as plain entertainment.

The Hidden Blade! hum... although there was very little sword play until the end, it was still a good first time movie to watch! If you love the Japanese culture, and especially the politeness and scenery, you'd enjoy this movie. Matsu Takako is so gorgeous as shes has always been one of my favorite celebrities.the best thing about this movie is that its made in 2004, this means its pretty recent, the digital image is great, although everyone loves the movie called 7 samurai, i couldn't bare to watch it cause its in black and white, and a lot of good samurai movies are in poor quality. However the great thing about this movie its pretty beautiful to watch! Good movie to watch especially the first time!

Fans of the common chambara (swordfigfht) film will be disappointed - this is not an action film. Tartan films is making a mistake by loading its marketing of this film in America with hints that it might be. In fact, this film probably could better distributed by Criterion, since it is the equal of any of the Japanese dramas it handles.This is a real throwback to the grand tradition of Japanese film - Ozu, Kurosawa, Mizoguchi. Flawless cinematography, almost painful care for detail, strong back story, meditative commentary on political history, and a passionate cross-caste romance, much as that captured in the "Samurai" trilogy. Sensitive acting and elegant direction. a romantic soundtrack that never becomes overbearing. Really a film for the ages.This is the film most people should be watching instead of the Tom Cruise farce "The Last Samurai". Indeed, sympathetic viewing of this film will at least make clear why many of us were outraged at the Cruise film - this has all the thoughtful reflection on the social tensions of that era that "The Last Samurai" lacked.A fascinating demonstration that the Japanese well know their own history and need no reminders from Hollywood - and can depict that history with a sweep and vision easily as grand and as beautiful as anything Hollywood can produce.