Seventeen Ninja (1963)
As the Shogun lays dying, seventeen Iga clan ninja are sent to infiltrate the impenetrable fortress where his youngest son is preparing to storm Edo Castle and name himself Shogun by force of arms. They are to either steal the documents that will eventually give him lawful claim to rulership, or they are to assassinate him. But even before they reach the castle walls, they find their every move countered by a ruthless ninja hunter in the employ of the would-be usurper (Konoe), who not only knows their every tactic but knows the exact make-up of their team thanks to his own spies within Edo Castle. As the Iga Ninja fall one by one, the mission's success or complete failure--where failure will result in a bloody war of succession--comes to hinge on a single young and inexperienced ninja (Kotaro).
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For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!
Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.
The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
Smart and ninja movie rarely occur in the same sentence. Most ninja movies do not even have ninjas. The word was added during the VHS rental years along with a picture that also had nothing to do with the material. Then there is this movie. I can't recall how I came across a copy because I never heard of it yet I own thousands of martial arts movies. One day I watched it and it was unforgettable. The script was perfectly written, the actors could act, and the action - though minimal - was good. It's a brainy strategy story where every move the good guys try is anticipated by the villain. Everything goes wrong from start to finish yet the good guys somehow manage to come out on top. This movie has my highest recommendation to fans of the genre and I will add that cliché that it does indeed transcend the genre it is that good.