Hitokiri (1969) Tenchu!
Hitokiri (1969)
DVDRip | MKV | 700x444 | x264 @ 1296 Kbps | 134 min | 1,46 Gb
Audio: Japanese (日本語) AC3 2.0 @ 256 Kbps | Subs: English, Français
Genre: Action, Drama
DVDRip | MKV | 700x444 | x264 @ 1296 Kbps | 134 min | 1,46 Gb
Audio: Japanese (日本語) AC3 2.0 @ 256 Kbps | Subs: English, Français
Genre: Action, Drama
Director: Hideo Gosha
Writers: Ryôtarô Shiba (based on the novel by), Shinobu Hashimoto (screenplay)
Stars: Shintarô Katsu, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yukio Mishima
Izo Okada, a ronin (masterless samurai), desperately seeks a way out of his financial straits. He allies himself with the Tosa clan under the ruthless leader, Takechi, and imagines that he has come up in the world. But Takechi makes Izo a killer and a puppet, filled with self-loathing and a need to stop Takechi.
This movie is a brilliant lesson on Japanese history set in at the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate shortly before the Shogunate lost a big battle against the loyalist, who wanted the emperor back on the throne to rule Japan. Really, I had to read a lot of history to get the entire background.
Shintaro Katsu (also known as the original Zatoichi) gives a superb performance as Izo Okada, one of the four Hitokiri (=Human Slayer) of the Bakumatsu. He is a simple samurai who looses all of his wealth. In order to have a good life he becomes a retainer of Takechi Hanpei (played by Tatsuya Nakada = Ryonosuke out of Sword of Doom). Hanpei is a ultra-nationalist politician who lets his band of Hitokiri assassinate a lot of high ranking pro-west politicians in order to achieve his political goals. Izo Okada follows his leader without really questioning what they are doing. As long as he has money to go and drink and spend at his whore. Okada's killings get more and more brutal in the course of the movie and he is proud to have a reputation based on fear wherever he goes.
It is a splendid portrait on the life of a simple samurai who gets caught up in political affairs and is really to naive to realize what is happening. First after being betrayed and tortured and always having talks with Sakamoto ( who is a samurai who rejects violence) does he change his ideas and views on life. But too late….
Watch the movie to see the end of Izo Okada…
Shintaro Katsu and the rest of the staff give a brilliant performance. Each actor reaches up to their role. The sword-fights a very unique and fast…probably faster than several movies nowadays…
Check it out if you have the chance!!!
(click to enlarge)
Hitokiri (1969) Tenchu!
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