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Mibu gishi den (2003) More at IMDbPro »

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22 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
The real last Samurais, 3 June 2004
10/10
Author: LordofHavoc

This movie is about the "Shinsengumi" (New Group) a famous group of Samurai in the last days of Tokugawa-shogunate that really existed.

At first they were a kind of police-company in Kyoto. Later on this group was fighting on the shoguns (Military head of state) side against emperor Meijis forces who stood for a modernized Japan. It is about the samurai system and their way that could not survive Japans transition into a modern state. But foremost it is a about people, emotions and honor.The characterization is fantastic and always believable and the swordplay is great.

If you have never heard anything about the Wolfs of Mibu (mibu no ogami(In Japan every child knows them)) you should not miss this movie, and if you know them, even better.

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21 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent Samurai film, 27 December 2003
10/10
Author: Simon Booth from UK

It's hard to believe that this is from the same director as the truly awful Onmyoji! WTLSID is an almost infinitely better film.

After watching THE LAST SAMURAI I was inspired to check out two recent Japanese films focussing on a similar time period, THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI and WHEN THE LAST SWORD IS DRAWN. It's interesting comparing the Japanese perspective of the Samurai with the Hollywood perspective - TLS romanticises the people and lifestyle far more than the Japanese films, though WTLSID is more misty-eyed than TWILIGHT when thinking about those Samurai whose world had left them behind.

Both Japanese films are much more character driven than THE LAST SAMURAI, representing the Samurai as much more human and complex people, and also giving a much less simplified view of the sociopolitical conditions of the time (though in both films the social conditions are much more in the background).

Of the three films, I think I enjoyed WHEN THE LAST SWORD IS DRAWN the most. The characters, acting, action, cinematography and soundtrack were all top notch - and though the end of the film is dragged out too much, it is very moving. I think all three films deserve to be seen though. I find it rather tragic that THE LAST SAMURAI is sure to play in every mainstream theatre in Japan, but TWILIGHT SAMURAI and WHEN THE LAST SWORD IS DRAWN will be lucky to play a couple of festivals and maybe a short art-house run in the US, with an R1 DVD likely to be years off if it comes at all. Those that have the bravery to check out the import DVDs for the Japanese films will definitely benefit from the experience, though!

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17 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent movie that deserves more recognition, 13 October 2004
9/10
Author: Steve Shovlar from Sherborne, Dorset

I watched the DVD of Mibu Gishi Den last night after it was lent to me by a friend. I had never heard of it before so watched it with no idea what it was about, other than I was told it was a story about he Samurai.

Well it blew me totally away. Like many foreign movies, I struggled at first with the names of the characters, and as they were dressed similar and all had the same haircut, I had a bit of trouble working out who was who!

Nevertheless I persevered and after 30 minutes had more or less followed the plot. It certainly got easier as the film unfolded and in the end there was a tear in my eye. I won't give away the plot of the film, as others have already done this. Just to say at the end as the titles rolled there was a lump in my throat. Repeated viewings will make the movie a better experience.

This DVD is available on region 3 now and certainly well worth owning. It is a far superior Samurai film compared to The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise.

Don't pass up the chance to see this remarkable movie. The two leads are excellent actors, and though I have never heard of them before, I should imagine they are very well known in their native Japan.

Grade A.

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12 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent!, 8 February 2004
10/10
Author: Knut Torgersen (knutt) from Drammen, Norway

This movie was recommended to me after I went to see "The Last Samurai (2003)" and was deeply captivated with that story.

This movie takes place during the confusing times when the Emperor attempted to modernize Japan and the time of the samurai warriors and their shogun masters was ending. It tells the story of the "lesser" samurai Kanichiro Yoshimura and his rival Hajime Saito. This is more of a drama than an action movie, and that is where it scored high with me. Call it a samurai movie with a twist - or, if you like, one that probably is more historically correct and pays more respect to the proud samurai warriors.

My face did get wet, I admit that. I really did have empathy (and sympathy for that matter) with poor, hard-working, misunderstood Yoshimura. 10/10!

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12 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
Great movie, 4 February 2004
9/10
Author: Daimon from Portuga,Aveiro

A great movie about samurais, full of historical details and deep feelings, is a story of a brave samurai that put´s love and family first.But when samurai code and family mixed together, emerges a number of moral questions like honor and loyalty and how thin is the line that separates the traitor from the hero.Society in hour days seems different but people still use political and religion arguments to convince others to serve their thirst for power.On the end what really matters is love and some of us learn that by the hard way.

;) "A must see masterpiece"

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8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent first 2/3. Last 1/3 bad and sugary-sweet, 12 January 2005
6/10
Author: showa48 from Aarhus, Denmark

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

(There might be small inaccuracies in this review, because I saw the movie 1 year ago).

This movie starts out with a mini-mystery of a kind: Two seemingly non-connected persons (a modern, western-style doctor and an aging samurai) meets - and discover they do have a link, namely a third man: Kanichiro Yoshimura.

The plot thickens when we gradually find out that one of the men (the doctor) almost only knows the man for his good sides (unselfishness, family man, etc.), while the other man (the aging samurai) only knows the man for his bad sides (greed, cowardliness, being a ridiculous clown, etc.). This is in itself a very interesting way to start a movie, and a surefire way to keep the viewer wondering: What IS the truth about this man - if there is any single truth....

In the first (and good) 2/3's of the movie, these two views are gradually combined into one consistent picture of the enigmatic Kanichiro Yoshimura: He would do anything, no matter how low, to support his family back home. This part of the movie, with the gradual revelation of the Kanichiro Yoshimura's past is really well-made, and in itself deserves praise.

The bad part starts when we have watched about 2/3's if the movie, hence the headline of this review. For some reason the point-of-view changes to Kanichiro Yoshimura's. Suddenly he seemingly forgets everything about his family's survival (and the director forgets how the Kanichiro Yoshimura-character had been until then). He starts throwing himself into massed ranks of enemies with rifles, only armed with two swords. While he survives that, the movie doesn't quite "survive", and instead devolves into a series of sentimental tear-jerkers, involving both Kanichiro Yoshimura and the persons around him. I just ask: Where in the world did the old (...and WAY more fascinating and ambiguous) Kanichiro Yoshimura go?!?!? Wby this sudden change in character?!

Conclusion: A movie, which could have been good, had it not been for the strange character development and overt sentimentalism of the last 1/3 of the movie.

Vote: 6/10.

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14 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
Undescribably sad and touching story, 4 April 2004
10/10
Author: Tony_Hedlund from Sweden

Wow... This movie totally blew me away... I'm not easily as touched as I were with this movie. I litterally had to pause it several times not to weep like baby. I haven't been this moved since the movie Heaven & Earth with Tommy Lee Jones, a drama about poverty and sadness, war and it's affect on people

This movie straight hit's the roof. I got tears, and a clogged throat. Normally I don't watch too many dramas, but this one I saw in a hunch.

I, without a doubt, give this 10 / 10 in the category of dramas! Respect the Samurai's! Respect those who throughout time died for bloodfeuds between clan's, starvation, and honor.

This is clearly a masterpiece! It deserves an Oscar.

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7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Possibly not one to enjoy as such, but definitely one to watch!, 6 June 2005
9/10
Author: Keith G from Cambridgeshire, UK

One acid test for a movie is that of whether or not you find yourself caring for (any of) the characters as you watch it. This superb study of human personality and of self-sacrifice, honour and duty in difficult circumstances passes that test like almost no other film I've seen.

I've read many of the comments here that want to split this film into good parts and bad parts and would only say that I, for one, cannot see the join - from start to finish the film is well-paced with a series of events that will make you laugh at times and may well make you cry at other times. For me, it was uncomfortable a lot of the time, as I wasn't much pleased with the way the story unfolded and the direction the events took - with just about everything going against the way I would have liked it to! (Risk of a spoiler prevents me being too specific here!) Too many personal chords were being struck for me to actually *enjoy* the film at times but it maintained an unusual integrity in sticking to its own uncomfortable/unsatisfying course and reaching its own rather superb conclusion in a way that many movies seem unable to do without pandering to their audience's expectations in some way.

Technicalities were mostly excellent: The acting (possibly because of the non-familiar faces) was impeccable, the soundtrack was excellent and all other aspects were most satisfactory despite a slight air of claustrophobia with much of the film taking place in a somewhat shut-in environment with only the briefest picture-postcard views of Japan. Also, with the copy I saw, the colour could have been better at times, as could the lighting of the interiors...

The temptation to say avoid this film and any disquiet it might bring you is strong, but instead I say watch it and I have no qualms in giving it 9 out of 10 - it's worth it!!

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9 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the best Samurai films ever, 24 August 2004
Author: choden from paro

One of the best Samurai films ever. Kîchi Nakai is an incredible actor and Koichi Sato supports him in the best way during the film. Mibu gishi den is one of the few films that bring you both joy and sorrow. What makes the film so touchy and significant is its realistic perspective; showing people with their different characteristics, a person can be a hero and a coward, at the same time but the last word and last sword are always for the heroes. Kanichiro Yoshimura is one of the crowd at first, we see him teaching in the classroom, we see him falling in love, we see him taking care of his kids. He's so real... We can smell the poverty and desperation when the trouble strikes. And the destiny takes him to Shinsen-gumi. He is so sincere and open hearted that he is not afraid of expressing his own feelings but deep inside he carries the heart of a very noble and brave warrior. Mibu gishi den's characterizations are marvelous, not only with Kanichiro and Saito Sensei, but also with the Kanichiro's childhood friend who is a rich landlord and the doctor we meet in the beginning of the film. Historical background of the movie is also interesting.

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12 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
Like "The Last Samurai", this film was set in the Meiji period. Unlike "The Last Samurai", this film was good., 20 December 2004
Author: Ian Seta from Sydney, Australia

Kanichiro is a poor samurai who has fallen on hard times. To feed his family he betrays his clan and moves to Kyoto to join the Shinsengumi (sort of like the Japanese secret police of the time). In Kyoto he squirrels away cent he earns and sends it back to his family. But times are changing and Kanichiro must choose where his loyalty lies; with the Shogun or with the Emperor. I really enjoyed this film, although I thought it could have benefited from a bit of brutal editing in parts. It tended to meander a bit towards the conclusion but it was overall a very good film and well deserving of its acclaim.

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