Sleepy Eyes of Death: Sword of Fire

Original title: Nemuri Kyôshirô: Enjôken

19651965
1h 23m

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

174

YOUR RATING

Sleepy Eyes of Death: Sword of Fire (1965)

Action Drama

This film of the sleepy-eyed ronin series has the red-haired swordsman on his way to the city of Edo when he comes across the scene of a woman in the midst of a knife fight with a man. When ... Read allThis film of the sleepy-eyed ronin series has the red-haired swordsman on his way to the city of Edo when he comes across the scene of a woman in the midst of a knife fight with a man. When he reluctantly and with considered hesitation becomes involved, his intervention has him i... Read allThis film of the sleepy-eyed ronin series has the red-haired swordsman on his way to the city of Edo when he comes across the scene of a woman in the midst of a knife fight with a man. When he reluctantly and with considered hesitation becomes involved, his intervention has him involved in a thieving plot involving the top official of the local Todo Clan and a plan to... Read all

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

174

YOUR RATING

Director
- Kenji Misumi
Writers
- Seiji Hoshikawa
- Renzaburô Shibata(story)
Stars

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Trivia
Nemuri Kyoshiro body-count: 58.

Connections
Featured in Best in Action: 1965 (2021)

User reviews3

Review

Featured review

6/10

The Fifth Entry Is Just Okay

On the road, Kyoshiro Nemuri meets a knife wielding woman and a man with a sword engaged in mortal combat. After the woman promises that Nemuri can have "anything" he wants, our protagonist disarms the man letting the woman kill him, thus avenging her murdered husband. At least that is what the woman claims, the truth turns out to be more complicated. For his reward, Nemuri wants to spend the night with the woman (chivalry is not Nemuri's strongest virtue). Because of this, and an ill timed meeting with a former pirate in a tavern, Nemuri becomes involved in another adventure involving smugglers , corrupt clan leaders, and devious women (this is the entry that should have been titled Sword of Seduction). Of course, Nemuri plays fair with the innocent bystanders in the story but meets villainy with villainy.

After the last entry (the series's high point thus far), I was a little disappointed with Sword of Fire. The story uses tropes that have been better used in previous entries. The villains do not stand out (the villainess is certainly no Princess Kiku). The Gothic touches of the last two entries are missing entirely. Most surprisingly considering the director, the action scenes are only fair. Director Kenji Misumi directed most of the original Lone Wolf and Cub films and a handful of the best Zatoichi movies. Misumi's previous entry in the series, Sword of Adventure, featured a thrilling final fight sequence. Yet, Sword of Fire is just not in their company. It is on par with the first Sleepy Eyes of Death, an okay samurai film, worth watching for fans. Viewers not as enamored with the series can probably skip this entry.

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