Marvelous scene writing and dialogue builds a slyly captivating, slowly building narrative. It feels for a long time like the plot is going nowhere fast, but the soft, slight pace is wholly intentional, letting the drama amass like a balloon waiting to burst. Our patience is tested at first, but once we see what 'Shura' has been doing all along, we are justly rewarded - even just within the first hour, let alone the latter half. The tension in each passing moment is immense, and this is matched by strong performances filled with powerful nuance and poise, not least of all from Katsuo Nakamura as vengeful samurai Gengobe, Masao Imafuku as Gengobe's faithful servant Hachiemon, and Yasuko Sanjo as the geisha Koman. These characters especially are revealed to be ever more complex as the film runs on, and as emotions grow ever more heightened, each star embraces the parts with wonderful completeness. Even apart from just those three, however, everyone in the cast is brilliant in filling their roles to bring this sordid tale to life.
Make no mistake, we are gifted with vigorous, progressively grisly scenes of jarring violence, and they are grotesquely absorbing in the spilling of blood. With that in mind, too, the overall narrative is a masterful saga of loyalty, betrayal, love, hatred, honor - and corruption, as ill deeds beget one another. But for every shock of gore, and every grand theme at play, 'Shura' still above all sustains a flat, consciously restrained tone - without even a score or soundtrack to speak of, and cemented further with a black and white image - that ensures the crimson and the discord strike with equal potent forcefulness. What may have initially struggled to keep our engagement becomes increasingly, exponentially more entrancing and profound, crafting a gruesome, exemplary tableau like nothing else.
Despite clear favorable reception, I began watching with uncertain expectations, and the earliest scenes left me doubtful. It turns out I had regrettable preconceptions that were nonetheless ultimately defied, and far exceeded. Between the subject matter and the violence, this isn't going to be for everyone, and the discreetly muted style of the feature may likewise be off-putting for some, to say nothing of the purposefully unhurried pace. Yet these are frankly minor considerations that belie a story that at length is viscerally jolting and horrific in the course of events that transpire. Wherever and whenever you can find it, 'Shura' is an incredible, essential masterwork of cinema that demands to be experienced. Highest recommendation!
