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Sword of the Beast

Original title: Kedamono no ken
  • 19651965
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 25m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
2.9K
YOUR RATING
Sword of the Beast (1965)
ActionDrama
After killing a counselor of his clan, a fugitive samurai befriends a couple poaching the shogun's gold in the mountains.After killing a counselor of his clan, a fugitive samurai befriends a couple poaching the shogun's gold in the mountains.After killing a counselor of his clan, a fugitive samurai befriends a couple poaching the shogun's gold in the mountains.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
2.9K
YOUR RATING
    • Hideo Gosha
    • Hideo Gosha
    • Eizaburo Shiba
  • Stars
    • Mikijirô Hira
    • Gô Katô
    • Shima Iwashita
    • Hideo Gosha
    • Hideo Gosha
    • Eizaburo Shiba
  • Stars
    • Mikijirô Hira
    • Gô Katô
    • Shima Iwashita
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 20User reviews
    • 19Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos9

    Mikijirô Hira in Sword of the Beast (1965)
    Sword of the Beast (1965)
    Sword of the Beast (1965)
    Sword of the Beast (1965)
    Sword of the Beast (1965)
    Sword of the Beast (1965)
    Sword of the Beast (1965)
    Sword of the Beast (1965)

    Top cast

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    Mikijirô Hira
    Mikijirô Hira
    • Yuuki Gennosuke
    Gô Katô
    Gô Katô
    • Jurata Yamane
    Shima Iwashita
    Shima Iwashita
    • Taka
    Toshie Kimura
    Toshie Kimura
    • Misa
    Kantarô Suga
    • Daizaburo
    Yôko Mihara
    Yôko Mihara
    • Osen
    Kunie Tanaka
    Kunie Tanaka
    • Tanji
    Eijirô Tôno
    Eijirô Tôno
    • Minister
    Shigeru Amachi
    Shigeru Amachi
    Hajime Araki
    Tsuyoshi Date
    Ryûji Fujisawa
    Torahiko Hamada
    Tôru Hatozaki
    Sentarô Hayashi
    Hisashi Hoshino
    Takashi Ikeda
    Takeshi Katô
    Takeshi Katô
      • Hideo Gosha
      • Hideo Gosha
      • Eizaburo Shiba
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #311.
    • Quotes

      Minister: Wait! We're not connected at all. Why kill me?

      Yuuki Gennosuke: No, we *are* connected because I'll see you in hell.

    • Connections
      Featured in Best in Action: 1965 (2021)

    User reviews20

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Treachery abounds in feudal Japan
    Gennosuke (Mikijiro Hira), a low-ranking samurai on the run from his own clan after killing a councillor teams up with a peasant to prospect gold on a mountain owned by the Shogunate where they face other poachers, bandits, and the samurai sent to avenge the dead councillor. The film reflects both the revisionist trend that was popular in the 1960s chambara films (as well as in their American counterpart, the 'western') and historical shifts in Japanese feudal society in the mid-1800s as Western influences spread. Gennosuke renounces the traditional strict codes of his class by participating in the murder of a samurai superior and then going on the run after finding out that he was simply a stooge in a local power struggle - to be used, betrayed, and abandoned. The asymmetry of hierarchical societies is a central theme, with absolute obedience expected from vassals while lords are free to be as capricious as they wish, owing neither loyalty nor honesty to those serving them. Typical of Hedeo Gosha's early films, 'Sword of Beast' paints a fairly bleak picture of human nature but ends on a relatively upbeat note (amidst the carnage) as the characters realise that loyalty and respect is earned, not inherited. The Criterion Collection version recently shown on TCM showcases the film's excellent cinematography and is nicely subtitled in English. Recommended.
    helpful•1
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    • jamesrupert2014
    • Nov 12, 2021

    Details

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    • Release date
      • September 18, 1965 (Japan)
      • Japan
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Japan
    • Production companies
      • Shochiku
      • Shochiku-Fuji Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 25 minutes
      • Black and White
      • Mono

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