The Charlotte Observer
In 'Samurai,' a master of swords loses his grip
Posted on Fri, Sep. 24, 2004
Story of dogged family man at end of humble career will touch you
LAWRENCE TOPPMAN
Movie Critic
"Twilight Samurai" must be the first film about a martial artist
where nobody raises a sword for 45 minutes. It offers only one
extended duel: bloody and stumbling, full of accidental mishaps,
probably very much like a swordfight would really be. This quiet,
expressive Oscar nominee for best foreign film is a character study,
and the Japanese title -- "Tasogare Seibei," or "Twilight Seibei" --
describes it better.
That's the nickname given to widower Seibei Iguchi (Hiroyuki Sanada)
by his co-workers in the storehouse of a Japanese warlord: When they
go out for drinks at dusk, he rushes home to two young daughters and
a mother with Alzheimer's disease.
The nickname applies to him for two other reasons. He's in the
twilight of his career as a fighter, having lost the fire that made
him instructor in a famous dojo, and the twilight of the samurai era
has settled upon Japan in the 1860s. A scene where the warlord's
minions comically deal with new rifles gives Iguchi a grim clue to
the future of swordsmen like himself.
If this smells like "The Last Samurai," fear not: No iron-jawed
American sails in to save the day, and director Yoji Yamada doesn't
make grand Hollywood gestures. (Coincidentally, Sanada appeared
in "Last Samurai" as Ujio, a short-lived battler.) Yamada wrote
the "Twilight Samurai" script with Yoshitaka Asama, adapting stories
by Shuhei Fujisawa, and they entwine a love story with a crisis of
honor and responsibility.
Iguchi, a self-described "petty samurai" at the bottom of the
retainers' pecking order, does his own housework, tends his small
plot of land and builds insect cages to collect extra money. He
believes no woman could joyfully share this life, including
childhood friend Tomoe Iinuma (Rie Miyazawa). Even after he protects
her from a beating by a drunken ex-husband, Iguchi can't accept her
gratitude or her brother's suggestion that they marry.
Meanwhile, his bosses find a use for his rusty skills. A great old
swordfighter, unfairly blamed for a trumped-up "failure" and told to
commit ritual suicide, holes up in his house. Iguchi, once a master
of the short sword, is ordered to storm that house and slay the
offender. This troubles the ethical Iguchi, who can't decide
between "duty" and the feeling that attacking this older man is
wrong.
Only Iguchi's character gets fully fleshed out, but we feel we know
him as well as any old friend: He's loyal yet slightly stubborn,
gentle yet accomplished in destruction, humble about his deeds yet
proud with the misguided pride of a poor man who has nothing else to
cling to. Sanada gives an exceptionally detailed performance,
showing us new things even in his last scenes.
Yamada directs with stately confidence, going no faster than he has
to but never letting us get bored. Even modest moments have payoffs:
Iguchi sharpens a sword at night, awakening his curious 5-year-old,
or fishes with Tomoe's brother (Mitsuru Fukikoshi), until the
corpses of two starved peasants float past.
Yamada has spent most of his 40-year career directing the tales of
Tora-san, a vain but comically lovable drifter, through nearly four
dozen films. With "Samurai," faced at 71 with what may have been the
most challenging project of his career, he blossomed like a gnarled
cherry tree exploding in flowers on the last day of spring.
REVIEW
Twilight Samurai
Reflective, touching, intimate portrait of a samurai facing action
in his waning years.
STARS: Hiroyuki Sanada, Rie Miyazawa, Mitsuru Fukikoshi.
DIRECTOR: Yoji Yamada.
LENGTH: 129 minutes. Subtitled.
RATING: NR (subdued violence).
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