Through his unconscionable actions against others, a sociopath samurai builds a trail of vendettas that follow him closely.Through his unconscionable actions against others, a sociopath samurai builds a trail of vendettas that follow him closely.Through his unconscionable actions against others, a sociopath samurai builds a trail of vendettas that follow him closely.
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Storyline
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- TriviaThe abrupt ending of the film is due to the fact that it was originally intended to be the first part in a trilogy of films based on a lengthy Japanese novel. Nakazato Kaizan's 41 volume historical novel focused on the Edo period in Japanese history when the shogunate collapsed and a new government arose that revolved around the Emperor. It was the longest novel in Japan - encompassing 1533 chapters and over 5 and a half million Japanese characters - until the publication of Sohachi Yamaoka's serialized novel "Tokugawa Ieyasu", which is reportedly the longest novel in any language.
- Quotes
Toranosuke Shimada: The sword is the soul. Study the soul to know the sword. Evil mind, evil sword.
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Samurai Movies (2016)
Featured review
"...the sword is the soul..."
THE SWORD OF DOOM is a action drama about a tradition, family and honor, which are connected by a bloody sword. A melodramatic story suggests some form of madness in a lecherous society. It is based on the serial novel of the same title by Kaizan Nakazato.
Ryunosuke Tsukue is an amoral and bloodthirsty master swordsman with an unorthodox style. He kills, in cold blood, an elderly Buddhist pilgrim who he finds praying for death. Later, he kills an opponent in self-defense in a fencing competition that was intended to be non-lethal, but became a duel after he coerced his opponent's wife to have sex with him in exchange for throwing the match and allowing her husband to win. He is, for murder, banished from the city. His opponent's ex-wife goes with him. In order to support his wife and child, Ryunosuke joins a mercenary service, which is composed of ronins. Eventually, he learns that the younger brother of the man he killed in the fencing match is looking for him, intent on revenge...
It is an isolated and wild action, which has peaks in various forms of killings and bloodshed. The atmosphere is very anxious in an impressive environment. Social categories are distorted in many ways, therefore, this movie reminds on an amoral game, where the winner is only weapon - the sword. A traditional spirit has had a decisive influence on a very good characterization.
Tatsuya Nakadai as Ryunosuke Tsukue is an intelligent assassin. He certainly does not show emotion. This is evident in the scenes where he looks his family with a touch of quiet contempt. He is an unconscionable character, but his spirit is shaken when he met his match swordsman. Mr. Nakadai has offered a good performance.
His support are Michiyo Aratama (Ohama) as his frightened mistress, Yuzo Kayama (Hyoma Utsuki) as a vengeful, but sensible young man, Yoko Naito (Omatsu) as a young beauty, who is a victim of a sick society and Toshiro Mifune (Toranosuke Shimada) as the master swordsman in the true sense of the word.
The film's abrupt ending leaves many plot elements unresolved. Mr. Okamoto has left us to think about destiny, justice, romance and bloody sword.
Ryunosuke Tsukue is an amoral and bloodthirsty master swordsman with an unorthodox style. He kills, in cold blood, an elderly Buddhist pilgrim who he finds praying for death. Later, he kills an opponent in self-defense in a fencing competition that was intended to be non-lethal, but became a duel after he coerced his opponent's wife to have sex with him in exchange for throwing the match and allowing her husband to win. He is, for murder, banished from the city. His opponent's ex-wife goes with him. In order to support his wife and child, Ryunosuke joins a mercenary service, which is composed of ronins. Eventually, he learns that the younger brother of the man he killed in the fencing match is looking for him, intent on revenge...
It is an isolated and wild action, which has peaks in various forms of killings and bloodshed. The atmosphere is very anxious in an impressive environment. Social categories are distorted in many ways, therefore, this movie reminds on an amoral game, where the winner is only weapon - the sword. A traditional spirit has had a decisive influence on a very good characterization.
Tatsuya Nakadai as Ryunosuke Tsukue is an intelligent assassin. He certainly does not show emotion. This is evident in the scenes where he looks his family with a touch of quiet contempt. He is an unconscionable character, but his spirit is shaken when he met his match swordsman. Mr. Nakadai has offered a good performance.
His support are Michiyo Aratama (Ohama) as his frightened mistress, Yuzo Kayama (Hyoma Utsuki) as a vengeful, but sensible young man, Yoko Naito (Omatsu) as a young beauty, who is a victim of a sick society and Toshiro Mifune (Toranosuke Shimada) as the master swordsman in the true sense of the word.
The film's abrupt ending leaves many plot elements unresolved. Mr. Okamoto has left us to think about destiny, justice, romance and bloody sword.
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- elvircorhodzic
- Nov 25, 2017
- How long is The Sword of Doom?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime2 hours
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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