People are voting emotionally.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

To start l didn't know that movie was primarily conceived as trilogy,so all thing didn't make sense at all,mainly the abrupt final,after to watch the movie l stay at my bed sleeplessly thinking why l didn't understand the confusing final and unanswered questions needs an explanation...and about the duel on the early morning at great pine??...what's about Itsuky waiting at street???well in the next day l found the answers on IMDb....however the final is pure action,has some excessive damage to movie's credibility by so long fight and Ryonosuke like Rambo killing thousand....come on...Resume: First watch: 2017 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5

The sword is the soul. Study the soul to know the sword. Evil mind, evil sword. - Master Shimada in "The Sword of Doom"There is something about Samurai films from this era that always intrigued me. Behind the brilliance of the swordfighting and martial arts there lies a deep meaning. Based on a long novel and originally supposed to be a 3-part series, Kihachi Okamoto's 1966 Epic "The Sword of Doom" (originally titled "The Pass Of The Great Buddha") is no exception. The story follows a young wandering samurai named Ryunosuke, played by Tatsuya Nakadai, during the final days of Shogunate rule. Ryunosuke is a skilled swordsman but also a sociopath murderer who leaves a trail of bloodshed wherever he goes. The movie opens with a Grandfather and granddaughter on top of a mountain in Japan overlooking a shrine and the beautiful scenery around them. The granddaughter leaves for a moment and when she gets back, she finds her grandfather dead. The man who did it is Ryunosuke, who on his way back to his clan is scheduled for a duel. The wife of the man he will duel begs Ryun to throw the match as he is not as skilled a swordsman. Ryun agrees but in the final seconds after the fight, in self-defense, kills the man with one swift blow as he lunges towards him. This is what sets up the story. The brother of the killed man is out for revenge, though he is informed by his master Shimada (Toshiro Mifune) that he is not yet skilled enough to defeat Ryunosuke and his unorthodox technique. He must find a way to beat him and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! Or else he will die. Meanwhile, Ryunosuke's violent past catches up with him and he begins to question his own seemingly unbeatable skill. He is now living with the wife of the man he killed in the match, but their relationship is shaky. This is only the beginning. The story spans over several years and can be seen from many different angles. The granddaughter from the beginning is one of the films strong points. Interestingly enough, I found myself sympathizing with the villain Ryunosuke at times. There was a very subtle human element behind his cold demeanor and evil ways that I could not help but notice. In one of my favorite scenes of the film, Ryunosuke watches in awe while Master Shimada fights off a group of bandits during an ambush, watching the violence unfold as the snow falls softly around them. For the first time in his life , maybe he is vulnerable. Though Toshiro Mifune is in this, he is not the star. Nakadai steals the show with minimal dialogue - just his eyes tell the story of a man with a dark past. The fight scenes are incredibly well-choreographed with beautiful cinematography. The fights themselves are not polished or elegant or romanticized; they are realistic and at times very graphic. The ending sword fight scene is over 7 minutes long and will leave you astounded! It is not simply a "train until you can beat em" movie. There is a lot of depth, interesting characters, great fight scenes, beautiful cinematography. Loved the soundtrack too! The subtitles flowed and seemed genuine, though I will say the story was hard to follow at times as the plots evolved. I highly recommend "The Sword of Doom" to anyone interested in this kind of thing.

Through his unconscionable actions against others, a sociopath samurai builds a trail of vendettas that follow him closely.This film embraces the anti-hero sentiment of the 1960s, as seen in spaghetti westerns and the like. This is violence to a new degree, and a hero we really do not want to stand behind, but cannot help but watch his exploits. This is stylized violence, a kind that was very influential. Notably on Sam Peckinpah, but obviously on future generations such as Quentin Tarantino, as well.Placing this in the context of the samurai film is not something i am qualified to do. However, of those I have seen, I can certainly say this had far more action and much less ritual than what is often seen (such as in the films of Kurosawa).

I like the interpretation of Ithearod (Nov. 7, 2007) of the ending - Ryunosuke is already dead and in a Dantean circle of never ending fighting and pain - but unless I missed something there is another hole in the chronology. Ryunosuke has a date to meet Hyoma in a duel in the morning, but after he kills his common-law wife (the actual wife of his earlier victim), the scene suddenly shifts to Kyoto, to which Ryunosuke has repaired with the gang of murderers he has joined. It's only in Kyoto, and indeed at the brothel where Ryunosuke meets Omatsu, that his madness reaches its climax. Up to that point, he is largely in control of what he does. So, why did he not meet Hyoma in the duel?