Release Date: 21 April 2005

Synopsis :

In the mid-19th century, during the final days of the Shoguns and the Samurais, the winds of change blowing throughout the country are beginning to be felt even in the Unasaka domain, a small fief on the northwest coast of Japan's main island.
Two friends, Munezo Katagiri (Masatoshi Nagase) and Samon Shimada (Hidetaka Yoshioka), see Yaichiro Hazama (Yukiyoshi Ozawa) off on his journey to take up an important position within the clan organization in distant Edo. The two return to Munezo's home, a modest dwelling befitting a samurai who lives on a tiny stipend of only 30 `koku' of rice per year, but a place of warmth and laughter he shares with his mother, his younger sister Shino (Tomoko Tabata) and Kie (Takako Matsu), a pretty farm girl working as a maid while she learns the skills and manners she will require to make an advantageous marriage.
Three years pass, in which time Munezo's mother has died, concerned that her son remains without a wife, and his sister has married Samon, leaving Munezo alone in their house with one elderly maid. Kie has married into the Iseya, a family of oil wholesalers, and Munezo assumes she is living happily. Encountering her out shopping one winter's day, he notices that she has grown thin and sad, and feels a tug at his heart as he watches her walk away through the snow.
Several months later. Under the direction of an official from Edo, Munezo is one of several samurai studying the new science of artillery. Hearing that Kie is ill, he and Samon hurry to the Iseya. Reluctantly admitted by Kie's mother-in-law, he finds her lying half-dead in a dimly lit storeroom. Ordering her husband to institute divorce proceedings, he carries her back to his own home.
Gradually she recovers, her younger sister comes to help, and Munezo's house once again becomes a place of gaiety and laughter. However, a plot by members of the clan in Edo against its leaders is brought to light, and fearful that this will come to the attention of the Shogun's government, those responsible are ordered to commit suicide. Yaichiro is also implicated, and he is 'sent down' to the clan's domain, where he is imprisoned in a small hut deep in the mountains.
Munezo and Yaichiro were two of the best students of Kansai Toda (Min Tanaka), former fencing instructor to the clan. Yaichiro was actually the better of the two, but for some reason Toda chose to impart his secret 'Oni No Tsume (devil's claw)' technique to Munezo.
The clan's chief retainer, Shogen Hori (Ken Ogata), summons Munezo and informs him that he is suspect due to his association with Yaichiro, and demands the names of others Hazama is friendly with. Munezo, saying that it is a samurai's duty to respect confidences, refuses to tell him.
The presence of Kie in Munezo's home makes him the subject of criticism. He has resolved to send her back to her family once she is recovered, but now tells her of a long-held dream of his, to take her with him on a journey across the sea. Thus made aware of his feelings for her, she feels her own heart begin to pound.
Yaichiro escapes from confinement and takes refuge in a farm house, taking an inhabitant hostage. Ogata (Nenji Kobayashi), the clan's chief overseer, orders Munezo to kill him. The end of the samurai's world is now in sight, but that world is not yet ready to let Munezo go free.

Movie Review:

To fully appreciate the movie, some basic understanding of the Samurai history may be necessary.

The Samurai, or bushi, were Japanese military warrior well crafted with the skills of bow and arrow, spears, and most notably, sword. Initially employed to protect the properties belonging to powerful landlords, the demand of Samurai later rocketed during the age of the Japanese civil war (Sengoku jidai) where these landlords fight over various provinces in Japan. War among them raged for the next few decades until the middle of the 16th century, where one of them,
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, successfully united the whole Japan.

In order to gain absolute control over his people, Hideyoshi consolidated all Samurai in castles and forbade anyone, except the Samurai, to use the sword. The hierarchy of social castes was thus formed, with the Samurai, who were both respected and feared by the commoners, on top of the caste, followed by the farmer, artisan and merchants. Within each caste was further division of social status.

The Samurai served as soldier for the respective province and in return received income from their Lord in the form of rice, which was then the official currency. This system of social hierarchy (caste) continues into the Edo period (1603 - 1868), even after Hideyoshi death.

"The Hidden Blade" was set nearing the end of the Edo period where the Japanese and other Asian countries had been forced to signed unequal treaties that gave the Westerners economical and legal advantages in Japan. Determined to regain independency from the
Westerners, the then Meiji government quickly reform all areas in Japan by learning the westerners ways, which includes learning their military skills.

No doubt the introduction of western cultural and military marks the beginning of the gradual abolishment of the Samurai, nevertheless, director Yoji Yamada had hilariously portrayed the unsuspicious Samurai clumsily trying their best to learn to march and run like the western foot soldier, as well as to operate the westerns' firearms and artillery. Unlike other typical Samurai movies, where these fearless warriors were all cold and serious, Yamada had exposed the fears (to learn new things) and shown audience a warmer and lighter side of the Samurais.

On the romance department, the stiff and rather unromantic, Master-servant relation between lower castes Sumurai, Munezo Katagiri (Masatoshi Nagase) and his maid, Kie (Takako Matsu), had failed to charm the audience. It is the tragic love between rebel Samurai, Yaichiro Hazama (Yukiyoshi Ozawa) and his wife that is more moving, unfortunately that minor side plot is plainly touch-on. The movie title may sound action packed. However, if you are expecting many sword-fighting sequences in the movie, you will be disappointed. The movie merely feature two but absolutely thrilling fighting scenes. First was when Katagiri seeking advice from his ex-sinseh,
Toda, on ways to counter Hazama, who was consider the No 1 swordman of the Unasaka clan. Although both were shown practising using wooden poles, the scenes were impressive enough to marvel audience. Finally were the showdown between Katagiri and Hazama in a beautiful mountainous countryside. The sequence were however too quick and swift to satisfy the audience. You wish the director would throw in a few more such sequences, however you will never realized this dream. Instead, the filmmaker choose to slowly tell the story of a struggled hero finding his position in the midst of the western influence but ended being nosed around by the scrupulous, political ploy of the upper castes Samurai, something similar to Yamada's previous works "The Twilight Samurai".

Finally you may asked, What is "the hidden blade?" It is a well-guarded ancient martial art happened to be imparted to Katagiri. I intend to play Katagiri here by also keeping mum about it or else it would spoil your viewing experience. But be prepared for a shocking revelation!

The movie is a non-commercialized gem, but ironically because of this, it is also easily neglected and forgotten by most audience.

Movie Rating: B

Review by Leosen Teo