Without the first and third movies in the trilogy, this movie would probably seem like a better flick. But considering how strong the movie began and how it finished even stronger, it is natural that there was a lull in the middle. It reminds me of the Empire Strikes Back--certainly not as exciting at the first Star Wars picture they made and not as satisfying as the conclusion because nothing was particularly resolved in the flick.
This movie concerns the transformation of Mifune from a young samurai warrior to a COMPLETE samurai. In other words, he is learning that there is more to being a samurai than just being able to beat others in combat. Exactly what this ideal samurai is to be seems uncertain, however Mifune is convinced by the end of the movie that there is no room on this path for the beautiful and ever faithful Ostu. Poor Otsu! It is important to note that these movies were made nearly 50 years ago and existing copies on DVD are in poor condition--with fading and sepia tones instead of the vibrant original. This became VERY apparent when I saw the beginning of the 3rd film. The color was nearly perfect for the initial scene and that is great, as it's a beautiful and extremely artistic shot. At times throughout the movie, some of the scenes are once again vivid while others are faded and lose their impact. You can't blame the film for that, but you wish Criterion would try to digitally enhance the prints they've got to improve the colors and get rid of some scratchy cels.
This movie concerns the transformation of Mifune from a young samurai warrior to a COMPLETE samurai. In other words, he is learning that there is more to being a samurai than just being able to beat others in combat. Exactly what this ideal samurai is to be seems uncertain, however Mifune is convinced by the end of the movie that there is no room on this path for the beautiful and ever faithful Ostu. Poor Otsu! It is important to note that these movies were made nearly 50 years ago and existing copies on DVD are in poor condition--with fading and sepia tones instead of the vibrant original. This became VERY apparent when I saw the beginning of the 3rd film. The color was nearly perfect for the initial scene and that is great, as it's a beautiful and extremely artistic shot. At times throughout the movie, some of the scenes are once again vivid while others are faded and lose their impact. You can't blame the film for that, but you wish Criterion would try to digitally enhance the prints they've got to improve the colors and get rid of some scratchy cels.