Like "Tasogare Seibei" that followed it a few years later, "Ame Agaru" tells a story about samurais - and in this particular case, a ronin - that is so refreshingly atypical and interesting that it leaves you wanting more.
I've watched many samurai movies and series. My favorites have included the Zaitochi series, especially the movie version directed and stared in by Takashi Kitano. Part of the draw is of course the sword-fighting and the battles; but to be perfectly honest, after a while it all starts to get a bit stale.
While it is not as genre-bending like what Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven" did to westerns, "Ame Agaru" nonetheless delivers in its depiction of a ronin during the Edo Period that seemingly borders on the mundane but surprisingly tells so much more about what it might have been like for such masterless warriors.
What stands out most about this film is the loving treatment by both the writer and the director - who by the way are giants in Japanese cinema - of the main character. He is not what one might expect from a ronin from this period in Japanese history, though clearly the pride and ego are there even if they are seemingly suppressed.
By contrast, the other samurais are not as fleshed out and come across as more cookie-cutter and thus boring. This is unfortunate, because had the movie given the same treatment to these other characters that it did to its protagonist, it could have been truly revolutionary. Instead, "Ame Agaru" is more of an interesting sidetrack from the typical samurai genre than a major evolution.
It is a lost opportunity until the arrival of "Tasogare Seibei", which arguably is a better film in terms of its challenge of the genre. Nonetheless, "Ame Agaru" is an enjoyable film, and is worth a look if you are a fan of samurai movies.
I've watched many samurai movies and series. My favorites have included the Zaitochi series, especially the movie version directed and stared in by Takashi Kitano. Part of the draw is of course the sword-fighting and the battles; but to be perfectly honest, after a while it all starts to get a bit stale.
While it is not as genre-bending like what Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven" did to westerns, "Ame Agaru" nonetheless delivers in its depiction of a ronin during the Edo Period that seemingly borders on the mundane but surprisingly tells so much more about what it might have been like for such masterless warriors.
What stands out most about this film is the loving treatment by both the writer and the director - who by the way are giants in Japanese cinema - of the main character. He is not what one might expect from a ronin from this period in Japanese history, though clearly the pride and ego are there even if they are seemingly suppressed.
By contrast, the other samurais are not as fleshed out and come across as more cookie-cutter and thus boring. This is unfortunate, because had the movie given the same treatment to these other characters that it did to its protagonist, it could have been truly revolutionary. Instead, "Ame Agaru" is more of an interesting sidetrack from the typical samurai genre than a major evolution.
It is a lost opportunity until the arrival of "Tasogare Seibei", which arguably is a better film in terms of its challenge of the genre. Nonetheless, "Ame Agaru" is an enjoyable film, and is worth a look if you are a fan of samurai movies.