When a former friend is found guilty of treason, a low ranking samurai must choose between duty and personal feelings. Munezo Katagiri (Masatoshi Nagase) is a samurai living with his sister Shino (Tomoko Tabata), his mother, and a maid named Kie (Takako Matsu). Fellow samurai Samon (Hidetaka Yoshioka) marries Shino and Kie moves out after marrying into a merchant’s family. When Munezo discovers that Kie is being mistreated by her husband and mother-in-law, he rescues her and takes her back into his house. Despite burgeoning feelings between the pair, their social status prevents them from marrying. Later, Munezo’s friend and former sparring partner Yaichiro Hazama (Yukiyoshi Ozawa) returns from Edo, after being found guilty of plotting against the Shogun, and Munezo is ordered to kill him. Meanwhile, their rural clan is getting to grips with the new firearms technology coming from the West.
Based on a short story by Shuhei Fujisawa and directed by Yoji Yamada, “The Hidden Blade” offers a look at life in the samurai era, with great attention to detail in sets and costume design. Every scene captures the conditions of the time, and small elements help give a sense of believability to the action. The cast are also excellent in their roles. Masatoshi Nagase is great as a samurai burdened by his feelings for Kie and the various loyalties he has to family and clan; Takako Matsu’s Kie is also sympathetic as a woman whose naivete is brutally stripped away to show a resilient core. The film’s main problem is in attempting to juggle three distinct plots, Munezo and Kie’s romance; Hamaza and Munezo’s clash; and the comedic interludes of the clan learning to use modern weaponry. The film often abandons these plots for long stretches and the three have little to do with each other, leaving the film feeling disjointed at times. There are great moments, such as the humorous attempts to teach these rural samurai how to use canon; and some incredible fight choreography when Munezo meets with his sword-instructor (Min Tanaka) and the clash with Hamaza; but they feel spliced together rather than having any thematic ties. Isao Tomita (who also provided the score for Yoji Yamada’s 2002 film “The Twilight Samurai) provides an emotional score that accompanies the melodrama and Mutsuo Naganuma’s cinematography likewise captures the period in all its fading glory.
“The Hidden Blade” is a film that depicts the lives and duties of samurai during a period when the old ways were dying. Munezo’s decision at the end of the film to forsake his rank and follow his heart typifies this new ideal of personal freedom that was begining to flourish at the time. The story of Munezo’s love for Kie is by far the strongest part of the film; with Hamaza’s plot being underwritten and the firearms drills side story going nowhere. If the film had remained more focussed on this relationship, using the others as background, then it would have been more impactful. As it is the film offers a number of incredible moments, but fails to present a cohesive whole.
