Review of Samurai Rebellion (1967) by James J — 01 Apr 2010

Quite disappointing. I'd heard good things about this film but found myself mostly bored. Toshio Mifune isn't even at his best in this. The story isn't engaging, the editing is borderline terrible, and the characters aren't interesting.

The sped-up action sequences ninety minutes into the films just had me thinking, "Boy, these fights sure look stupid." However, the last battles are pretty cool. Actually, the entire last half-hour is pretty satisfying in style and emotional resonance, but it's not enough to salvage the other 3/4ths of the film.