Review of The Sword of Doom (1966) by Kevin M — 19 Jul 2009

First installment of an intended trilogy that never panned out. "Sword of Doom" is unbelievably dark and violent, featuring one of filmdom's most grotesque anti-heroes. The half-dozen plot threads that are introduced don't pay off in any discernible way. Most disappointingly, the duel between consummate asshole Samanosuke and noble fencing instructor Toshiro Mifune is hinted at (after a picturesque massacre in the snow) but the two hardly exchange words, much less cross swords.

It's hard to care about anyone in this story; supporting cast is given characterization but no actual arcs. Most scenes without Samanosuke are incredibly boring and irrelevant, but that's why God gave us the ability to skip chapters on the DVD. Tetsuya Nakadai gives another brooding performance and shows off some impressive swordsmanship. The finale, where he loses his mind and proceeds to lay waste to a building full of armed, pissed off samurai, is epic and well worth the price of admission. Gratuitous graphic violence couldn't look better than it does in anamorphic black and white. The very end was meant to be a dramatic cliffhanger, but it plays more like a misguided "400 Blows" reference.