movie

The Sword of Doom follows the story of Ryunosuke, a nihilistic samurai. He shows little emotion, and no remorse for the things he is capable of doing. Throughout the movie his blank stare heightens the realization that he embraces his insanity. There is no mercy. His unorthodox sword form confuses his opponents: lowering his katana, seemingly off guard yet entirely alert. His silent confiendence makes him an efficient killer.

Outcast from his village, he finds work with a vigilante group, killing political figures to support the local Shogunate. 

All goes according to plan until, one snowy night, his groups mistakes a sword master for a target and they are massacred. Ryunosuke hesitates and makes no move. The master leaves him with these words:

"The sword is the soul. Study the soul to know the sword. Evil mind, evil sword." 

Is his confience shaken? Ryunosuke seems determined to continue his own downward spiral and the destruction of everything around him. Ghosts of the murdered victims begin to haunt him. He loses all sanity and begins to kill his (seemingly endless) group of assassins he's been working with.

In the final scene (which lasts over seven minutes, one of the longest sword fights on film) Ryunosuke continues to kill everyone in his path. Little by little the gang wears Ryunosuke down, but his endless insanity sustains him. The film ends abruptly with a freeze frame of Ryunosuke about to strike.

This was supposedly the first film in a trilogy of movies, based on a popular novel. The others were never produced, leaving many elements of the plot unresolved.

Director: Kihachi Okamoto

Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai and Toshiro Mifune

1965. Black and White. 121 minutes.