When the Last Sword is Drawn

When the Last Sword is Drawn

Japanese Title: Mibu Gishiden
Release Year in Japan: 2003
Release Year in the U.S.: 2005

Director: Yojiro Takita
Casts: Kiichi Nakai (Kan-ichiro Yoshimura), Koichi Sato (Hajime Saito), Miki Nakatani (Nui)

"Shinsen-gumi", the group of samurais who acted as a priviate police during the chaos in the last of Edo period, is a popular theme in Japanese movies and TV dramas, and its group leaders have been pictured many times in the past. This film, however, focuses on an unusual figure in this group, a no-name soldier Yoshimura. He greedily earns money there, against the honor as a samurai, to support his poor family whom he left in the cold Northern village. But when the time has come, he shows his real spirit as a samurai.

I found many similarities with my favorite movie "The Twilight Samurai". This film belongs to the same category - "samurai/human drama", and made many people cry. Kiicni Nakai's acting of this complex figure, a greedy, family-man, rural-guy samurai is highly praised.

The winner of 2003 Japanese Academy Award "Best Picture" and "Best Actor" categories.