Here's a cool flick that bypassed me for far too long. It's a classic tale of west meets east. The story of a washed up boxer, played by Scott Glenn, who is given the task of bringing a sword to Japan. What looks like a quick way to make $2500 gets him stuck in the middle of a blood-feud between two rival brothers.
It's directed by John Frankenheimer who does a great job of setting up the feud before getting into the bloody carnage that fills up the film's last half hour. Glenn, though hampered by having to sport David Cassidy's hairstyle, is good as the chump American who learns to value honor over money. He shines in a sequence that finds him buried up to his neck in dirt, without food or water, to prove his worth as a warrior.
Adding a great deal to the film's charm is Toshiro Mifune as Yoshida, the sensei who teaches Glenn the way of the samurai. He really cuts loose at the end and goes on a great rampage in preparation of a final duel with his jackass businessman of a brother.
Aside from the cast and director I was drawn to this flick for a couple other reasons. First, it was co-written by John Sayles so I knew it would have strong characters to go along with the slicing and dicing. In addition the martial arts coordinator on the picture was one Steven Seagal, listed in the credits as "Steve Seagal."
My only real problem with the movie, aside from Glenn's haircut, is the lack of a DVD release. What gives, DVD cartels?
It's directed by John Frankenheimer who does a great job of setting up the feud before getting into the bloody carnage that fills up the film's last half hour. Glenn, though hampered by having to sport David Cassidy's hairstyle, is good as the chump American who learns to value honor over money. He shines in a sequence that finds him buried up to his neck in dirt, without food or water, to prove his worth as a warrior.
Adding a great deal to the film's charm is Toshiro Mifune as Yoshida, the sensei who teaches Glenn the way of the samurai. He really cuts loose at the end and goes on a great rampage in preparation of a final duel with his jackass businessman of a brother.
Aside from the cast and director I was drawn to this flick for a couple other reasons. First, it was co-written by John Sayles so I knew it would have strong characters to go along with the slicing and dicing. In addition the martial arts coordinator on the picture was one Steven Seagal, listed in the credits as "Steve Seagal."
My only real problem with the movie, aside from Glenn's haircut, is the lack of a DVD release. What gives, DVD cartels?
