Die letzte Schlacht der Samurai (1990)

Die letzte Schlacht der Samurai: Directed by Haruki Kadokawa. With Takaaki Enoki, Masahiko Tsugawa, Atsuko Asano, Naomi Zaizen. In 16th century Japan, two samurai engage in massive battles across the countryside; one attempting to conquer and the other attempting to defend his land while repressing his love for a woman after taking a vow of celibacy.

“Visually a stunning film, Heaven and Earth lacks the character development of the later Last Samurai, and in the lead, perhaps suffers from the lack of Ken Watanabeu0026#39;s presence as well. The performances of the lead characters seemed wooden to me – almost stereotypes, staring, sometimes glaring at the camera as they deliver their dialog. Moments of introspection are rare and only once each are they allowed to show what might be considered a u0026quot;softer sideu0026quot;. What redeems the film is the storyu0026#39;s pace, which is relentless, the cinematography, the narration – which ties the various segments together – and the outstanding battle scenes. One might wish for the lost minutes in the original Japanese version; perhaps they would provide what the film is missing. Even so, it was engaging and I had no difficulty keeping my attention on the film, and this fact was not due entirely to my need for the subtitles.”