Often when Japanese films are praised as 'slow,' I find it covers a multitude of sins from lack of discipline in the editing room (see After Life), to apparent lack of an editing room altogether (see Eureka). However, in the case of Twilight Samurai, we have a perfectly-paced film exploring the plight of a humanist samurai in the late Edo period. Sanada, a favourite of mine ever since his portrayal of the flawed high-school teacher in the TV drama 'Koko Kyoshi,' gives a career-best performance as the impoverished retainer. One minute he has you laughing as he explains his contentment at being a single father to his uncomprehending uncle, the next you are choking back tears in the marriage proposal scene. The lives of the characters are compelling enough, but there is also the allegorical element of Japan itself about to undergo change from an isolated, warrior nation, to an international leader advocating pacifism. This is a film that works on every level and will not disappoint.
Review of The Twilight Samurai
