This unconventional samurai flick ostensibly puts you in the point of view of a villain, with its protagonist being a merciless sociopath whose introduction literally sees him cut down an old man in cold blood. 'The Sword Of Doom (1966)' is interesting, not to mention unique, because there really is very little in the way of redemption for our hero. At the same time, though, he has an odd, almost serpentine charm to him. He's beguiling, so - no matter how cruel he gets - you kind of can't help but care what happens to him and want to see him survive, if not succeed. The movie's more heroic and honourable characters are presented as antagonists simply because of the point of view we're in. In any other feature, these would be the heroes. It's really intriguing, to be honest. The protagonist's life is basically an endless stream of violence; he kills someone, then kills whoever seeks vengeance for it, then kills whoever seeks vengeance for that, and so on. It's a self-perpetuating cycle that barely seems to affect our amoral assassin. In fact, he often seems darkly amused by it, a sly smile spreading across his lips in the aftermath of his destruction. Though many of his actions are reactionary (technically self-defence), he isn't just caught up in a series of bad situations; most of them stem from earlier decisions that are themselves inexcusable, meaning that the man can garner no sympathy for lives he later 'must' take to survive. The movie itself is brilliantly crafted, from its sharp and suspenseful choreography to its layered and almost painterly chiaroscuro cinematography. It features a number of fantastic, surprisingly explicit (for the time) fight scenes, from tense one-on-one duals to frenzied one-on-many battles. These are usually as exciting as they are deadly. The movie's highlight is arguably a striking, nightmarish set-piece that devolves into a brutal, bloody battle in which the lead cuts down foe after foe in increasingly vicious fashion. It's the kind of sequence that makes you sit up in your seat, your eyes wide with a mixture of shock and horror. It really is phenomenal. There are quite a few moments that almost match this quality, but much of the second act is surprisingly slow. The picture is often content with allowing you to fill in the gaps, so some of its narrative comes across as a little loose or, even, inefficient. For instance, a B-plot emerges about halfway through that seems unconnected from the main story until the two converge in the final act. It's a fine thing to do, but this side story undeniably impacts the pacing of the main one and, because of the way the picture ends, almost feels irrelevant to a certain extent. That ending is probably the piece's weakest aspect, abruptly bringing things to a halt without any real semblance of closure. The story is left unresolved and ambiguous; its expected finale simply doesn't occur. I mean, it's literally like the movie is missing its final reel. In a way, that's because it is: the film was conceived as the first part in a trilogy based on its source book, which has been adapted many times and is a massively sprawling affair, but its sequels were canned when the powers that be realised those films would have to be even more violent than this one. Yet, though it's certainly somewhat frustrating, I don't dislike the ending. In the moment, it's a bit of a disappointment; in retrospection, it isn't as big a deal as you might first think. Without spoiling anything, it's an appropriate place to leave our protagonist. It's also easy to imagine what would happen after the final freeze-frame. It's bold to end things like it does and I appreciate that. Overall, this is a distinct and entertaining film. Although its mid-section is slow, its ending a little unsatisfying and some of its plot seemingly superfluous, it has some truly amazing sequences and often gets you on the edge of your seat. It's typically enjoyable and is intellectually stimulating, too; the more you think about it, the more you come to appreciate its unexpected approach to morality. It's a strong samurai film that stands the test of time. 7/10.
Review of The Sword of Doom
