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Released by: AnimEgo
Released on: November 6, 2012.
Director: Eiichi Kudo
Cast: Isao Natsuyagi, Kotaro Satomi, Ryutaro Otomo, Ko Nishimura
Year: 1966
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The Movie:
The third and final film of Kudo's “samurai revolution trilogy†(including 13 Assassins and The Great Killing) Eleven Samurai takes yet another tack on the same story of a small group of desperate men attempting the assassination of a corrupt feudal lord.
This time around, a young basically-retired samurai, Hayato (Natsuyagi), is approached for the task of defending his fief and its inhabitants by assassinating the evil Lord Nariatsu (Kantaro Suga). The lord is protected quite capably from the clever but put-upon Gyobu (Otomo) so, like the other films in the series, the final assassination attempt is going to require a good amount of buildup. After Hayato intercepts another group of samurai from the same fiefdom and stops them from sloppily trying to kill Nariatsu he then has most of his group intact.
They leave their homes, making the authorities think they may have committed suicide as part of their imposed dishonor. Hayato has to leave his loving wife, Orie (Junko Miyazono), behind and make it seem like he's a coward who's run off with another woman. But Orie knows better and manages to track him down. The two get a very tender, compassionate moment together when she realizes what Hayato is up to and gives him her full support.
It's an unusual item for this series and a welcome emotional addition as this version of the story is freed from the honor-bound single mindedness of 13 Assassins and the heavy-handed political overtones of The Great Killing. While this film does include those aspects it combines them in a way here that feels much more human, with the characters understanding what it is to die for a noble cause in terms of the very real human cost. Like the other films, Eleven Samurai is also a bit of an ode to the end of the true samurai era and dwelling on this concept of shared humanity - or, as the one non-samurai participant (and the sole survivor at the end) puts it, “A world without lords†- heightens that notion with poignancy and empathy.
After several thwarted attempts on the Nariatsu's life the final bloody, rain-soaked showdown is set and, like the other films, it really delivers here. (Much of this film's ending is what Miike lifted for the ending of his version of 13 Assassins, too.) The final image of a maniacally-laughing samurai sitting in the mud, splashing his sword in a puddle, is perhaps the most fitting image that could close this series as it demonstrates the price all these lives paid and what they managed to accomplish despite overwhelming odds.
Audio/Video/Extras:
This third and final film of the trilogy is also the best-shot of the series and the full 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen display and transfer gives the film its due. The audio is handled by a Dolby Digital 2.0 that is very well balanced, contrasting the quiet, peaceful scenes with the outright riotous finale. Subtitle options are the regular high-standard for AnimEigo's DVD's, offering Japanese-language-only audio but with yellow or white subtitling and the further options of dialog only, captions only, or full subtitles (which includes on-screen explanations of some terms used).
Program notes and production bios are included which, while not lengthy, are certainly informative. An image gallery - featuring the outstanding poster for the film - as well as trailers for other the other films in the series are available as well. And a chapter selection with animated scenes rounds out the extras found here.
The Final Word:
Eleven Samurai is an outstanding film on its own for the genre and I'd say it's the best film of this exceptional trilogy of films.
7-11 Samurais would be just stupid.