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Reviews

The Hidden Blade

It's a good thing to have

By BRETT MICHEL | July 12, 2006

3.0 Stars

The Hidden Blade

Seventy-four-year-old Yoji Yamada has spent years churning out slapstick comedies (48 Tora-san films), but he was unknown stateside until two years ago, when his tender drama The Twilight Samurai quietly cut through the Hollywood hyperbole of The Last Samurai. An adaptation of three stories by Shuhei Fujisawa, Yamada’s first period drama portrayed a poor samurai struggling to maintain his family life amid unavoidable swordplay. This film, an adaptation of two Fujisawa stories, reflects a similar, slightly dulled tale. During the era’s twilight, conflicted samurai Katagiri (Mystery Train’s Masatoshi Nagase) grapples with the transition to Western warfare and his hidden feelings toward lower-caste maid Kie (Takako Matsu) — plus more unavoidable swordplay. Once more the hero attempts to carve out a simpler way of life. He may get it; it helps to wield a hidden blade.

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