Our take
If you’re looking for some sword fighting from a samurai story, you’re not going to get it so easily from The Hidden Blade. That’s because it’s set in the Meiji era– guns got the glory, the country just opened its borders, and as the shogunate ceded to the Emperor, the samurai began to lose their power. As such, the first act is less about the fighting, and more about a romance blocked by social class. However, that doesn’t mean there’s no fighting. Much like many Westerns, the fight comes to the clan back in the countryside, where they try to make their last stand. It takes a while to get to the action, but on the way, writer-director Yōji Yamada sets the stakes for the samurai so unprepared for what’s to come. As modernity starts to take their place, The Hidden Blade observes the challenge presented: to change or to be replaced.
The story
Set in 19th Century Japan a young samurai who finds himself in love with a farm girl leaves his home to begin a new life. He has to take stock of his new life when he is put to the test and ordered to kill a traitor who just happens to be his dearest friend.
Elsewhere
"As headlines, most of these insights may sound like old news. Yet "#Unfit" finds perceptive nuances within them."
— Owen Gleiberman
Set in 19th Century Japan a young samurai who finds himself in love with a farm girl leaves his home to begin a new life. He has to take stock of his new life when he is put to the test and ordered to kill a traitor who just happens to be his dearest friend.
The details
Who picked it
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
