Plot: Oda Nobunaga is a fearless warlord, but he's made many enemies throughout the years and he feels that his luck may be running out. Rather than offer his reign to his dim-witted sons, he tells his direct subordinates that whoever serves him best will inherit his land. This upsets the power balance.
Watches
June 23, 2024
Kitano's historic war epic is a bit too straight-faced for my liking. It's a quality film, but there isn't as much Kitano in here as I'd hoped. If you like Kurosawa's samurai films then this may be up your alley, as it seems to go for a similar balance of action and intrigue, with a dash of sly comedy on the side.
The cast is top-notch, it's fun to see Kitano on screen again and with Asano, Nishijima, and Kase circling him there's no lack of talent. The comedy bits are a little limited though and the story isn't all that interesting. Hisaishi is being missed too and there's no real need to go beyond the 2-hour mark. It's not a bad film, just not a very memorable one.