masercot Like most Japanese film enthusiasts, I looked forward to this film with great antici...pation. When I finally saw it, it wasn't what I thought it would be and I wasn't disappointed.Toshiro Mifune doesn't have to try to be charismatic...he just shows up. Even in this film, whenever Mifune was off-screen, I was anticipating his return in the back of my mind. Blood Pass didn't have much of the usual slaughter associated with the actor; but, that made the movie a bit more realistic.Shintaro Katsu is a chameleon. I've seen the man as Zatoichi and as Hanzo the Razor and he impresses me with ability to live a part. As doctor/head-thug, he didn't get much screen time, but he didn't disappoint when he was on screen.The rest of the cast was standard and a little dull...But, the plot was very interesting: Go to Blood Pass and wait for something to happen. There is a tension throughout the movie because you (and Yojimbo) have no idea what he is waiting for or why. As the movie progresses, you have no idea as to the alignment of Yojimbo until he plays his hand...even then, it isn't what you expect.Was this as good as Zatoichi? No. As good as Kurasawa-directed Mifune movies? Definitely not. But, an excellent movie and worth a watch.

MartinHafer Hmmm...this is a hard film to review and perhaps the other reviewer who says this stands repeated viewings is correct, as with only one viewing I wasn't all that impressed. The biggest reason is that I had a certain expectation that was too great for even a very good film to match. Toshirô Mifune plays the "Yojimbo" (or, the Body Guard)--the same name given to his character in Akira Kurosawa's SANJURO and YOJIMBO--two of the greatest Japanese films I have ever seen. Supposedly he's the same guy in this film, but I just couldn't see that. While it was the same name and actor, it just didn't seem the same. The cleverness and comic style of this film character is gone--no finesse whatsoever. Instead of the smart and manipulative Yojimbo, Mifune instead plays a guy who mostly just stands back and watches thing happen all around him. He's just too passive and uninvolved to seem like the same guy at all.It's a shame, really, as the film also starred Shintaro Katsu (famous for his Zatoichi character) and the combination of the two exceptional actors could have been great. Instead, the film just seems to be on hold until the last half hour--with very little occurring up until then. And, when the action did occur, the number of twists and turns and odd loyalties made the whole thing a bit confusing...and very detached. I especially had a hard time understanding Mifune's actions and attitude towards the evil Katsu. Interestingly, another film that starred both actors and was not directed by Kurosawa (ZATOICHI MEETS YOJIMBO) was also a disappointment (ZATOICHI MEETS YOJIMBO--while not a bad film, it was actually not as good as the average film in this series--and once again, you expect so much with a film supposedly starring the Yojimbo. I guess the key to both of these films is that neither had anything to do with Kurosawa! Without the famed director, you just can't say it's the same.

Matt This film is sure to appeal to fans of its famous principle actors Toshiro Mifune (Yojimbo), Katsu Shintaro (Zatoichi) and Yujiro Ishihara (Baby Cart series). The film was the last film in director Hiroshi Inagaki's long career. It will please the fans of the jidai geki (historical period drama) more than the those looking for chambara (sword fighting flick).The film is considered to be the last of four films featuring the 'yojimbo' (bodyguard) character or nameless samurai created for Mifune by Akira Kurosawa. The first two films, "Yojimbo" and "Sanjuro", are classics of the genre and have much more ambitious goals than the film we are considering here. The third film, the weakest offering amongst the the four, was "Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo" directed by Kihatchi Okamoto in which Toshiro Mifune does not really play the same character we are considering here and is a film which fits more comfortably into the chambara category.This film feels much like an extension of the Japanese television 'period drama' of its day which I confess to being somewhat partial to. It is elevated by the star studded cast and their performances however it is limited by a tendency at times toward melodrama, the use of stock genre character types and what appears to be a hastily tacked on ending to provide resolution to one of the major narrative threads. It is the last element which is the most unsatisfactory and the film would probably have been better served without tying up this thread at all rather than handling it in a manner which makes it appear to be a cursory afterthought.Still the film does have much which will satisfy fans of the genre with good performances, an interesting if complex interplay of events and an examination of human behaviour when looking at individuals placed in a high pressure situation. I have heard the film compared to Archie Mayo's "The Petrified Forest" with Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart. This is an apt comparison from the standpoint of the situation which the characters find themselves in.For those solely interesting in the action elements: The film does have two interesting scenes of sword play, the first beautiful and brief, the second longer and exciting if somewhat less beautifully choreographed. It also features a ham handed fist fight near the beginning of the film which would make John Wayne appear a well schooled boxer by comparison.But really for those looking for a blood and guts samurai flick you would be much better served by picking up something like "Sword of Doom" or something from the Zatoichi series. This is a film for fans of genre, looking for a rather standard period drama elevated by good performances by Mifune and Katsu.

deng43 firstly, i did enjoy this film and would recommend it. that said i find it to be a peculiar blend. it reminds me of a spaghetti western in many ways. this isn't necessarily bad, just odd. since leone's westerns owe something to the samurai genre maybe we just see some reverse leakage. we don't get the very long peering-into-the-sweating-pores close ups, and the unusual music isn't up to morricone's standards, though it is headed that way, but there is a bridge somewhere in here that the genres have met upon more than once. a further point is that i simply find samurai films done in color to be on the edge of lurid; my own limitation i suppose. lurid can be fun.the other oddness is that i felt part of the time as if i were watching a samurai adaptation of Agatha Christie's poirot working out the personal machinations of another sundry lot bent on the quotidian as some crime or other worked its way toward the surface of the social pool. this, too, is fine, as we seem to like the tried and true plot devices that have satisfied us previously.as i said, i did enjoy the film; it is fun, and i don't want to put anyone off. it will get watched again at this house.