Twilight Samurai Review [HK R3]

[Splinter]

Saw this last night and after seeing that nothing has been said about it I thought I'd write a quick review of this top film.

The story follows a humble samurai named Iguchi whose wife has just died and he now lives with just his two daughters and a senile mother. Iguchi is a low ranking Samurai with not a lot of money to live on - as well as his samurai commitments he now has to look after his family and do the daily household chores. His fellow samurai lose respect for him, as his standards begin to drop and all he does is spend his time at home outside of his samurai day.

The love interest is provided by Tomoe, an old childhood friend who recently left her marriage from a violent drunken husband. She begins to spend time with Iguchi and helps with the children and housework. His samurai life then starts conflicting with his family life and things start to get hard after meeting her.

This is a quality film from Director Yoji Yamada, it's a historical drama with only a couple of samurai swordplay scenes. It's fairly slow pace but during the 130 minutes I never felt it dragged, it's a very interesting story in a rich setting. Acting is top notch, partculary from the lead actor and actress, can't fault the rest of the cast either.

Anyway, I really recommend this film to everyone who has an interest in Asian cinema - those who don't but like a good drama i'm sure will enjoy it too.

(Because my DVD drive isn't region free I had to capture these sceenshots through my capture card so they're crap quality)

http://hometown.aol.co.uk/Blazen100/twilight2.jpg
Iguchi
http://hometown.aol.co.uk/Blazen100/twilight3.jpg
Tomoe
http://hometown.aol.co.uk/Blazen100/twilight4.jpg
Slight Disagreement
http://hometown.aol.co.uk/Blazen100/twilight5.jpg
At home


HK DVD

The DVD comes in a card slipcase of pretty crappy build quality, it's very flimsy card which could be easily ripped but as long as you're careful with it it should be fine. The artwork on the slipcase though is superb very tastefully done and the bad quality card does give it an old parchment feel to it. There's also a poster of the same artwork from the slipcase folded inside the case as an insert.

-Picture
Picture quality is actually not bad for a panorama release, I watched it on a projector and while it's not amazing it's certainly better than your average HK disc.

-Audio
Audio isn't that great really, I didn't notice any movement on the Jap 5.1 mix and there didn't seem to be a lot of ambience. There's also a Stereo Japanese and Chinese track - not that it matters to most of us here but an odd thing I noticed was on the chinese track some of the scenes had the music missing.

-Subtitles
Really good subs on this disc. No sentences cut off and I can't remember any spelling mistakes.

-Extras
Nothing worth mentioning about for the extras, you get some trailers for other films by the director and his filmography.

For a tenner from DDDhouse it's not a bad purchase, if I had known how good it was before though I would have gone for the Jap R2 DVD.

[Cirrus888]

I enjoyed reading your review ... I will keep this film in mind now ...

[new forms]

thanks for the review Splinter

will prob pick this up along with Colour Of The Truth nearer payday


for those that enjoy this type of genre and need something they might not have seen before to watch try Street of the Ronin (Roningai) (http://sensasian.com/cgi-bin/sensasian.storefront/3f3a44f7002dc95975380a0a34690641/Product/View/V6149-D)

a film about down and out Ronin and whether in their current masterless life they can rise up and still represent bushido when their small community (or where they do their drinking) is at threat

(can probably be picked up for cheaper at some other site tho')

[Splinter]

Cheers guys.

Thanks for letting me know about Roningai - I'll check it out.

[bruce-leroy]

Nice review splinter. :thumbs: Interested in checking this out now. :)

[Splinter]

Thanks Bruce :). Glad i've sparked some interest for it as it would be a shame for it to go unnoticed.

I just realised that I didn't mention the subtitles in the review - edited the review with a short subs comment.

[kanedaa]

I've got nothing but praise for the film though it's a hard one to recommend outright as most who will be initially interested are going to think its a full on samurai action fest. If you're looking for minimal yet beautifully shot and executed action mixed in with quality drama then this is for you.

[thefatalfury]

Hi

I bought this dvd, and have not regretted it for one moment.
A truly wonderful and insightful samurai movie. :p


Cheers

[sharknose]

Just watched it this evening (Arrived from YesAsia yesterday).

Fantastic film, Hiroyuki Sanada (Seibei) and Rie Miyazawa (Tomoe) were very good.

[bruce-leroy]

Sanada is the same actor from The Ring (original version), right? Very good actor.

[Splinter]

Originally posted by bruce-leroy
Sanada is the same actor from The Ring (original version), right? Very good actor.

Yep, it's the same guy according to imdb.com - he's also in "Last Samurai", so I look forward to checking that out.

Oi Bruce - buy this film, you know you want to :D

[bruce-leroy]

Originally posted by Splinter
Yep, it's the same guy according to imdb.com - he's also in "Last Samurai", so I look forward to checking that out.

Oi Bruce - buy this film, you know you want to :D


I've been eye-ing (sp?) up the Japanese R2 version from *********. :norty: Bit pricey, but very tempted. :help:

[Boink!]

Thanks for the info, picked up Twilight Samurai (and Bio Zombie on the weekly cheap sale) for £14.36 odd delivered.

Boink!

[tee]

Originally posted by bruce-leroy
I've been eye-ing (sp?) up the Japanese R2 version from *********. :norty: Bit pricey, but very tempted. :help:


A review of the Japanese release ;)

Twilight Samurai - Limited Edition (http://www.dvdtherapy.com/reviews/twilight_samurai.php)

[bruce-leroy]

Cheers mate. Hmm..don't know whether to just plump for the cheap HK version, as you say the picture is no great shakes on the Japanese release.

[James45]

Reading the R3 review I'd would imagine they are similar in terms of PQ. I was expecting more of an expensive Jap limited edition transfer which is why I was over so slightly disappointed. But as I said the PQ is never distracting, it's not bad, just average.

The Jap R2 release is worth it for the amazing packaging IMO.

[tee]

I agree :notworthy

[angel_eyes]

Finally got around to watching this today - absolutely superb! possibly even the finest samurai pic I've seen :notworthy

[megatron]

Anyone got pics of the Jap LE set?

[James45]

I'll take some when my new camcorder arrives

[megatron]

nice one.:)

[SheepDip]

Just got around to watching this, and I must recommend it to anyone who's still thinking of getting it - just go for it.
The HK version I found though to have rather a "soft" image - whether or not this is intentional I don't know. It's good enough though, and only really noticable if you've just watched a different movie with sharper transfer.

[SheepDip]

Bit of an "extra" to this - useless if you live in London, but if you live in the North -
Twilight Samurai is getting a showing at the "Pictureville" at Bradford later this month and into July.
For those who don't know about the Pictureville, it's one of these gems for filmfans, a cinema where Troy and Harry Potter tend not to be shown any day now - but where films that are a little bit "different or special" are shown.
It's attached to the Film and Photography museum at Bradford, parking is pretty easy(ish), and it's worth travelling for if you live anywhere near Yorkshire.

Link to the weekly list of showings here (http://www.nmpft.org.uk/film/week.asp)

And bit of general info about the cinema here (http://www.nmpft.org.uk/film/cinemas.asp)

[Summerisle]

The Edinburgh UGC had this a couple of weeks ago and it's scheduled to run for a week, from this Friday (11/6/04), at the Filmhouse in Edinburgh. Latter produces fabulous picture quality from it's projectors so I can't wait to see what it looks like.

[new forms]

well, after having this in my "to watch pile" for a stupidly long amount of time have just watched this and it is as everyone has said it is a classy film,

one of the best studies on world weariness you could ask for and it reaches some good emotional depths

[Alan b]

Moving to World Cinema & DVD Forum

[Cirrus888]

After finally watching Zaitoichi, When The Last Sword Is Drawn and Twilight Samurai I have to say that I enjoyed all three immensely but it is Twilight Samurai's family values study and attention to detail that has won me over. The romance between the two leads is especially touching and the 2 hours whizzed by, whereas the other two movies dragged slightly in places.

Twilight Samurai is my pick!

[Shingster]

You gonna check out The Hidden Blade soon Kin? Tis practically a remake of Twilight Samurai (Yoji Yamada has always been one to stick like glue to a popular format :D).

I wrote a ridiculously long-winded review of When the Last Sword is Drawn (http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=56890) that briefly covers the how fact was interwoven with fiction to create the story. You might wanna just skim over it than read though as it is a long un. :D

[Cirrus888]

I've read it already ages ago :thumbs: ... when are you going to review more movies that aren't Japanese? :p

Here's my take on Jap movies I've seen:

Zaitochi - stylised whodunnit with lots of action.
When The Last Sword Is Drawn - An Epic in every sense of the word.
Twilight Samurai - Drama oriented with attention to detail on family values.

[Shingster]

Hehe yeah I tend to stick to Japanese cinema because we have a few reviewers covering Asian cinema so I like to stick to my own strongest area of knowledge. I've yet to write a DVDtimes review for an English Language film for instance, but for Korean Cinema I did review Green Chair for DVDtimes in December :D

[marshy2004]

You guys should check out Semi Shigure - it is based on a story by the same author who wrote Twilight Samurai and Hidden Blade, and according to Mark Schilling in the Japan Times it is well worth watching. His review is here: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?ff20051021a1.htm

[Ricochan38]

I still have to watch it, its somewhere in the "to watch pile", which is about 50 pieces high ;-)

[Shingster]

You guys should check out Semi Shigure - it is based on a story by the same author who wrote Twilight Samurai and Hidden Blade, and according to Mark Schilling in the Japan Times it is well worth watching. His review is here: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?ff20051021a1.htm

That does sound interesting, will have to keep an eye out for it. I always recommend Ame Ageru/After the Rain to fans of Twilight Samurai & When the Last Sword is Drawn as well - although the only release with Eng subs is the r2j :(.

[Jorin]

My HKR3 copy of Twilight Samurai has gone wrong (clouded) and I would like to buy a copy of the film again. I know DVD Beaver recommends the Japanese R2 version but does anyone know how the Korean R3 version compares?

Saw it here: http://www.dvdasian.com/cgi-bin/dvdasian/24469.html

Couldn't find anything about it. Cheers. :thumbs:

[mrwilson]

The R3HK is still in print. I have it and the R2J and PQ is very very close. Haven't seen the R3K disc. Stay far away from the OOP R1 dvd. Ugly!

I love this film. Didn't like Hidden Blade but TS and Mibu Gishi Den (When the Last Sword is Drawn) is also excellent. If you get the latter go for the R3K as the PQ is the same as the R2J, both include DTS audio, but the R3K has deleted scenes, if you can find the 2 disc version.

[Shingster]

I would've thought the r3k is either a r2j port or a r3hk port, most likely the former.

[hnimmo]

Excluding the R2J, what is the best version of 'Hidden Blade' to go for?

[mrwilson]

There was a nice 2 disc SE with Poster from HK. Haven't seen an R3K release, but I'm sure one is available.

[hnimmo]

I am aware of at least four versions including R1 ( Tartan ), R2 ( Tartan ), R3 ( Panorama ) and R3 ( Deltamac.) I'm sure I read somewhere that the picture quality of the R2 is somewhat lacking and, in my experience, Panorama can be a bit hit and miss when it comes to picture/subtitle quality.

[RomerojpgX]

Even the Japanese version isnt a masterful presentation of Twilight Samurai, but its still the best it seems :) some transfers are damn ugly mind you :D I await a HD version myself, but its not a film that needs perfection in the picture department.

But on the subject of this amazing film (top 3 films of that year), I watched the third part of the trilogy last night (Loved Hidden Blade mind you). The 3rd part Love and Honour is again the same samuari stuff, but it disapointed me a little as its not as good as them previous 2 samuari classic :) still a great film mind you worth a watch thats for sure, just dont get the £40 Limited Edition like I did, it sucks bad! haha I would wait for cheaper version.

[hnimmo]

RomerojpgX, I have a R2J Limited Edition version of Twilight Samurai but I cannot justify spending that sort of money on a film these days hence the reason why I am looking for a cheap(er) version of Hidden Blade. My choice seems to be between the R1 ( Tartan ), R2 ( Tartan ) R3 ( Panorama ) and R3 ( Deltamac ) but I am having great difficulty identifying which one has the best picture/subtitle quality.

[RomerojpgX]

I cannot justify it anymore either :D I really liked the packaging on the Japanese Twilight Samurai and Hidden Blade Limited Editions. £30, is a lot to be honest for a film, but they are films worthy of the packaging price, just, as the films are excellent and its not as if all films get such treatment. The new film Love and honor really isnt even close to them amaznig book like sets at all, the qualitys gone and not worth the cash at all sadly.

Its hard finding the best versions, I was sure there was a complete comparison on the net of Twilight Samurai with pictures and all that.

Apart from DVDBEAVER's comparison I cannot find much :(

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReview2/twilightsamurai.htm

But from what I see on that 3 dvd comparison the difference isnt massive between them 3 versions even, yes the japanese seems best, but its not by a mile, and not by such a difference in price thats for sure :) unless your a perfectionist.

[hnimmo]

RomerojpgX, I think the thread title may be confusing you. I alreadly have Twilight Samurai. I am trying to find the best version of Hidden Blade ( excluding the R2J ) which several posters have mentioned on this thread and there are few, if any, reviews around that I can find.

[RomerojpgX]

Haha yes indeed the thread title confused me :D sorry about that. No wonder.

[Jorin]

I've taken the plunge and gone for the R3K edition. It'll take a week or so to get here but I'll remember to post my thoughts on the quality of the release. Korean DVD presentations are usually very good (and ported from the same source as R2J versions in some cases), so I expect I won't be disappointed.

I'll report back, hopefully sans foot in mouth.

P.s. thanks for feedback on Love and Honour, as I was just about to purchase the limited edition. I'll go for the vanilla. I loved Twilight Samurai and Hidden Blade, so I expect the third one will hit the spot, also.

[RomerojpgX]

P.s. thanks for feedback on Love and Honour, as I was just about to purchase the limited edition. I'll go for the vanilla. I loved Twilight Samurai and Hidden Blade, so I expect the third one will hit the spot, also.

I was gutted to find the Limited Edition costing £40 is the same as the Limited Edition costing £30, all you get for that extra £10 is a few pieces of paper strapped to the side of the other cheaper set :lol: not the quality version I expected :D Good jobs mine was damaged in transit, as I have asked for my cash back :lol: nice, but £40! no way.

[mrwilson]

I'm with romerojpgX on the PQ quality of the R2J TS and HB. I have both the R2Js and R3HKs. Very similar, except I think my R2J of TS has a DTS track.

The R3HK Panorama deluxe set is very nice and the PQ is damn near the same as the R2J, at least I couldn't see a difference.

RomerojpgX, crap, I didn't know Love and Honour was out on dvd yet! I'm off to find it...

[hnimmo]

The R3HK Panorama deluxe set is very nice and the PQ is damn near the same as the R2J, at least I couldn't see a difference.mr wilson, are you referring to Twilight Samurai, Hidden Blade or both?

[mrwilson]

I was referring to The Hidden Blade.

Although, I do have the R2J and R3HK versions of both films.

[hnimmo]

I was referring to The Hidden Blade.Thank you very much for your input. All I need to do now is decide whether to go for the Panorama single disc or the two disc set. The single disc is half the price of the two disc set and I believe there are no English subtitles on the extras.

[mrwilson]

No subs on the extras but a nice heavy cardboard slip case and a very nice poster.

[hnimmo]

No subs on the extras but a nice heavy cardboard slip case and a very nice poster.

I purchased a copy of the R3 Panorama Two Disc Set OF 'The Hidden Blade' from Play-Asia (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-1p3h.html) earlier this month after finding it on sale for £5.94 plus postage ( approximately £2.25 to the U.K.)

I am now looking to pick up a copy of 'Love And Honour' and was wondering if you have any information regarding the quality of the R3HK ( Asia Video ) version and how it compares with the R2J ( Shochiku ) release? No sign of a Korean R3 version as yet.

[Cirrus888]

I bought Hidden Blade on discount here in HK HMV (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://clkuk.tradedoubler.com/click?p(18710)a(60823)g(280345)). Just watched it and its 99% drama just like that found in Twilight Samurai. Yoji Yamada is an old hand at this type of stuff and it shows, strong character study and attention to detail in the actors faces and actions is what keeps the film interesting and gripping. Its a samurai film yes but probably not what most people would consider representative of that genre.

I can't wait to see Love and Honour.

[RomerojpgX]

I can't wait to see Love and Honour.

Lower your standards a bit I say, dont get your hopes up to high :D

I sent my Japanese Limited Edition back, no way was it worth 40 quid, if the film was a masterpiece I would have gladly kept it.

[mrwilson]

I'm sorry to hear that, I didn't like the Hidden Blade nearly as much as Twilight Samurai.

[Shingster]

Love & Honor is hands down a better film than Hidden Blade.

[hnimmo]

Shingster, have you seen any reviews of the R3HK ( Asia Video ) version of Love & Honor ( see thread No. 52?)

[Shingster]

No, but in my (admittedly limited) experience with Asia Video's releases, they tend to be either r2j ports or pretty close. I've reviewed their r3hk release of Be With You here. (http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=59136)

[hnimmo]

No, but in my (admittedly limited) experience with Asia Video's releases, they tend to be either r2j ports or pretty close.Based on the above and your review of 'Be With Me' I have decided to take a chance on their release of 'Love & Honor.' Thanks for your help.

[RomerojpgX]

Love & Honor is hands down a better film than Hidden Blade.

I couldnt disagree more :D I rate them in the order they were released. Wit that last one being the runt of the litter :n0rty: still far from a bad film thats for sure.

[mr_woo]

I thought Love and Honor was a great film but it stood out a bit more as it wasn't a near enough remake of Twilight Samurai like Hidden Blade was. Not to say that was a bad film, it sure wasn't, I just appreciated Love and Honor a bit more.

[RomerojpgX]

Love and Honor has a new release :) a lot cheaper than the Japanese version, its a Hong Kong dvd can be had for under 8 quid easy, I think its on CDWOW :)

I may get this if its good quality picture, as its well worth that price, not £40 like I paid for the Japanese set :D

[Shingster]

£40, that must have stung when you weren't overly impressed by the film! :D

[hnimmo]

Love and Honor has a new release :) a lot cheaper than the Japanese version, its a Hong Kong dvd can be had for under 8 quid easyI took delivery of this release from YesAsia (http://global.yesasia.com/assocred.asp?LU83C65N+http://global.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/code-j/section-videos/pid-1004904345/) earlier in the week. I have yet to watch the film but I have had a quick look at the disc and would say that the quality of the picture and subtitles are comparable with the R3HK ( Panorama ) version of Hidden Blade that I watched last week and which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Does anyone have any news of an R3 releases of Semi Shigure?

[mrwilson]

Didn't know Semi Shigure had been released in R3. I have the R4 Aussie version, as well as the second film.

[hnimmo]

As far as I am aware, Semi Shigure has not been released in R3. I was just wondering if anyone had heard of a possible release date.

I have had a look on several Australian DVD Retailer sites and on MichaelDVD but cannot find any mention of a R4 version. Was it released under a different title?

[RomerojpgX]

£40, that must have stung when you weren't overly impressed by the film! :D

Yup it went straight back :D refund.

[mrwilson]

My mistake hnimmo, I was thinking Sanshiro Sugata. I haven't seen a dvd release of Semi Shigure.

[hnimmo]

Given that Semi Shigure was released in Japan a year before Love and Honor, things are not looking good for a R3K or R3HK release and that only leaves the R2J Premium Edition (http://global.yesasia.com/assocred.asp?LU83C65N+http://global.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/code-j/section-videos/pid-1004104401/) which is too pricey for me.

[Shingster]

Yes I doubt that semishigure will be coming out on r3hk/r3k any time soon, only the really high profile samurai films do because they're usually given a big push on the asian film festival circuit (outside of Japan that is).

Best bet for an english-subbed release would probably come from Animeigo on r1 (as Madman aren't really that interested in contemporary samurai dramas), but I wouldn't hold my breath!

[farrar]

Semi Shigure is a good film, better than Hidden blade/Love and Honour.

If you buy the Jap R2 DVD you can get fan subs for it.