Sword Of Doom

Ryunosuke is a bad man. He kills men without any conscience. His skills as a samurai are unparalleled, and as Sword Of Doom unfolds, we see him dispatch many a man, in often quick and violent manners. He also lies, rapes, and goes insane. And he’s the main character. Much like Clint Eastwood’s characters in his spaghetti western days, the “protagonist” of Sword Of Doom is not a good guy. In fact, he displays no redeeming values whatsoever. Ultimately, Sword Of Doom is a film about killing, and the effects that one with no conscience must face when his deeds catch up with him. The very first time we see Ryunosuke, he murders an old man on a mountain pass. This event comes back to haunt him in one of the film’s more interesting sequences, as the ghosts of Ryunosuke’s past extract their justice.

However, I found the film ultimately unsatisfying, despite the slightly unsettling ending that leaves the viewer in a complete lurch. One of the most compelling elements of this movie are the fight scenes. Unlike swordfights in movies such as, say, Braveheart, which are often nothing more than men hacking eachother to little bits, the swordfights in Sword Of Doom almost look like something out of a John Woo film. They are highly stylized, and I found them quite graceful. Ryunosuke slides through his enemies like a knife through warm butter, without effort. However, even these get old after awhile. The final climactic battle scene, as Ryunosuke takes on wave after wave of samurai, eventually gets boring as we watch Ryunosuke take out one man after another in a murderous rage. After awhile, it simply gets gratuitous, only saved at the end by the final haunting image.

Several of the plot points were also left undeveloped. Hyoma, the brother of a man killed by Ryunosuke, vows to get vengeance. Along the way, he meets a young woman training to be a courtesan and her uncle. A small romance is hinted at, but never fully developed. The only other plot point, aside from Ryunosuke’s slide into madness, that is fully explored is the relationship he has with the wife of a man he’s killed. She offers her body to him in exchange for sparing her husband’s life, a promise he does not fully keep. Forced to live with Ryunosuke, she attempts to make some semblance of a life, especially with her newborn son. However, wracked with guilt by her infidelity, she is unable to do so, with fairly predictable results.

But even this plot point is secondary as we watch Ryunosuke. Portrayed with quiet intensity by Tatsuya Nakadai, Ryunosuke shows little emotion, and when he does, it is always selfish and mocking. Here is a character that we care nothing for, and yet are captivated by. Unfortunately, movies like this often get old, as we end up wishing nothing but harm and misfortune for the protagonist. I found myself wishing it would end, simply because I got tired of all of the elements of the film, because there was no way to sympathize with the main character. There are parts that are thrilling and fascinating to watch, namely the fight sequences, and there are some minor plot twists as the characters begin to inevitably come together. The film does a fairly good job of tying up certain loose ends.

There is practically nothing in this film that suggests hope, and the one plot twist that does so is left undeveloped. The final scene is haunting, suggesting that Ryunosuke has reached his private hell, but leaves a great feeling of unsatisfaction in the film. On the other hand, though, I have a feeling that any other ending would not have done justice to the burden that Ryunosuke carried.

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• Jan 5, 2003, 12:00am