Mibu gishi den (Yôjirô Takita, 2003)

Centering on the end of the feudal era in Japan, When the Last Sword Is Drawn is told in retrospect from a Tokyo at the verge of the 20th century with an old man harbouring a secret history visiting a doctor. Recognising a samurai in a photograph as an associate from thirty years before, the man prompts the doctor to tell the story of his connection to the samurai.
Takita's film is a very mixed bag: it carefully evokes the spirit of a bygone age in which clan loyalty, honour and awareness of status were the guiding precepts of life and the framing device of the flashback is effective in gradually unpeeling the layers of the onion to illuminate the dramatic transition of a culture in a short span. It's also a welcome divergence from the usual bushido-and-swords fare to focus on a character whose plight is one of economic desperation rather than just bound by duty. But there are also many weaknesses: the battles are surprisingly flat for the genre, the lack of signposting when the story slots in flashbacks within flashbacks is disorientating, and the bland soundtrack is frequently detrimental to the mood. It also gets cloyingly protracted and oversentimental in the last act, something that it seems Takita is prone to, judging from his 2008 Foreign Language Oscar winner, Departures.

5/10