Twilight Samurai

I just finished watching a wonderful movie, and I have to write about it. The film, 'Twilight Samurai,' follows the experiences of a low-level samurai who is a widower with two young daughters and a senile mother. I won't give away the details, but the plot revolves around how he gets another chance with the girl he has always loved, but complications arise. His clan becomes involved in a leadership conflict, and he is ordered to fulfill a dangerous and morally suspect task. The film, released in 2003, is very different from most samurai movies because it isn't about fighting. And rather than express a reverence for bushido, it portrays a man who puts his family above honor.*

There are two main things that make 'Twilight Samurai' so good. First, the romantic relationship 'feels right.' One can recognize the feelings that Seibei and Tomoe have for one another without any sappy melodrama. Second, the tension that builds throughout the film is excruciating. Only a few movies draw me in like this (once Plainbellied came home while I was screaming at Alec Guinness in 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'). While I kept my composure tonight, I felt nervous and genuinely 'pulled' for Seibei to come out on top.

The only thing I would say detracts from this film is a weak epilogue. Other than that, it is a fabulous film with great acting and a compelling story.

* Bushido is the samurai code of honor. When I say that Seibei put his family above honor, I'm speaking specifically about this exaggerated code to which samurai adhered. I would definitely call him an honorable man by today's standards.