Movielogr
The Master Spearman (1960)
Directed by Tomu Uchida
Most recently watched by sleestakk
Overview
This subversive period film features a hotheaded young samurai, Kurodo, who threatens to commit harakiri in response to the humiliation meted out to his family by the Shogun. The film critiques the inhumanity of feudal obligations, and Uchida’s direction slyly satirizes the contemporary cinematic audience, whose taste for onscreen bloodshed is mirrored in a crowd gathering to watch the protagonist’s planned suicide. The Master Spearman is imbued with Uchida’s characteristic blend of dark humor and stylized action, and Ryutaro Otomo gives an admirable performance in the lead.
Length 99 minutes
Actors
Ryutaro Otomo | Chikage Awashima | Hiromi Hanazono | Isao Yamagata | Kensaku Hara | Masao Oda | Eitarô Ozawa | Yataro Kurokawa | Chiezô Kataoka | Ryôsuke Kagawa | Eijirô Kataoka | Kajô Onoe | Fujio Suga | Kinnosuke Takamatsu | Hisao Toake | Shin Tokudaiji | Eijirô Tôno