Movielogr
The Last Princess (2008)
Directed by Shinji Higuchi
Twitter Facebook Google+Overview
After the Akizuku clan fall in defeat to rival clan Yamana, Princess Yuki (Nagasawa Masami) and general Rokurota (Hiroshi Abe), take cover in a hidden fortress, along with their clan and gold treasury. Fortuitously stumbling into the hideaways, brash young miner Takezo (Matsumoto Jun) and his bumbling sidekick Shinhachi (Miyagawa Daiuske) hatch a daring plan to help transport the gold out of enemy terrain - in exchange for a share of the stash, of course. With assassins hot in pursuit, Yuki disguises as a male and ventures into the real world with Rukurota and her peasant companions, getting her first taste of danger, toil, and budding romance with the strong-minded and willful Takezo.
Length 118 minutes
Actors
Jun Matsumoto | Hiroshi Abe | Masami Nagasawa | Kippei Shiina | Daisuke Miyagawa | Arata Furuta | Takaya Kamikawa | Masahiro Komoto | Jun Kunimura | Manami Kurose | Katsuhisa Namase | Masahiro Takashima | Pierre Taki | Sarutoki Minagawa | Ryuji Yano | Kazushige Komatsu | Kôhei Watanabe | Makoto Awane | Takafumi Maeuchi | KREVA
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09/26/2021 | Computer | Broadcast | Other | 7 stars |
| (Average) 7 stars |
Viewing Notes
Glad I was able to catch this one on the rebroadcast. Probably my favorite Higuchi directed project (after SHIN GODZILLA). Not sure we needed a remake of HIDDEN FORTRESS but when it’s done like this I’m here for it. Helps having pretty boy Jun Matsumoto and Hiroshi Abe in the lead roles behind Masami Nagasawa as the princess. Of course we can’t really compare to the Kurosawa film but I’m sure the low ratings for this are bc ppl have which really isn’t fair. This movie is a different animal that uses a few of basic plot elements to create a new spin on the story.
I love Abe as the unkempt samurai admirably filling the shoes of Mifune. Having watched three Higuchi films this weekend it’s cracking me up to see Jun Kunimura in each one. Already know this movie isn’t available on Blu-ray outside of Japan (this broadcast version was a fansub from the Chinese bootleg and looked awful; had to view on my laptop to get a decent picture). That’s a shame bc I would totally own this.
This was part of the Shinji Higuchi birthday marathon on DKUTV.
No comments yet. Log in and be the first!