Shikonmado - Dai tatsumaki

"Whirlwind" is much more than just another Samurai film starring Toshiro Mifune. I have seen many samurai films, but Whirlwind is outstanding. It has one of the most intricate plots of any film in the genre, characters with real emotional depth and complexity across the board (this level of characterisation is often reserved for the hero in samurai films, but rarely applies to lesser characters), and wonderful cinematography. It is also a relatively rare example of a sequel that surpasses the first; it carries on from where Daredevil in the Castle left off. However, it is not necessary to see Daredevil first in order to understand what is going on. The tragedy is that this film has not received the recognition it deserves in the West in the form of a DVD release. Toshiro Mifune is excellent as ever, but the rest of the cast also deliver a very high standard. If you like samurai films, and you haven't seen Whirlwind, you should be prepared to sell your own grandma if necessary to secure a copy.

I was fooled by the two former reviewers' high ratings claiming this was a great samurai movie. What I saw was nothing but a lame screenplay patched up with lousy editing, bad directing and mediocre B-level acting. The only part worth seeing was the pretty leading female actress, she had tried her best to play a realistic role in a bad movie, her expressions looked real enough exactly like that stubborn young woman. The plot was too uninteresting and too loosely crafted, further deteriorated by bad dialog and unlikable male characters. I've tried very hard to keep my patience until to the middle of this movie, but then completely lost my interest, just quit to write this review.

This is a lousy movie, wasted a big budget. I don't think I could continue to watch it from where I quit to restart again for a boring movie.

Set at the end of the Siege of Osaka this film follows the exploits of several members of the defeated Toyotomi clan as they cope with the post battle chaos and the persecution of the Shogun's army.

Five samurai decide on different fates when it becomes clear that their side is being destroyed. One wants to attack the enemy head on in a final honorable death. Another decides to commit hari-kiri but wants to find a glorious view to do it. His close friend, the "coward", just wants to run and give up the life of a samurai. The final two set their own castle on fire to garner favors from the enemy and therefore avert their own death during the massacre of all defeated soldiers as ordered by the shogun. The hari-kiri samurai is disrupted in his task when a Toyotomi princess shows up with the infant male heir to the clan. She is being pursued by three Iga ninjas. He defends her and kills a ninja who turns out to be the father of the other ninjas, a woman and her brother. He escapes with the princess and the infant but loses the infant later when they are ambushed at a safe house. The Iga ninjas have vowed revenge against him as well. Meanwhile the two who set the castle on fire are hired by the shogun's army to start a rebellion against the shogun but to give the army the plans so the rebels can be easily rounded up and killed. The honorable samurai goes crazy and the "coward" becomes a successful merchant. In the midst of this is a mysterious man, dressed as a monk, who fights with a bamboo flute. A side story concerns the princess' elder sister becoming a cynical prostitute after being raped by one of her own clan members. It all comes together at the end for a big unexpected climax.

A very well mounted production from Toho with an excellent score partially composed by Godzilla composer Akira Ikufube. The battle scenes are well mounted with extensive miniature work from special effects master Eji Tsuburaya. It great to see what the man could do when given a good budget. The story is convoluted with the numerous stories running but it works very well. There is some melodrama but all the actors are excellent. Toshiro Mifune is great as the mysterious man but is not the main character.

Many of the themes present in this film have been done elsewhere before and after but that shouldn't prevent you from enjoying this well made production. Recommended.