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Kiru AKA Kill! (1968). Another absolutely incredible Japanese classic by Kihachi Okamoto. This wonderful samurai flick somehow takes all of the cliches of this genre and lightly makes fun of them. While the story is standard fare, this movie is more about the characters and a wonderful balance between humor and gravity than the story itself. Not that the story is weak, with all of the twists and betrayals and codes of honor that are perfectly sprinkled in. What makes this movie so awesome is the shadowy humor that is infused in between the cliches and sometimes heart-wrenching scenes. Tatsuya plays his part as the disillusioned samurai turned vagrant yakuza with much aplomb. After watching this, it would not be a faux pas to place him even above the inimitable Mifune as one of the greatest Japanese actors of his time. This man has scope (his role in The Human Condition also shows this). All in all of of the most enjoyable samurai flicks of all time. Ashe.
derek
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Fate is my mistress, mother of the cruel abomination that is hope.
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