While "The Twilight Samurai" is touching and moving while being realistic, this movie has a bit of realism but has more to do with loyalty and virtue. Although this has more action than "The Twilight Samurai" the trailer can be misleading cause this movie is far from being a action packed movie. And like the previous movie it takes patience to enjoy although it's a movie that isn't for everyone. The pacing might be a bit slow but isn't too slow to the point it makes the audience lose their attention. While the previous movie had to do with family, this one has multiple themes combined into one but it works very well. And the portrayal is more realistic when it comes to samurais because it's not idealistic like it's portrayed in some movies. This movie has elements from the movie "The Last Samurai" in it, but goes in a more realistic direction since it isn't really idealistic. The romance elements is done pretty well and believable for most part. Despite the premise of this movie, it isn't action packed with a lot of sword fighting. So if your expecting that, you will be left disappointed but what it does accomplish is that it makes you believe that all the character in the movie is real and so is the plot. Thus it makes the whole experience engrossing and goes in a direction where it isn't really dry despite not having a lot of action for a movie that has samurais and the use of western weapons in it.7.3/10

And I've seen a few. A film revolving around the advent of artillery warfare and the outmoding of the Samurai shogunite, directed with nostalgia and passion, against the backdrop of feudal Japan, fixed in it's ideas of honour and duty, makes this film a true depiction of 19th century Japan.The love story aside, which is a real and understandable love, the film is more central to the beliefs Japan held on to for 500 years that suddenly and devastatingly became untenable, and yet the honour remains.See this film. Brilliant in every regard.

This is a very enchanting and sensitive drama, beautifully filmed, which gives us westerners a very different peek into Japanese life in the late 1800's. The plot is well outlined by others on this site, so no need for me to go into it, other than to say that it takes a very different angle of view to every other Japanese historical film that I have seen to date. The characters are very like some of my friends and neighbours - totally real, and very believable. Many historical Japanese films have the characters shouting harshly at one another throughout the movie. This one is very different. These Japanese actually speak like real people!!!! The swordplay is real and not the stuff of Jeddi Knights! The film has that genuine "handmade" stamp and a "homemade" and wholesome flavour - and not that of some franchise.This movie is a keeper, one to be enjoyed many times over and its subtleties savoured again and again. Very fine acting, excellent direction and beautiful cinematography - watch it for just the craftsmanship if for nothing else! I highly recommend this film.

Fans of the common chambara (swordfigfht) film will be disappointed - this is not an action film. Tartan films is making a mistake by loading its marketing of this film in America with hints that it might be. In fact, this film probably could better distributed by Criterion, since it is the equal of any of the Japanese dramas it handles.This is a real throwback to the grand tradition of Japanese film - Ozu, Kurosawa, Mizoguchi. Flawless cinematography, almost painful care for detail, strong back story, meditative commentary on political history, and a passionate cross-caste romance, much as that captured in the "Samurai" trilogy. Sensitive acting and elegant direction. a romantic soundtrack that never becomes overbearing. Really a film for the ages.This is the film most people should be watching instead of the Tom Cruise farce "The Last Samurai". Indeed, sympathetic viewing of this film will at least make clear why many of us were outraged at the Cruise film - this has all the thoughtful reflection on the social tensions of that era that "The Last Samurai" lacked.A fascinating demonstration that the Japanese well know their own history and need no reminders from Hollywood - and can depict that history with a sweep and vision easily as grand and as beautiful as anything Hollywood can produce.