Action Member: Hiroshi Kuze

The whole thing rollicks along at a fair clip and the film has a kind of charming, uncomplicated 1980s fantasy action film vibe to it making it a much more enjoyable experience than one might expect.

Nominated for an Academy Award and sweeping the board at the Japanese equivalent of ‘The Oscars’, Yoji Yamada’s lyrically, tenderly woven tale of dignity is a triumph of substance over action.