The Sword of Doom

Nakadai dominates the screen as Ryunosuke Tatsue, a man for whom killing is a pleasure. Brought up by a father to whom the sword was The way of life, the sword is now the only family he recognizes. Pitted against him is Taranosuke Shimada, an opponent of equal prowess who regards the use made of the sword as the outward manifestation of a man’s spiritual state.
Set in the 1860s, with the Japanese feudal system under threat from a limited democracy, “The Sword of Doom” interweaves romance, politics, and psychological observation. Always at the center is the spectacle of a soul going rotten in an era without values. The message is the medium and the medium is the sword.