REEL JAPAN

Score: 2/10

SWORD OF FIRE is the fifth of a series of twelve film adaptations starring Ichikawa Raizo as Nemuri Kyoshiro, a red-haired, half Portuguese (hence the “sleepy” western eyes), half Japanese wandering ronin. Based on the historical novels of Shibata Renzaburo, which spawned many series over decades. Ichikawa Raizo VIII was adopted into a kabuki family at a young age, became a very prolific film actor, and sadly died in 1969 at age 37 from cancer. He carries the film well on his slender shoulders, despite the abrasive and soulless demeanor of his anti-hero.

SWORD OF FIRE presents as nihilistic an outlook as you will find in vintage samurai films. Violence, betrayals, a rogue in place of a hero, and sexual assault and rampant misgyny abound. 

There is an excellent final choreographed fight on the stairs and promenade of a beautiful temple, featuring superb camera work, even if the swordplay is a little sleepy. 

The background about a conspiracy to smuggle valuable antiquities had potential, but the characters involved never rise to the surface. They are eclipsed by the parade of violent and sometimes twisted female characters, who enter as tropes and leave as celluloid arson. The iconic actress Nakamura Tamao (currently the matriarch of a famed kabuki family) delivers the best performance of the movie as one such twisted siren. 

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