Set in the Edo period, a small town in Japan is caught in the conflict of Yakuza gangs, fighting among each other for supremacy. In between are people who have to nothing to do with violence or the need for authority. The rich, the middle-class, the poor, all, are attacked by the gangs and forced to pay protection money or worse, murdered in cold blood. In that same town, arrives a ronin,with his beautiful lady; Two geishas, who bewitch the men with their beauty and charm and steal their money.
The blind swordsman, the outcast samurai, the pretty women...all cross paths; But to tell you even anything about how and where and when, would be letting out the secret of the mystery. That, is how interestingly the story of the film has been woven.
The gore and the blood splashed all across the screen is one of the most beautiful aspect of it, not because a grisly, hematic action sequence helps sell movies; but because the whole blood-spilling has been converted into a creative piece of art.
All the characters in the movie seem authentic. There is not a single character that has been forced into the story awkwardly. Every figure has its importance, be it the protagonist or the neighbour's son, who is a little loose in the head and runs all around the farmer's house, dressed only in his undergarments, carrying a war flag and pretending to be a samurai. Obviously, the tone of the movie is serious but then, many instances in the film have a comic relief. For eg: The scene where the farmer's nephew, Shinkichi is teaching three boys in the village how to fight like a samurai and the boys end up beating the teacher in the process. The film also has very touching scenes, where O-Sei and O-Kinu, the sibling geishas narrate their childhood tale.
Takeshi Kitano has crafted the entire film in such a way that after watching it, anyone and everyone will have only praises for it. He uses 'Rain' as an important element throughout the film, along with 'Dance.' In the final sequence of the film, the well known Japanese tap dance troupe, The Stripes have performed, thus ending the film on an interesting, musical note.
The film has won many international awards and was the winner of the prestigious Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival 2003.
