The Sword of Doom (大菩薩峠, Dai-bosatsu tōge, "The Pass of the Boddhisattva"), is a jidaigeki movie released in 1966. It was directed by Kihachi Okamoto and stars Tatsuya Nakadai.
The story follows the life of Ryunosuke Tsukue (Tatsuya Nakadai), an amoral samurai and a master swordsman with an unorthodox style. Ryunosuke is first seen when he kills an elderly Buddhist pilgrim who he finds praying for death. He appears to have no feeling. Later, he k...
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The Sword of Doom (大菩薩峠, Dai-bosatsu tōge, "The Pass of the Boddhisattva"), is a jidaigeki movie released in 1966. It was directed by Kihachi Okamoto and stars Tatsuya Nakadai.
The story follows the life of Ryunosuke Tsukue (Tatsuya Nakadai), an amoral samurai and a master swordsman with an unorthodox style. Ryunosuke is first seen when he kills an elderly Buddhist pilgrim who he finds praying for death. He appears to have no feeling. Later, he kills an opponent in self defence in a fencing competition that was intended to be non-lethal, but became a duel after he abused his opponent's wife. This latter act forces him to leave his home town with the woman. To make a living, Ryunosuke joins the Shinsengumi, a sort of semi-official police force made up of ronin that supports the Tokugawa shogunate through murder and assassinations.
Through all his interactions, whether killing a man or at home with his mistress and their baby son, Ryunosuke rarely shows any emotion. His expression is...
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