Sword of Desperation
After seeing Shōgun, I’ve been in the mood for more samurai and jidaigeki titles. Hideyuki Hirayama’s Sword of Desperation has been on my list for awhile now, so now seemed like a good time to check it out. Contrary to what the title might suggest, Sword of Desperation is a total slow-burn of a movie, following the life of a samurai who’s imprisoned after killing his lord’s consort in apparent cold blood. Of course, things are slowly revealed to be more complicated than that. Unfortunately, Sword of Desperation is so much of a slow burn that its story ultimately lacks any sense of momentum. When the final — and in hindsight, inevitable — revelations finally come about, it’s actually a bit of a letdown, lacking the emotional import that they certainly feel like they should have.