Critics reviews

Standing out in both Kobayashi's career and samurai cinema more broadly, Samurai Rebellion is a rare treat. It somehow feels specifically situated while simultaneously timeless and universal. The film's commentary on social and political power dynamics still resonates today.

In Samurai Rebellion, Kobayashi took his study of the individual against society as far as he could, and enriched it by refusing to restrict himself to the manly world of sword fights. By focusing on family, and particularly on women in family roles, he widened his subject and heightened its emotional potential.

Mifune has a compelling screen presence and is able to effectively navigate the many shifts, from loyal retainer to hen pecked husband, proud father and devoted friend. He also imbues Sasahara with a kind of grim determination that makes believable the final transition from loyal retainer to outraged father. Added to this there is a sadness to Sasahara's stand that is highlighted by the inevitable clash with his friend Tatewaki (Tatsuya Nakadai).

Set in 1725, Masaki Kobayashi's elegiac samurai film (1967) is a scathing indictment of Japan's oppressive Tokugawa shogunate era.