Withered Tree, the Adventures of Monjiro

A great tale of sacrifice, revenge, and the Yakuza code in late Edo period Japan. Bunta shines as the stoic protagonist who is out for vengeance. The fight scenes are action packed and gorey with a tad too much of the Fukasaku shake-cam, but it works a lot better with these sword fights than the infamous gun fights. Monjirō of the Cold Wind was significantly better than I was expecting, a new highlight for me in the jidaigeki/chambara/ninkyo eigas—heck, I may buy it on dvd it’s that worth it.