1967 · Japan · Directed by Eiichi Kudō

Eiichi Kudo concludes his Samurai Revolution trilogy with 11 Samurai, the bleakest as well as the most violent in the series, and a suitably heartrending coda to his epic saga of existential jidaigeki.

While out hunting for deer, Lord Nariatsu (Kantaro Suga, the Zatoichi series), the petulant son of the former Shogun murders his fellow lord Masayori over a disagreement. But not only does Masayori’s chamberlain Tatewaki (Koji Nanbara, Branded to Kill)’s plea for reparations fall on deaf ears, the Shogun’s chief secretary Mizuno (Kei Sato, Onibaba) rewrites the event, claiming Nariatsu’s actions were defensive. Tatewaki is left with no other option to restore his clan’s honour than to assemble his most loyal samurai, including his lifelong friend Hayato (Isao Natsuyagi, Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion), and hatch a plan to assassinate Nariatsu. Such a rebellion could have devastating consequences for the ruling powers. But faced with the rot and corruption of the Shogunate, Tatewaki and his warriors realise the terrible truth: that the age of the samurai has run its course, and should they try to end it, their lives would end along with it.

With 11 Samurai, Kudo’s portrayal of the inexorable corruption at the heart of power reaches its spectacular apotheosis. Bursts of explosive action and grand scale swordfights punctuate the dramatic fatalism of the characters’ doomed mission in this gripping final instalment of the Samurai Revolution trilogy.