It seems like the majority of samurai pictures I've seen aren't set in the glory days, but rather around the period of the Meji Restoration, when the way of the samurai was slowly dying. The common theme of many of these films deal with holding onto this romanticized ideal of honor and duty while the world around them was quickly changing. This is true in such films as Seven Samurai, 13 Assassins, and (I hesitantly mention it since it is a distinctly American film) The Last Samurai. It is also the case in the excellent The Twilight Samurai.
However unlike those films, The Twilight Samurai is not an action film. There are no dramatic scenes of horses coming over the horizon and there is just one real sword fight. Even the high drama is subdued. Everything about this film is subtle and restrained, which makes its key moments all the more powerful.
Seibei Iguchi is a low ranking samurai who is called Twilight by his peers because of how quickly he returns home after the day's work is done. He forgoes socializing and drinking with his buddies to go home to his aging mother and two young daughters. It is revealed in the beginning of the film that he is a widower and living near poverty after medical care and the expensive funeral for his wife. Perhaps he has a chance to rise up in ranks and prove himself as a true samurai despite his lowly rank? Well, not really. He is indeed an honorable man and a skilled swordsman, but he has little ambition in moving up in life. He is content in caring for his family and is forced into action when backed into a corner only to shyly retreat back to his life. There is no glory here, Seibei is simply struggling to survive.
The key to this movie is in the strength of Hiroyuki Sanada's acting as Seibei. He is quietly strong despite the outward appearance of fatigue. His tired eyes show a weariness of life but also a deep compassion. Wrinkles creep up on his face, maybe from the years wearing on him, or perhaps an unrealized wisdom hidden underneath. You can also see in his face how hard he struggles to express how he truly feels. For instance, consider the scene when his friend suggests that he propose to his sister who obviously likes him and his two daughters. You can see the expression on his face betray his words as he refuses, citing that he wouldn't want her to live in poverty with him. Oh Seibei! Why don't you just give in to your heart?! That makes a later scene between Seibei and Tomoe (the friend's sister) all the more emotional because we know how difficult it is for him to him to express his feelings.
It all builds up to the finale where Seibei reluctantly accepts an assignment to kill a man who has refused to obey an order to kill himself. Can you imagine the audacity? This other man has also endured hardships like Seibei and makes one wonder what is the whole point to being a samurai? What has it ever done for these two men? Their fates are even more tragic given the upcoming Meji Restoration when all of this will become irrelevant anyways.
This film is remarkable for its quiet and effortless storytelling. It is a slow burner, but is always compelling and and often very moving. I cannot give enough praise to Sanada for his portrayal of Seibei, who gives life and character to a sympathetic and endearing hero.
Grade: A
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