Sword of the Beast

1965 1h 25m JA

👍

7.5

SOLID

★7.5TMDB · 79

ActionDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Legendary swordplay filmmaker Hideo Gosha's Sword of the Beast chronicles the flight of the low-level swordsman Gennosuke, who kills one of his ministers as part of a reform plot. His former comrades then turn on him, and this betrayal so shakes his sense of honor that he decides to live in the wild, like an animal. There he joins up with a motley group who are illegally mining the shogun’s gold, and, with the aid of another swordsman, gets a chance not just at survival but to recover his name and honor.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Mikijiro Hira
Yuuki Gennosuke
Gō Katō
Jurata Yamane
Shima Iwashita
Taka
Kunie Tanaka
Tanji
Eijirō Tōno
Minister
Toshie Kimura
Misa
Kantarō Suga
Daizaburo
Yōko Mihara
Osen

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Hideo Gosha
Writers: Hideo Gosha, Eizaburo Shiba
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

61 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Hideo Gosha, shot by Toshitada Tsuchiya. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Toshiaki Tsushima. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Mikijiro Hira and Gō Katō and Shima Iwashita carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0200768 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 79 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Hideo Gosha directs. Toshitada Tsuchiya behind the camera. Toshiaki Tsushima scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
261 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Hideo Gosha, shot by Toshitada Tsuchiya. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Toshiaki Tsushima. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Mikijiro Hira and Gō Katō and Shima Iwashita carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0200768 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 79 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
8Classified under 8 themes, including "gold", "gambling", "ronin", "shogun".