The Great Killing

"Heaven has no swords."

1964 1h 58m JA

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 25

ActionDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A cynical samurai is left as the sole survivor to fulfill a plot to assassinate the puppet of a villain intent on usurping the shogunate in the 17th century. A Shogunate Elder connives to rule Japan by making his puppet, the Shogun's brother Tsunashige, the next Shogun. The best strategist in Japan, Yamaga, leads a plot to stop the Elder, but his cabal is betrayed and most of the conspirators are captured and tortured.

“Heaven has no swords.”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Tōru Abe
Mikijiro Hira
Yoshio Inaba
Chiezo Kataoka
Chōichirō Kawarasaki
Nami Munakata
Kōtarō Satomi
Minoru Ōki

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Eiichi Kudō
Writers: Kaneo Ikegami
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 / 8

ERA

Did you know

62 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CRAFT

Did you know

Part of the "Kudo's Samurai Revolution Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Eiichi Kudō, shot by Osamu Furuya. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kozo Horiike shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tōru Abe and Mikijiro Hira and Yoshio Inaba carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Heaven has no swords.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0186939 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Eiichi Kudō directs. Osamu Furuya behind the camera. Seiichi Suzuki scores. Kozo Horiike cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

162 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Part of the "Kudo's Samurai Revolution Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Eiichi Kudō, shot by Osamu Furuya. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Seiichi Suzuki. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Kozo Horiike shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Tōru Abe and Mikijiro Hira and Yoshio Inaba carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Heaven has no swords.".
8IMDB entry: tt0186939 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 25 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 9 themes, including "japan", "samurai", "assassination", "conspiracy".