When The Last Sword is Drawn (2003) depicts the events in the life of a certain Yoshimura Kan'ichiro. Kan'ichiro is a poor "country" Samurai that is forced to move to the city to find work. Eventually he finds work in the now famous, Shinsengumi.
Kan'ichiro does anything he can to earn money to provide for his family back home. In doing so, he earns the reputation as a greedy, money grubbing individual. Despite this, Kan'ichiro proves his merit as an honorable Samurai both on the training grounds as well as on the battlefield.
There were some historical references that I was pleased to see in the film. Both Kondo Isami and Saito Hajime are major figures in the film. Also, the Battle of Toba-Fushimi (1868) provides the films' climatic finish.
Well, it would have been the films' climatic finish if it were for a nearly half-hour long death scene for Kan'ichiro. This was without a doubt the worst part of the film. Admittedly, at the beginning of the scene, I felt somewhat emotional and sympathetic. However, I soon began to scream to myself, "Just die already!" Unfortunately, it took awhile for the hero to expire, and this led to a near laughable finish to an otherwise masterful film.
One feature of the film that I did like tremendously, was the use of flashbacks. The first time a flashback took place, however, I was a bit confused. There was no real delineation between the present and the past. After that initial bump, though, I could follow the flashbacks with ease, and the movie was better for it.
5.0/5.0
This was really a great film. Despite the over the top, melodramatic finish, the film was tremendous. I recommend this movie to anyone. No matter which type of movie you're into, this is a film that is sure to impress.
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