A remorseful samurai struggles to reconcile clan loyalty with honourable behaviour after turning a blind eye to the massacre of innocent villagers to cover up the theft of gold intended for the Tokugawa shogunate. Thematically similar to director Hideo Gosha's other chanbara, this film takes a hard look at the unquestioning obedience demanded of underlings in feudal societies and how the honour and fidelity can be manipulated to dishonorable and wicked ends. The three leads, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kinnosuke Nakamura, and Tetsuro Tamba, all well-established actors in Japanese cinema (both in jidaigeki and other genres),are excellent. The cinematography, which includes some fanciful imagery is great, the story interesting, and the 'action sequences' well-done and entertaining. All in all, a great entry in the popular genre from a top Japanese director.

After DVD's advent many samurai's picture were bring to Brazilian's market in Box-set in especial edition, since then l had all them, now l've been put the Japanese's cinema as the fifth best in the world, Goyokin is a near masterpiece, the story of a minor Clan that had financial trouble and decided stolen a ship's gold from Edo's Shogunate, and killing around 30 fishermen on seashore, a proud Samurai refuses do it again, he left the group and disappears for three years, wandering without destiny, when hears that all it gonna happen again, he starts his redemption, fine piece of the art, colorful, strong, in a stunning visual neither, among the white snow in contrast with blood, however has a bit influence from Italian spaghetti style, shot on location on a frozen seashore, the leading actor Tatsuya Nakadai was fantastic and Tetsuro Tamba was his brother in law and his unfaithful opponent, the climax took place a little fishermen's village where the ship's gold has to reach signaled of a huge bonfire, this picture stays in same level as others successful picture as Yojimbo, Sword of Doom, Rashomon just named a few them, the whole concept of the man's redemption!!!

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First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 9

This is a special beast of a samurai film because of several things.

For starters it is often compared unfavorably to "Sword of Doom" (completely nihilist B&W psycho samurai also starring Tatsuya Nakadai as a clone of his Yojimbo character). Quite frankly, Goyokin is far superior in nuance, photography and character depth. It holds that edge and an inherent darkness that is exquisitely explored visually over most samurai films in existence: more poetic than Zatôyichi (2003, Kitano),better filmed and written than Sword of Doom (1966, Okamoto),less remote than Ran (1985, Kurosawa) and darker and deeper than Yojimbo (1961, also Kurosawa); the only samurai to best this is Seven Samurai.

Tatsuya Nakadai comes across as three-dimensional, which is a departure from most chambara film heroes, and tormented but eminently likable. Every character is given sufficient growth and motive. Masaru Sato gives us one of his finest scores ever (the other being that of Yojimbo). The photography defeats any samurai film that could possibly cross your mind (yes, even Ran and by a narrow margin Seven samurai's stark B&W beauty)! The fights have a sincere brutality and make the most of their environment... There is little else to add... well no maybe there is. Don't go in expecting pop-corn entertainment but rather something deeper more complex.

I've heard that Inagaki's Samurai trilogy was Japan's "Gone With the Wind", Red Beard it's "Titanic" and Seven Samurai its ultimate western... if so, "Goyokin" is its "Lawrence of Arabia"!