Love and Honour

Japanese journeyman Yamada achieved late recognition with his 2002 costume drama ‘Twilight Samurai’, and he’s now rounded that film out into a trilogy, all sourced from the same prolific novelist Shuhei Fujisawa – and all dealing with low-level samurai facing crises in the waning days of Japanese feudalism. Here, former pop star Takuya Kimura proves adequate as the food-taster who saves his lord from death by toxic shellfish yet is blinded in the process. Unemployment and poverty loom, and the situation’s exacerbated when a scheming official takes advantage of his loyal wife (Rei Dan). How can a blind man effect revenge? It’s a satisfying story, played out in decorous period surroundings of the classic warrior tale but Yamada’s 79th film lacks any hint of surprise or excitement.