Most helpful customer reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Gosha Hideo's best work in the 1970's, Feb 18 2003
I like many of Gosha Hideo's work in the 1960's, such as Three Samurai(Sanbiki no Samurai), Goyokin, and the one-eyed swordsman Tange Sazen. In the 70's he produced a few ambitious works and the results varied, I found "Hunter in the Dark" to be the most successful among them. It tells a story of love and betrayal, friendships and ambitions. The characters are satisfactorily developed; they are varied, interesting and well presented - Sonny Chiba's overwhelming ambitions, Nakadai Tatsuya's commitment to the clan code of honor and friendship, Harada Yoshio's tragic past and confusions, and Kishi Keiko's helplessness and loneliness. Gosha did an excellent job in casting the movie, and all were excellent in their roles. At the end men died for their ambitions and their believes, while women gave up their lifes for love. It echoes the very primitive curses in our genetic code.I saw the Far East DVD release in 2002, the transfer of video and audio were not very good. I look forward to a better transfer work in the U.S. DVD release.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the most beautiful, intense films ever made, Jan 10 2001
I have seen many Japanese films but this one really stands out along with Gosha's own classic, Goyokin (1969) and Tenchu (1969). If you think samurai movies deal with nothing but sword playing, you'd better try Hunter in the Dark. The plot and main characters are as rich and complex as Godfather, and its beautiful, haunting images will grab your attention like no other films until the last scene where two opponents (played by Tatuya Nakadai & Sony Chiba) take their one final moment in a great fight. All the action sequences are extremely well done and the story plumbs into the mythic legends of the dark side of Samurai era. The acting, screenplay, cinematography, and lighting all go hand in hand to create one of the most beautiful yet intense films ever made. This is Hideo Gosha at his best. It is urgent to issue other Gosha masterpieces as well, preferably on DVD.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Film by an unjustly neglected great director, Dec 2 2000
I saw that the review already posted here was wrongly attributed to this movie.This is actually a Yakuza/Samurai film set in mid 18th century Japan and is a beautifully filmed and powerful film on corruption and double dealing in a world where the underworld simply mirrors the manipulative ways of the ruling class. A samurai carrying a traumatic secret becomes the yojimbo of a gang boss (played by Tetsuya Nakadai) involved in a power struggle with a rival gang boss. The new yojimbo is enticed with offers to betray his new patron but chooses to remain loyal, thus setting into motion a tragic chain of events. Hideo Gosha is one of the world's great directors and it is unfortunate his films Tenchu and Goyokin are not more readily available, as well as his early classics such as Three Outlaw Samurai and Sword of the Beast.
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