There's such an abundance of great material in BSQ that it could be split in two separate movies and both would be great in their own right. By the end of the 160 minutes it lasts - which just whiz by - Hideo Gosha has so masterfully climaxed his plot and subplots that one could sit down and easily create another 5-10 great scenes.
But first things first; however fantastic a movie BSQ is, it is best appreciated by experienced Japanese film fans. That's probably where some of the (silly) criticisms leveled at the movie come from - that it's confusing, inconsistent etc. It's not if one is armed with sufficient knowledge of how Japanese films work. It is after all targeted at Japanese audiences first and foremost.
The seasoned genre veteran however is in for a treat. The first half of BSQ is a complex crime movie that is disguised as a chambara. The opening scene, a violent swordfight inside a house manor, is only a (both visual and narrative) distraction from what is actually going on: a robbery. The leader of this band of experienced burglars is Kumokiri Nizaemon. For the opening scene he remains unseen - as much an elusive force to the viewer as he is to the authorities. Our first impression of Kumokiri as the bandits report to him of the robbery's successful outcome is only his voice coming from behind a screen. But there's no mistaking THAT voice: it's the thunderous boom of Tatsuya Nakadai. Here Gosha both with-helds information from the casual viewer (Kumokiri's figure) but also rewards the genre fan who recognizes Nakadai.
After the second robbery we learn more about this criminal mastermind. The revelation of Kumokiri's past is what sets the political aspect of BSQ in motion and also anticipates the climactic ending.
It is however the way that Gosha repeatedly opens the gap between expectation and result, the themes he explores and his superb direction that make BSQ what it is. He once again goes back to favourite themes he dealt with in previous outings, the oppression of samurai authority and revenge (GOYOKIN, SWORD OF THE BEAST, THREE OUTLAW SAMURAI) one one hand, identity (HITOKIRI) on the other.
One of the most astonishing scenes is the surrender to the samurai police of Kumokiri's brother in his place. In an earlier scene the brother tried to convince Kumokiri to join him in the assassination of the Owari lord that betrayed them, killed their families and forced them to become fugitives (and Kumokiri a bandit). Kumokiri refused, dedicated in his plan for one final robbery that would keep his name - ironically not his real name but this false persona - feared and respected throughout history. When Kumokiri's brother surrenders in his brother's place it becomes apparent - through his words also - that it wasn't only revenge he was after but mostly a dignified way to end a meaningless life. He finds peace and redemption by sacrificing himself for his brother - ironically a form of seppuku in itself, exactly what he was ordered to do by the Owari lord 10 years ago.
As if all that wasn't enough, Gosha goes one step further and twists the scene a little more: the head of the samurai squad confesses his admiration and respect for this false Kumokiri (and the bravery of his surrender) with teary eyes. And Gosha twists the plot AGAIN, tension and meaning bursting with every twist of his narrative screwdriver. After the false Kumokiri's execution, it is ordered that his name be erased from all records - the samurai system's final revenge on Kumokiri's mythos and a plot point that recalls Masaki Kobayashi's ending for SEPPUKU. So when all is said and done the notoriety Kumokiri strived for was in vain.
Armed with this realization Kumokiri undertakes his brother's revenge against the Owari lord in a combination of both giri (formal obligation) and ninjo (natural impulse). As with Hitokiri, where Izo Okada was stripped of his name and reputation and became Torazo the Vagrant, the loss of identity becomes a redeeming ritual for the protagonist. With every sense of identity lost, Kumokiri slices through the veils of hypocrisy. He now sees clearly and it is with this clear mind that he delivers his revenge.
If we wanted to analyze Kumokiri's realization after his brother's death in terms of samurai culture we'd see that for the samurai warrior, sword discipline is not enough. The second necessary concept is sunyata ("emptiness") or "voiding the body of all consciousness until a state of no-mindedness is achieved. The fighter with "no mind" is expected to become one not just with his own weapon but with his assailant and his assailant's weapon as well". In the light of this, the huge body count Kumokiri leaves in his wake is not surprising.
In the final scenes Tatsuya Nakadai (Kumokiri) undergoes a wonderful transformation: from the sad and quiet, aging bandit to a demon, as if Ryunosuke Tsukue from SWORD OF DOOM was given a new lease of life for a final battle.
The beauty of BSQ is that the superb character development and handling of themes is layered within a rich plot and entertaining story. Action fans will be delighted at the huge body count. Gosha was perceptive enough to evolve with the times - the comic-book style and violence of the LONE WOLF AND CUB series is an obvious influence here. There's also some nudity but it's never crude and so Gosha manages the unthinkable; to balance between the exploitative elements that appeared in early 70's chambara and traditional samurai concepts such as the giri/ninjo moral double-bind. All within a story that runs the gamut from crime to revenge, with political undertones to please fans of Kobayashi and Eiichi Kudo and the splatter and violence to make fans of Ogami Itto and Hanzo the Razor sit down and take notice.
