The Hunted Samurai (1971)
Directed by Keiichi Ozawa
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Synopsis by Clarke Fountain
Samurai stories occupy a place in Japanese filmmaking similar to that occupied by westerns in American films. Stories of loyalty and decency in the face of injustice and oppression are given a historical framework. In The Hunted Samurai, Roppelta is a samurai who has been removed from regular garrison duty to hunt down a deserter. This is enough to have made him an outcast himself, and he goes into the countryside keeping a keen eye out for pursuers. He comes to the aid of a family in a small village, and enables them to become more successful farmers. Eventually, he must defend his new family from the governor's men. One highlight of this film is its elegantly depicted swordsmanship.
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Keywords
farmer, outcast, Samurai, swordsman, village