Kinji Fukasaku became one the great directors of gangster films including his Battles Without Honor and Humanity during the early ’70s. You wanted to see mobsters clash, he took you deep into the fray. But Japan’s lust for films about the Yakuza died down and the director found himself bouncing between various genres with varying results. He struck box office gold at the end of 1983 with Legend Of The Eight Samurai. The movie mixed a tale of Samourai Japan with fantasy elements and special effects. This is a massive epic of a power struggle with dark forces craving to take over the country and only a young princess and her dog warriors as resistance.
Hikita Clan has decided to put an end to their rival Satomi Clan. Under the leadership of the wicked Tamazusa (Spirited Away‘s Mari Natsuki), they have been able to find and behead seven Satomi members. While this would seem good enough, turns out they missed Princess Shizu (Sailor Suit and Machine Gun‘s Hiroko Yakushimaru). When she orders her evil troops to track down the missing royal, they grab the wrong person. The Princess has disguised herself as a boy and is hiding in the woods. She is found by Shinbei (Speed Racer, Shogun & The Wolverine’s Hiroyuki Sanada) who has returned from the battles as a scavenger and not a hero. He captures her only to find himself facing off with Inuyama Dōsetsu Tadatomo (The Street Fighter‘s Sonny Chiba) and his partner. Turns out they are Dog Warriors who are supposed to be able to help the princess defeat Hikata Clan. There are six others that have the glowing orbs that identify them. They aren’t all natural samurai. The princess and her men must seek out the other six before they attack the HIkata stronghold to reverse the Satomi’s power.
Legend Of The Eight Samurai is as colorful as you would crave in a fantasy Samauri flick from the ’80s. Kinji Fukasaku brings his own twist to the blockbuster elements. He has Sonny Chiba working his magic on the screen as a supporting character who doesn’t overshadow the princess. Fukasaku also creates a seductively evil character in Tamazusa. There’s a great shot where she’s bathing in a pool of blood. It’s gross and hot at the same time. The supernatural comes alive in the battles especially in the grand finale. There’ are struggles against giant centipede and a snake. He brings what he did best in the Yakuza films by showing the power struggle. The film isn’t all violence and action. He also creates a bit of romance between the princess and Shinbei. Fukasaku fills the frame with so much. The Legend of the Eight Samurai is an epic popcorn film.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The transfer is taken from a 4K restoration. Everything looks great including the pool of blood. The Audio has the Japanese track in LPCM 2.0 Stereo and DTS-HD MA 5.1 The English dub is LPCM 2.0. The mix sounds great on all three tracks. The movie is subtitled in English.
Audio Commentary with Joe Hickinbottom, a writer with a focus on Japanese cult cinema. He talks about how an American connected to Doc Severinson ended up singing the theme song.
Always looking For the New (24:57) is an interview with Kenta Fukasaku, the son of Kinji Fukasaku. He was born when his dad stated making the Battles Without Honor or Humanity. Kinji started making period piece films in 1978. We learn about Kinji’s post-Yakuza career. Legend Of The Eight Samurai was a big success in his career. Kenta talks of the times he went to the locations. He has a great Sonny Chiba story.
The Trials of the Eight Samurai (15:47) by Stuart Galbraith IV talks about Japan’s cinema system was collapsing in the ’70s. They made fewer films as the decades went on. The studios were distributing other production companies’ movies. There was a desire to create films based on books and manga. He gives plenty of background on the cast and crew. Hiroko Yakushimaru had a rough time on the film since she missed too much of her college years. When the film was released, the movie theaters sold the VHS version for around $66 dollars a tape. During this time, they sold over 50,000 copies.
Trailer (2:24) sells the amazing visuals.
Limited Edition illustrated booklet with essay by Tom Mes.
Eureka! Entertainment presents The Legend of the Eight Samurai: Limited Edition. Directed by Kinji Fukasaku. Screenplay by Toshio Kamata& Kinji Fukasaku. Starring Hiroko Yakushimaru, Hiroyuki Sanada, Sonny Chiba, Minori Terada, Masaki Kyomoto, Etsuko Shihomi, Takuya Fukuhara, Shunsuke Kariya, Kenji Ohba, Keiko Matsuzaka and Mari Natsuki. Running Time: 136 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Release Date: February 18, 2025.
