21. Tatara Samurai (Yoshinari Nishikori, 2017)
The film has an unusual message for a samurai movie in that it gives us a true reflection of the horrors of war. One of the characters explains that death really is the end and this is something that is made clear later. Death and war are not celebrated or glorified, they are shown to be a tragedy and the end of a human life. The film asks the audience to celebrate life including the simple every day things that are taken for granted and to protect these. It also doesn't present a clear cut hero and villain narrative, instead focusing on the seemingly ineradicable problem of violence itself. In fact, Gosuke's journey is one of realising that the samurai spirit he is seeking may not necessarily be about fighting. An exceptionally well made historical drama with great action and a thought-provoking message. (Matthew Cooper)
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22. Killing (Shinya Tsukamoto, 2018)
Once violence ensues, no one remains unaffected, despite his degree of involvement, and the closing of the cycle is as difficult as its opening is easy. Tsukamoto's approach towards the presentation of the aforementioned borders on the extreme, as he does not shy away from the violence even a bit, with the tendency finding its apogee in the scene in a small cave, which could be easily described as butchering. The amount of violence in the film, however, does not hide his messages by any means, as his hatred for war and violence in general extends to the concept of revenge, human nature (in terms of how people cherish violence when they benefit from it), and the fact that samurai swordsmanship may look impressive and noble, but in reality, its only purpose is to kill (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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23. Punk Samurai Slash Down (Gakuryu Ishii, 2018)
Director Gakuryu Ishii works with a stunning all star cast to inject his own brand of mayhem into the samurai genre. Mixing comedy, ultra violent action and a bizarre mix of warriors (including the monkey king) “Punk Samurai Slash Down” should see a fair amount of success once it makes its way west. The film is also really well designed and scored, and keeps a frenetic pace that has come to define a lot of Ishii's work. It is also one of his first films that work with a more comedic tone, adding to the repertoire of the director's filmography. (Adam John Symchuk)
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24. Samurai Marathon (Bernard Rose, 2019)
“Samurai Marathon” is an enjoyable period piece uniting various storylines into one tale about betrayal and loyalty. With a great cast and an eye for the wonderful landscape of Japan, this is a very interesting drama about a time of change in Japan, a much needed one on the one hand, but also aware of a certain loss on the other hand. (Rouven Linnarz)
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25. Iwane: Sword of Serenity (Katsuhide Motoki, 2019)
The production values of the film are on a very high level. The orange hues in the first part and the brown in the second fit the narrative perfectly, as Masahiko Yasuda has done a very competent job in the cinematography department, both in the action and in the calm scenes. Some images of the sky and sea in the first part are somewhat excessive in their presentation, but the overall visual approach lingers towards realism. This aspect extends to the many and excellently choreographed battles, that also highlight the impressive job done in the editing department. The pace of the film is fast, with the frequent cuts allowing the story to unfold in a very entertaining fashion. The film manages to stand out from the plethora of similar productions (and to overcome being somewhat generic) by implementing a financial aspect rarely depicted in the genre. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
