Sword of the Beast is a 1965 film from Japan directed by Hideo Gosha.
The story is set in 1857, four years after Commodore Perry's ships sailed into Tokyo Bay and forced Japan to open itself up to the West. Gennosuke is a samurai who, as the film begins, is on the run from a squad of pursuers bent on killing him. Flashbacks reveal that Gennosuke, an ambitious young man with big ideas, killed the counselor of his clan for being a reactionary who opposes reform. Further flashbacks reveal that naive Gennosuke was basically manipulated into killing Counselor Yamaoka by the vice-counselor, who wanted the top job. In any case, Gennosuke is on the run, pursued by Yamaoka's daughter Misa, her fiance Daizaburo, and the death squad they've brought with them.
Needing a place to lie low, Gennosuke finds refuge with a peasant named Gundayu. Gundayu is happy to have a samurai around, because he has plans to go panning for gold on a nearby mountain. The reason Gundayu needs a samurai sidekick is that the mountain belongs to the shogun and to poach gold from there means the death penalty if they're caught.
Gundayu and Gennosuke go prospecting and are surprised to find others already there. A wanna-be samurai named Jurota and his wife Taka have been on the mountain for some time, with Jurota panning for gold on behalf of his clan, and killing anyone who tries to stop him. Gennosuke needs that gold to disappear, however, and isn't willing to give up. Jurota's clan shows up to claim their gold at the same time that Misa and Daizaburo track Gennosuke to the mountain.
Tropes:
- Anachronic Order: The main story with Gennosuke as a fugitive ronin is interrupted by a series of flashbacks. The flashbacks themselves are out of order: the flashback where Gennosuke kills Counselor Yamaoka comes before the flashback where the vice-counselor nudges him into doing it.
- Bathtub Scene: Gennosuke is relaxing in the bath when sexy Oren climbs in with him. She's actually there to kill him, but he isn't Distracted by the Sexy and he grabs her hand before she can stab him.
- Carpe Diem: Gennosuke is hiding in a field of corn when a good-looking woman approaches and asks for sex, saying "Might as well, you could die at any moment." It's a trick as she's actually there to signal Misa's death squad.
- The Chessmaster: The unnamed vice-counselor of Gennosuke's clan, who puts the bug in Gennosuke's ear about murdering the counselor Yamaoka, without explicitly saying to do so. This allows him to keep his hands clean and throw Gennosuke to the wolves while he assumes the top job.
- Defiled Forever: Once she's raped it's simply taken as a given that Misa can't return to the clan. The only question is whether Daizaburo will go with her, or forsake her and return to the clan alone.
- Flashback: Several, which tell the story of how Gennosuke went from promising novice samurai to a ronin on the run from a death squad.
- Gold Fever: Various people trying to poach gold from the mountain while avoiding the shogun's patrols leads to an orgy of violence.
- In Medias Res: The first scene has Gennosuke, on the run for murder, narrowly escaping an encounter with Misa and Daizaburo and their hired killers. A series of flashbacks later explain how he wound up in this predicament.
- Karma Houdini: The vice-counselor who manipulated Gennosuke into killing Counselor Yamaoka, then left Gennosuke to take the rap, gets away with everything.
- Narrator: Used only briefly to establish the premise, that it's 1857 and Gennosuke is a samurai on the run after murdering the head of his clan.
- No Name Given: The vice-counselor who manipulates Gennosuke into committing murder is not named, and the head of Jurota's clan, who shows up at the climax, is only called "Minister".
- Off-into-the-Distance Ending: Misa gives up on her quest for vengeance, seeing how futile it is, and the film ends with Gennosuke wearily walking away.
- Pre-Mortem One-Liner: The Minister, who has no idea who Gennosuke is, expressed befuddlement when Gennosuke comes after him, saying "We're not even connected!". Gennosuke answers "No, we are connected, because I'll see you in hell." Then Gennosuke kills him.
- Rape Discretion Shot: The camera pans away as Misa is raped by goons from Jurota's clan.
- Rōnin: Gennosuke isn't just a samurai without a master, he's a samurai fleeing a revenge squad bent on killing him.
- Single-Stroke Battle: Gennosuke wins several of these which is how he's able to repeatedly fight his way out of a crowd of samurai trying to kill him.
- Took a Level in Cynic: The formerly idealistic Gennosuke becomes much, much more cynical after his vice-counselor betrays him and allows him to take the rap for the murder of Yamaoka. At one point he calls himself "a cornered and wounded beast" (hence the title) who "can't afford to live by my conscience." When Daizaburo challenges him to face the death squad and go down fighting like a samurai, citing his name and his pride, Gennosuke says "To hell with name and pride! I'll run and never stop!"
- Toplessness from the Back: Curvaceous Osen makes a show of turning her back and shucking her kimono before getting into the bath with Gennosuke.
- Vorpal Pillow: How Osen the spy finishes off the half-drowned patrolman rescued from the river, and not even with a pillow, but with a hand towel.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: The minister of Jurota's clan plans to keep his gold-poaching secret by murdering everyone who knows about it, namely Osen, Jurota, and Taka. He doesn't count on Gennosuke the ronin being there when he shows up.
