Sleepy Eyes of Death: Sword of Fire Film Review

In my review of the fourth in this series, I asked whether the film company would begin to give him a more positive character or a lesser one. This fifth in the series about swordsman Nemuri Kyoshiro partly answers that question. In fact, he does in the first minute when a woman running away from a Samurai trying to kill her asks for his help on a deserted road. "I am a ronin, I won't risk my life to help anyone". He finally relents when she says I will do anything for your help. Anything? Yes. He disarms the samurai (Saburo Date) where upon she sticks a knife into him. Before he dies, he yells to Kyoshiro "If you help her, you will bring disgrace upon yourself". Those words ring true to him. But he still takes her up on her promise and forces her to have sex with him - after she first tries to kill him. She is Higaki Nui (Tamao Nakamura) and she is the devil in disguise - playing everyone for a sucker - playing both sides and using her sexual wiles on many. He tells her tonight we have sex, by tomorrow I will forget you. If only but he like everyone else gets ensnared in her perfidy.

The plot revolves around a pirate ship that was captured by the Toda High Retainer Sir Atobe (Tôru Abe)- he was supposed to destroy all the smuggled goods aboard but kept them for himself. He is in league with the wealthy rice merchant Narumiya (Kô Nishimura) and Nui is part of their conspiracy. Some of the pirates escaped death and now she is heading the effort to ferret them out and kill them before they talk to the Magistrate. Kyoshiro always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is having tea in an in inn when one of the pirates is chased inside. He asks Kyoshiro to look after his daughter who is working at Narumiya's home. Sticking to his word, the ronin kicks him away and refuses. The man is caught and executed but Sir Atobe thinks the man spilled the beans to Kyoshira and has his men try to kill him. That does not go well for them.

There is a lot of not going well for the people who keep trying to kill him. Narumiya in trying to buy him off offers him a "virgin" to plow the fields with - she needs breaking in - her body tattoos tell a different story. He tracks down the head pirate and his granddaughter Oryo (Sanae Nakahara) who is a blade thrower expert. She challenges him - I will kill you but if I don't you can have me. He deflects the blade. And she lies down ready to comply. The two of them go into a hut where her grandfather is and Kyoshiro tells him they are coming for him and a few dozen show up just then. In a lovely scene two of the men go barging in and then stumble out dying - Kyoshiro enters the doorway and the men pull back. They are soon dead by his blade or her knives.

Life is complicated for the Ronin. Part of him just wants to be left alone but a part of him enjoys killing people. That is what he does. He shows a bit of unexpected kindness to the daughter of the executed pirate - the maid Kayo (Michiko Sugata) and then a minute later is killing another defenseless woman as he did in the previous film. A bad habit to pick up. I am getting the impression that these films appreciate complicated plots and lots of characters - nothing goes in a straight line but they are full of action - quick and sharp - and his character is the epitome of the anti-hero.