The Twilight Samurai released by Twilight Time is a well made film headlined by a great performance by Hidoyuki Sanada and a strong core story and characters.
The Twilight Samurai
(2002)
Genre(s): Drama
Twilight Time | NR – 129 min. – $29.98 | November 11, 2014
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MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Yoji Yamada Writer(s): Shuhei Fujisara (novels); Yoji Yamada & Yoshitaka Asama (screenplay) Cast: Hidoyuki Sanada, Rie Miyazawa, Min Tanaka DISC INFO: Audio: Japanese (DTS-HD MA 5.1) |
PLOT SUMMARY
The Twilight Samurai, nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, is a contemplative character study of Seibei (HIROYUKI SANADA), a traditional samurai reduced — in a rapidly modernizing Japan — to working as an accountant. A widower, Seibei has to care for his senile mother and his two young daughters; his financial problems are so severe that he finally, humiliatingly, must pawn his sword. And then, his clan comes to him with one last job.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 0.5/5
Not much here except for the Theatrical Trailer.
VIDEO – 3.0/5
Courtesy of Twilight Time, The Twilight Samurai is presented with a 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer. The picture itself is incredibly drab not only void of color but very soft, almost like there was a filter applied. The detail levels at least aren’t bad but the texture of this picture is hard to ignore.
AUDIO – 4.25/5
On the plus side, the Japanese language DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is quite strong from the clear dialogue levels to the music/score which was surprisingly robust and at times even with a bit of oomph and depth, such as one instance during the beating of a drum.
OVERALL – 4.0/5
Overall, The Twilight Samurai released by Twilight Time is a well made film headlined by a great performance by Hidoyuki Sanada and a strong core story and characters. The Blu-ray itself is a bit disappointing; outside of the lossless audio, the quality isn’t the greatest with so-so audio and only a theatrical trailer making up the bonus material.
Published: 11/16/2014