I am not as well versed in samurai cinema as I am in martial arts, but I can still appreciate a good action epic. Samurai Fury hits many universal beats within the genre and culture.
The ronin Hyoe (Yo Oizumi) and a master (Akira Emoto) train the kid Saizo (Kento Nagao) after Hyoe saves him from Honekawa (Shinichi Tsutsumi). Hyoe has a few more fights along the way too.
That training can be more intense than the 36 chambers of Shaolin. The ground is covered in shards of pottery while blades hang on streamers and blow in the wind. When Saizo learns how to dodge those blades without stepping on the shards, yeah, he’s ready.
Then they organize all the ronin to oppose unfair taxes for a climactic battle which spans a night battle into the next day. Saizo fights off other samurai on the rooftops.
Well Go USA has released Samurai Fury in 4K UHD so it can be experienced in the most epic presentation. That also puts it in a class with the classic Kurasawa black and white Samurai movies in the Criterion Collection. Images like the fog clouds caressing the frame and pink leaves on trees transport you to the past on the other side of the world. The midnight raid ensues in the deep night.
The Dolby surround sound is constant too. Wind blows, distant chirping in the woods, fire crackles, rain pours and paper flutters around. You’ll even hear gang members laugh and civilians gasp all around you.