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Yuriko Hoshi, Shigeru Koyama, Akira Kubo, Tatsuya Nakadai, Tadao Nakamaru ... see more see more... , Eijirô Tono , Yoshio Tsuchiya , Etsushi Takahashi , Hideyo Amamoto , Nami Tamura

A pair of luckless would-be warriors find themselves caught in the middle of a skirmish between rival gangsters in this darkly comic samurai film. Tabata (Etsushi Takahashi) and Genta (Tatsuya Nakadai... read more read more...) are two hungry ronin who meet in a windswept town which has fallen so deeply upon hard times that the proprietor of the only restaurant has committed suicide in her own dining room. Tabata is a former farmer who dreams of living the exciting life of a samurai, while Genta tried to give up the violent and nomadic life of a swordsman but hasn't had much luck finding other work. The village is dominated by a clan of yakuza who are caught up in a power struggle, and as the two factions split off and declare war on one another, the two new friends find themselves hired by differing sides -- Tabata as a samurai, Genta as a messenger. However, one of Tabata's first assignments is to assassinate Genta, even as his new pal offers him helpful hints on his newly adopted trade. Kiru (aka Kill!) was written and directed by Kihachi Okamoto, one of Toho's leading action directors during the 1960s, who earned a reputation for his strong but cynical perspective on the violence of men. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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89% liked it

1,201 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 55 min.

Directed by: Kihachi Okamoto

Release Date: June 22, 1968

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DVD Release Date: October 11, 2005

Stats: 92 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (92)

  • rubystevens
    January 31, 2011
    rubystevens
    it took me two nights to get through this as the plot was a bit confusing and lost me somewhere in the middle but it was easy enough to catch up in the second half. based on the same source as sanjuro but this film is a kind of satire of samurai code and really evokes a spaghett... read morei western, especially the morricone-like score. there's alot of humor, some of which is probably lost in translation but tatsuya nakadai shows a real comic talent here. i must say i've always thought him a better actor than mifune, the big ham ;) i might give it a better rating with another viewing; there were some stunning scenes but i spent alot of time just trying to piece out the plot
  • DrBenway
    August 26, 2010
    DrBenway
    If Kill!'s plot sounds familiar, that's because it's based on Peaceful Days by Shugoro Yamamoto, the novel that was the inspiration for Sanjuro, however it's a very different movie, making the two interesting bookends. In "Sanjuro" the samurai are naive but committed to the samu... read morerai code of honor. in "Kiru" the anti-corruption samurai are more self-interested and concerned about self-preservation.

    What separates Kiru (or Kill!) from the majority of Samurai films out there is that it's pretty funny. There is a fair amount of violence and blood in this movie, but the dark humor keeps this from becoming too incredibly heavy.
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  • sanjurosamurai
    August 26, 2010
    sanjurosamurai
    great flick. tatsuya nakadai is becoming one of my favorite actors, and he is good in this one. the story is a little confusing at parts but becomes more clear at the end. mostly about betrayal but the action is good and it gives an even perspective to the ups and downs of bei... read moreng a samurai.
  • kenstachnik
    August 26, 2010
    kenstachnik
    My favorite non Kurusawa Samurai film
  • fb208103125
    December 27, 2011
    fb208103125
    "Kill!" is a fun and tongue in cheek action/comedy hybrid that features a typical samurai story but has a unique score and some truly hilarious moments. Etsushi Takahashi and Tatsuya Nakadai both give standout performances as two hungry ronin who's paths cross during some crucia... read morel moments in time. The film is filled with samurai battles and some great fight scenes that are beautiful to watch in B&W. While not the deepest or most profound samurai film (Harakiri, Seven Samurai, Samurai Rebellion) it's definitely a unique and fun one!
  • rickrudge
    February 27, 2009
    rickrudge
    Kiru (1968)

    This movie opens with X-farmer, Hanjiro Tabata (Etsushi Takahashi) a starving Samurai-want-to-be, walking into a dusty, windy, desolate town, looking for work. He meets up with an equally starving Yakuza, Genta the vagrant (Tatsuya Nakadai). They meet up with anoth... read moreer Yakuza that explains why the town is dead. Supposedly there had been an uprising by the townspeople, led by the local Yakuza boss. The uprising was quickly put down by the local corrupt magistrate and everyone executed.

    Just then, another Samurai walks into town. Tetsutaro Oikawa (Naoko Kubo) has arrived with a message for seven members of his clan from their leader. There were no specific orders to kill the local magistrate, but it was sort of implied. This message gets the seven Samurai out to make their own undoing.

    The reluctant hero, the Genta character, is wonderful. He's obviously an X-Samurai who was disillusioned with the posturing and false honor of that class. He reminds me of James Garner in many of his movies, like "Support Your Local Sheriff" (1969). He's smart, irreverent and can usually see all of the angles that nobody else seems to be aware of. It's not like Genta isn't brave or heroic or a good swordsman. He just sees this all as a bunch of BS and not worth getting yourself killed over. Against his better judgement, he gets more and more involved in this struggle.

    Despite everyone else taking sides, he's able to smooth talk his way around the battle to the death that everyone else is determined on doing. He is able to talk to men who would normally be his deadly enemy and talk man to man with them. So this movie is sort of a comedy, sort of a tongue-in-cheak action/Samurai movie that makes fun of itself and the whole genre (as well as the spaghetti westerns of the time).

    This movie is part of the Criterion collection's Rebel Samurai DVD box set. It's well worth you checking out.

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