Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Baceseras A late film from Kon Ichikawa, approximately the eightieth in his sixty-year directing career. An honest magistrate uses guile as well as samurai skills to clean up a corrupt feudal fiefdom. The tale is framed by two scribes recording the "official" version of events: their ironic comments are funny as they gossip about all the juicy stuff they have to leave out of their chronicle; but behind their worldly-wise cracks, they really don't know what's going on, so the irony doubles back on them. The hero plays a shifty game going after his prey; his dodges are very amusing, and the star Koji Yakusho really seems to be enjoying himself. The corrupt port city, a medieval Big Easy, is a big rotten playground in nacreous colors that bleed into each other. About the only hard edges to be seen - until the blades come out - are the checkerboard squares on the robe of the determined Miss Keiko, who pursues the magistrate all the way from Edo. Ichikawa keeps his touch light and sure - what other great director has aged so well? - his mastery intact, with no sign of faltering or hardening.

El_Farmerino_Esq As a random pick from the shelves of a Japanese DVD store, largely chosen simply on the basis of having English subtitles and the words 'Kon Ichikawa' in big roman letters, the list of names attached to Dora-heita comes as quite a surprise, though it never really stacks up against the best work of any of its four writers. Which is not to say it's a bad film; far from it. It is, though, a rather uneven one...The story is solid enough; Mochizuki Koheita is the newly appointed magistrate in a small rural fiefdom, sent to clean up the corrupt town of Horisoto in his own unorthodox way, facing off against a trio of gang bosses and the complacent and complicit council. In the lead, Koji Yakusho plays the part perfectly, making Koheita both genuinely likable and credibly hard-nosed. Support ranges from the fairly good to the utterly mediocre, though none of the actors come off too badly. The strongest scenes of the film are those set in the streets of Horisoto, Mochizuki's first visit to the slum being the most striking sequence in terms of visual flair. Elsewhere, there are a few great scenes; the visit to Nadahachi's abode in particular, despite the paint-by-numbers action scene that follows.It's certainly a film with plenty to keep the viewer's attention, but it never really coagulates into a sleek, unified whole. There are problems with some of the comedy elements and with the Kosei character, both of which feel as though they were shoehorned in at the last minute, in the misguided fear of putting off viewers with too serious a story. In actual fact, it would probably be possible to cut Kosei out completely; contrary to expectations, she actually has no connection at any point to the main thread of the story, instead providing only a couple of laughs, an underwhelming brawl with some smugglers and a penultimate scene that errs the wrong side of ridiculous.Still, it's entertaining enough, though it'd be best not to have too high expectations simply because of the names on the screenplay...

deng43 someone calls this a detective story, and that is apt. the film reminds me very much of an American detective tale, something hammett might have written, but it is effortlessly translated into another world, one of swords and sake. there is one point, a night shot, when the magistrate has first entered the corrupt town he is to clean up, and the camera catches faces that reek of depravity, hopelessness, vacancy; these are the seedy, misbegotten, down-and-out characters of a low rent street of burst dreams; it is an almost noir shot of the underbelly. for a moment you are in some other movie, a bleaker seemingly more modern place where concrete hems the characters in and no escape exists. it is a very western shot in the value judgments it makes for the viewer. the shot is jarring and you never have to ask again why this place needs to be cleaned up.the main characters come off with a western outlook quite often. the geisha who tracks the magistrate is a regular hell-on-wheels girl who knows about life and has the bit in her teeth - maybe almost a harlow part. the magistrate really lacks the veneration and gravity you will find in any similar Japanese movie that features clans, a hierarchy, bushido, men of status and the formality normally associated with samurai society. the protagonist is a trickster and an irreverent scoffer. it is nearly sam spade looking for lew archer's killer.i found the flic to be a really nice mix of western attitudes and samurai story in a comedic melange that was not in the least bit overdone or offsetting.i give it a seven because i didn't "love" the movie, but i did like it a lot and will watch it again.

massaster760 The City of Horisoto is in bad shape. It's full of gamblers, thieves, prostitutes, smugglers, drug addicts, and Yakuza. At the center of this are three bosses who each control different aspects of the Hirosoto underworld; specifically Bosses Taju, Saibei, and Nadahachi. Magistrate Dora-Heita is dispatched by his lord to clean up the City... and possibly the local government as well. The only problem is Dora-Heita is infamously known as a drunken, debauched, samurai with unusual tactics (to say the least). Will he be able to clean up the City or is he just-as his reputation suggests-a philandering, gambling, drunkard?Although produced in 2000, Dora-Heita is truly a product of the late 60's. Written by the "Four Musketeers" (Akira Kurosawa, Kon Ichikawa, Keisuke Kinoshita and Masaki Kobayshi) in 1969, and directed by the last surviving member of the troop, Kon Ichikawa. The film's script sat around for 30 years until Kon decided to commit the text to celluloid. For those reasons, the film closely resembles 60's Chambara in form and tone. Those familiar with Kon Ichikawa and Akira Kurosawa will know what to expect, and they won't be disappointed.But for those who aren't familiar with the works of Kurosawa and Ichikawa I will elaborate. Dora-Heita is a slow but correspondingly paced samurai epic. Don't be expecting a non-stop slaughter-fest or you'll be disappointed. The film actually only features one true sword fight(which is incredible) and if your only in it to see the obligatory blood splatter from sword strokes... than this isn't your film. In fact, Dora-Heita doesn't even enter the City until the film hits its 45 minute mark. Dora-Heita's true allure is in its direction, dialog, plot, and acting. Kon Ichikawa's direction is excellent and typical of early Chambara. Kurosawa fans will be especially delighted to catch shades of the late masters great repartee throughout the film. The plot is also reminiscent of Kurosawa's dual masterpieces Yojimbo and Sanjuro, (although Dora-Heita isn't on the same level as those masterpieces). And Koji Yakusho is great as the cryptically competent Magistrate Koheita (a.k.a. Dora-Heita). On top of everything, the film has some pretty funny comedic elements to it too, I found myself chuckling throughout at Koheita's exploits. Add all these qualities up and you have a very fun and involving film.The film does have some minor faults. The plot might be a little too much like Yojimbo for it's own good. Some scenes run on a little long, and sometimes the dialog becomes a bit superfluous.Bottom Line- Not an outright Masterpiece, but a damn fun two hours.