It's an exquisitely crafted melodrama, moving with stately grace toward an understated yet forceful quest for revenge.
– Jeff Shannon,
Seattle Times,
11 Jul 2008
fresh:
An impeccably made classic Japanese period picture in which a nobility of spirit is tested amid the most beautiful of settings, revealing the harshness and hypocrisy of a feudal society of the utmost formality and rigidity.
– Kevin Thomas,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Sep 2008
fresh:
A very satisfying tale that emphasizes one of the genre's key themes: The deepest wound a samurai may suffer does not come from any blade.
– Jason Anderson,
Globe and Mail,
19 Sep 2008
rotten:
It's a satisfying story, played out in decorous period surroundings of the classic warrior tale but Yamada's 79th film lacks any hint of surprise or excitement.