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Poster for Sword of the Beast

Sword of the Beast

Seen it?

1965 | 85 min | Action, Drama

Monday Morning Maybeearly rating

Why it’s a Monday Morning Maybe

With almost no lasting buzz and soft box office, this one could be a tough watch. Keep your phone handy.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for action fans.
The mood
Exciting.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 25 min.
What might put you off
  • It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
  • Made in 1965: an older pace and style.

Legendary swordplay filmmaker Hideo Gosha's Sword of the Beast chronicles the flight of the low-level swordsman Gennosuke, who kills one of his ministers as part of a reform plot. His former comrades then turn on him, and this betrayal so shakes his sense of honor that he decides to live in the wild, like an animal. There he joins up with a motley group who are illegally mining the shogun’s gold, and, with the aid of another swordsman, gets a chance not just at survival but to recover his name and honor.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsNot counted

    Not enough reviews on record yet

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Reach & staying powerBelow par

    Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactWeak

    About 5K people sought it out in the past year

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Cast & crew

Directed by Hideo Gosha

  • Mikijiro HiraYuuki Gennosuke
  • Gō KatōJurata Yamane
  • Shima IwashitaTaka
  • Kunie TanakaTanji
  • Eijirō TōnoMinister
  • Toshie KimuraMisa
  • Kantarō SugaDaizaburo
  • Yōko MiharaOsen
  • Shigeru AmachiVice-Counselor
  • Torahiko Hamada