The Invisible Swordsman: An Effective Blend of Revenge, Samurai Action, and Impressive Special Effects (Limited Edition Blu-ray)

The Film:

Whenever people think of samurai films, they typically think of classic epics from the masters of Japanese cinema like Akira Kurosawa ("Seven Samurai"), Masaki Kobayashi ("Harakiri"), and Hiroshi Inagaki ("The Samurai Trilogy"). These films are typically very serious and have their samurai going on epic quests or carrying out heroic deeds. However, among these more somber entries, there were some who tried to do something a little different with the beloved sub-genre, filmmakers who wanted to keep the serious tone, but also inject a little levity into the proceedings by offering up elements that could be seen as a little silly.

This brings us to Yoshiyuki Kuroda's "The Invisible Swordsman," a film that attempts to do just that by mixing a quest for revenge with a somewhat goofy means of carrying it out. With the film turning 55 this year, Arrow Films has decided to celebrate it by putting the film on Blu-ray for the very first time outside of Japan, making it the perfect time to delve into it to see how well its curious blend of tones works within the traditional samurai structure.

Taking place in Edo-era Japan, the film focuses on Sanshiro (Osamu Sakai), a young man who is training to be a swordsman, but is sadly not very good at it. One night, when his father is out hunting a group known as the "Phantom Thieves," he is killed, naturally causing Sanshiro to want to seek revenge. He happens to run into a spirit called Shokera (Tokio Oki) who teaches him how to make a magic potion that will turn him invisible, but only for 30 minutes at a time. Sanshiro collects the ingredients, makes the potion, and finds it to be quite effective, and so, without further delay, he sets out on a dangerous mission to find the man who killed his father.

From reading that synopsis, one could easily get the mistaken impression that "The Invisible Swordsman" is meant to be a lighter, more comedic samurai film. After all, it does sound awfully silly to have an invisible samurai running around and taking revenge on a group of thieves, but what ends up being most surprising about the film is its ability to blend the elements of its revenge plot with those of the means in which it's carried out without going too far in either direction. That is to say, the film is not overly-goofy, but nor it is overly-morose. It's a deft combination that's able to take itself seriously without turning into ridiculous slapstick.

The reason it ends up working as well as it does is because of the surprisingly effective special effects, which are all the more impressive given the fact that this is a rather small film made 55 years ago. Again, the filmmakers don't go out of their way to do anything particularly outlandish that would make it too over-the-top, but rather keep it more down-to-Earth so as to keep it more grounded and believable (that is, at least as believable as the premise allows). Using that approach, they've crafted fight scenes that are both compelling and just a little amusing, giving the film some different samurai action than we're used to seeing, and therefore adding a hint of freshness to a sub-genre that has been thoroughly explored over the decades.

Overall, "The Invisible Swordsman" may not be the most memorable samurai outing you'll ever see, but it is a rather intriguing one that tries to offer you something a little different than you'd normally see in a film of this type. It's a quick little dose of samurai action that runs a mere 78 minutes, one that fans of the sub-genre would do well to seek out, and now that Arrow Films has unleashed the film on Blu-ray for the world to see, it's the perfect time for them to do so.

Video/Audio:

"The Invisible Swordsman" comes to Blu-ray in a 2.35:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of excellent quality. For a somewhat-unknown, low-budget samurai flick that's now 55 years old, the picture has cleaned up rather nicely. Obviously it's not going to be a perfectly sharp image, but the work done here has made it perfectly presentable. Likewise, the original Japanese lossless audio is fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in outstanding quality. Overall, Arrow Films has done a marvelous job in both areas for the film's Blu-ray debut.

Special Features:

Commentary by Author and Asian Culture Expert Jonathan Clements

The Invisible People (15 Minutes): A featurette in which film critic Kim Newman discusses the film and the history of invisibility in cinema & fiction.

Phantom Fighter (27 Minutes): A featurette in which film critic and Japanese cinema expert Jasper Sharp discusses the film and the history of the Daiei film studio.

Conclusion:

Yoshiyuki Kuroda's "The Invisible Swordsman" is a skillful blend of a compelling revenge plot, samurai action, and impressive special effects that gives fans of the sub-genre a little something different than they're used to seeing. Arrow Films' new Blu-ray release, which marks its physical debut outside of Japan, presents the film in a fantastic transfer and includes some intriguing extras, making this little-known samurai outing worth adding to your collection.

Score: 3.5/5

Available on Limited Edition Blu-ray starting today.

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