Judging from the poster and trailer that came out in Japan last month, Tetsuo Shinohara's Flower and Sword (Hana Ikusa) should be some kind of bright-colored slapstick comedy. Nothing could be more misrepresentative of this gentle historical-philosophical rumination on the effectiveness of non-violence against tyranny. Shinohara, who has rarely strayed far from genre over the course of his directing career, leaps out of his comfort zone with an offbeat crossover that stages a "flower battle" (the film's original title) between blade-happy shoguns and Buddhist monks who fight injustice with their profound understanding of nature and art. Guess who wins.
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- 6/26/2017
- by Deborah Young
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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