The Japanese historical drama Samurai Fury, directed by Irie Yu (A Girl Named Ann, Memoirs of a Murderer) and adapted from the award-winning novel “Muromachi Burai” by Ryosuke Kakine, is set in Kyoto in 1461. There has been an outbreak of plague and famine, and over 82 thousand people have died. People are struggling just to find food, and Lord Nawa (Kazuki Kitamura), who is supposed to be protecting then, just keeps increasing their taxes. The people are forced to borrow money from unscrupulous monks who know they won’t be able to pay them back, and instead will be forced into slavery, or to sell their wives and daughters for the money.

Honekawa Doken (Tsutsumi Shinichi, Always: Sunset on Third Street) is the shoguate’s head of security. He and his men have come to a small town to collect on unpaid taxes, and begin to ransack the villagers’ homes. Trying to intervene is a wild, homeless boy named Saizo (Nagao Kento, Rohan at the Louvre). He has some skills with a staff, but is very undisciplined, and is taken by Doken’s men. Doken asks his friend/former colleague, rōnin Hyoe Hasuda (Oizumo Yo, Spirited Away), to help stamp out any thoughts of rebellion in nearby villages. Doken offers Saizo to Hyoe as part of his payment, to serve as his personal slave. Hyoe sees potential in Saizo, and accepts the boy, and arranges him to train into a warrior with a friend for the next year. Though he starts calling him “Frog” after Saizo accidentally falls into a rice paddy. By the time Hyoe and Saizo reunite, the boy has improved his skills, but the situation with the peasants has grown far worse. More and more villages are being burned and pillaged, and more farmers and villagers are talking about revolting. Hyoe has seen enough, and decides to help the villagers plan and execute their uprising, utilizing Doken’s trust in him to help execute the plan.

Samurai Fury tells the story of a real huistorical event, the uprising of Kanshō, which is described in the credits as the first revolt led by a ronin, The original Japanese title for the film is Muromachi Outsiders, which feels more fitting, as it is the story of these people during the Muromachi period who were treated like outsiders, and come together under this ronin to rise up against the corrupt government and shogunate. In some ways, the film feels like two different movies. The first half is a bit slower and more of a character drama, setting up these characters and showcasing the deplorable conditions the peasants are living in, and the corrupt government that not only refuses to help them, but continues to take every last thing from them. The film also explores how the women are treated more like property in this era. The second half of the movie is much more action-packed, as this bloody battle for justice plays out. The ragtag army of farmers and villagers facing off against a more well-trained army.

Occasionally I found the overall ruling structure a bit confusing and hard to follow, but I did really appreciate the second half of the movie. There are these massive, exciting and bloody battles, and each of the characters is given a chance to showcase their skills, such as master swordsman Hyoe, and the now very skilled Saizo with his staff, and some of the other villagers and warriors we had gotten to know in the first half of the film. Things ultimately build to a dramatic face-off between friends Hyoe and Doken. The production value of Samurai Fury is excellent, transporting viewers back to this period and location to experience the horrible conditions these farmers and peasants were living in. The performances are also strong, especially from the leads. We see all of these main characters transform over the course of the film. Saizo starts off as more of this feral boy, and becomes a strong, mature warrior, while Hyoe goes from more of a apathetic ronin to a more passionate man looking for justice. Overall, the story is an interesting one.

Well Go has released Samurai Fury on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD & Digital. We were sent a copy of the Blu-ray release for review. The Blu-ray presentation looks great, with a clean and clear picture, rich colors that evoke the era, and a solid level of detail throughout, even during the faster-paced battle sequences. The audio is offered both in its original Japanese as well as in an English dub option. I always appreciate these dubs as it is my preferred way to watch foreign films, so that I can be fully engrossed in the visuals and not just staring at the bottom of the screen. I thought the acting in the dub was pretty solid and natural sounding. Dialogue is clear, and both language tracks make excellent use of all channels to provide a fully-immersive experience, especially during the chaos of the village raids or during the big battle sequences.

Unfortunately the Blu-ray release is pretty barebones in regards to bonus material, just including the film’s trailer and some previews for three other Well Go releases, The disc comes packed in a locking HD keepcase, and doesn’t contain a digital copy. Our review copy did include a cardboard slipcover.

What’s Included:

Film: (2:14:51)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: Japanese Dolby Atmos in Dolby TrueHD, Japanese Stereo, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Stereo
• Subtitles: English, French

Extras:

• Trailer (1:54)
• Previews
  • Ghost Killer (1:41)
  • Dark Nuns (1:17)
  • Nine-Ring Golden Dagger (1:40)