"Kill!"
1968
Directed by Kihachi Okamoto

The title of Kihachi Okamoto's (The Sword of Doom) blacker-than-black samurai comedy is as blunt and effective as the film itself. Tatsuya Nakadai (High and Low) and Etsushi Takahishi (Red Lion) find themselves embroiled in a clan dispute after arriving in a rural, windblown town. When they learn of the clan leader's wrongdoing, the fighters side with a band of rebels plotting revenge on the organization. Okamoto juggles a variety of genre elements in this irreverent retelling of Sanjuro, and the end result is action-packed and viciously comic. Japanese with English subtitles. 114 minutes.