Assassination (1964)

暗殺 ‧ Movie ‧ 1964
Assassination (1964) poster
6.6
Your Rating: 0/10
Ratings: 6.6/10 from 8 users
# of Watchers: 27
Reviews: 1 user
Ranked #99999
Popularity #99999
Watchers 8

Masahiro Shinoda movie based on late Edo period conflicts. Edit Translation

  • English
  • magyar / magyar nyelv
  • dansk
  • Norsk
  • Country: Japan
  • Type: Movie
  • Release Date: Jul 4, 1964
  • Duration: 1 hr. 44 min.
  • Score: 6.6 (scored by 8 users)
  • Ranked: #99999
  • Popularity: #99999
  • Content Rating: Not Yet Rated

Cast & Credits

Photos

Assassination Japanese Movie(1964) photo
Assassination Japanese Movie(1964) photo
Assassination Japanese Movie(1964) photo
Assassination Japanese Movie(1964) photo
Assassination Japanese Movie(1964) photo

Reviews

Completed
The Butterfly
2 people found this review helpful
Jun 15, 2025
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 1.5

"Blood flew!"

Assassination aka Assassin was a film by Shinoda Masahiro about the real life enigmatic ronin, Kiyokawa Hachiro. This is important to know because I was off balance for much of the film not realizing I was dealing with an historical figure who wasn’t nearly as clever as he believed himself to be. I kept waiting for the typical enigmatic ronin who knows how to strategize and despite a crusty exterior has a heart of if not gold, silver. That would not describe this shady and at times, cowardly and duplicitous character.

It's 1853 and the Shogunate is in its waning years while the Imperial Court is ascending. Conflict between the two for power is thrown into turmoil when Admiral Perry and his four warships anchor in the harbor. Both sides struggled with how to deal with the foreigners---make a deal or attempt to slaughter the better armed enemy. Men working for the Shogunate decide to hire Kiyokawa Hachiro to train men to do their bidding. He’s been attached to Imperial ronin, but after murdering someone seems to be willing to change loyalties. Hachiro is a well-educated, low class ronin that the elite samurai hate. He goes beyond the fifty ronin he’s ordered to hire and gathers several hundred ronin instead. Whether he delivers them to the Shogun remains to be seen.

Any film that has 2 ½ minutes of prologue and takes nearly 15 minutes to introduce characters is setting the viewer up for confusion. There were numerous major and very minor players that popped in and out of the film like a popcorn machine gone awry. Flashbacks and flashforwards were not well advertised meaning it was difficult to know what order the events took place in. Hachiro was a schemer who betrayed friend and foe alike. He was also not nearly the genius strategiser he thought he was. When he created a dangerous situation through his impulsive actions, he left those who were devoted to him behind to take the fall. He also seemed to take delight in raping a woman. I kept waiting for him to be redeemed or to be smarter than he seemed, but that was not the case.

Even with a despicable protagonist, I could still enjoy a well-made film. The constant skipping around in time, confusing parade of characters, inability to lay out a clear-cut plot, and a lead whose motivation for vile actions was never revealed made this film barely watchable for me. If I had been familiar with Kiyokawa Hachiro perhaps this film wouldn’t have been as frustrating, so those who are may find it far more enjoyable than I did.

15 June 2025

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Details

  • Title: Assassination
  • Type: Movie
  • Format: Feature Film
  • Country: Japan
  • Release Date: Jul 4, 1964
  • Duration: 1 hr. 44 min.
  • Content Rating: Not Yet Rated

Statistics

  • Score: 6.6 (scored by 8 users)
  • Ranked: #99999
  • Popularity: #99999
  • Watchers: 27

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