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Catalog/Action/Sword of Desperation
Sword of Desperation poster
B
Strong
MASTER SCORE 68.4 / 100
2010·Action / History / Thriller·1h 54m

SWORD OF DESPERATION

A talented but troubled Edo Period swordsman, Kanemi Sanzaemon. Three years earlier, Kanemi killed a woman, Renko, the corrupt mistress of the powerful daimyo Tabu Ukyou. Unexpectedly, Kanemi received a lenient sentence for his crime and is allowed to return to his clan after only one year of imprisonment. Following his return, Kanemi is faced with the death of his wife, Mutsue. Thereafter, Kanemi lives with and cares for his wife's niece, Satoo, who has secret affections for Kanemi and expresses them by helping change his bleak outlook on life. Meanwhile, Kanemi's develops his unique "bird-catching" sword technique which he will soon put to test in battle for the first time against the fearsome swordsman, Hayatonosho Obiya.

Above the Line
Hideyuki Hirayama·DirectorHidehiro Ito·ScreenplayItaru Era·ScreenplayKoichi Ishii·Director of PhotographyEdison·Original Music ComposerChieko Suzaki·Editor
Cast
Etsushi Toyokawa·Kanemi SanzaemonChizuru Ikewaki·RioKoji Kikkawa·ObiyaTsumami Edamame·FukuiTenkyû Fukuda·Hyoue MakihuziMitsutoshi Gotô·MitsuokaYudai Ishiyama·MokichiHana Kino·HanaIttoku Kishibe·Deputy Chief Retainer TsudaTôru Kizu·Tsunekichi
Full Crew
(12 credits)
Directing· 1
Hideyuki Hirayama·Director
Writing· 3
Hidehiro Ito·ScreenplayItaru Era·ScreenplayShuhei Fujisawa·Novel
Camera· 1
Koichi Ishii·Director of Photography
Editing· 1
Chieko Suzaki·Editor
Sound & Music· 2
Edison·Original Music ComposerYasushi Tanaka·Sound Recordist
Art & Design· 2
Katsumi Nakazawa·Production DesignIkuko Saito·Costumer
Production· 1
Shinya Egawa·Producer
Other Departments· 1
Suehara Noritaka·Gaffer
By the Numbers
68.4
OF 100
Master Score
7.2
OF 10
IMDb
—
CRITICS
Rotten Tomatoes
—
Worldwide Gross
0
Oscar Wins
Where to Watch

THE AVAILABILITY MAP

The canonical record of where this film lives across the streaming map.

Provider Index In Progress

Streaming, rental, and purchase availability for this title is being ingested from the TMDB watch-providers feed and will appear here once the next catalog refresh runs. Until then, the canonical source links below remain the fastest route.

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Poster DNA

THE VISUAL DECONSTRUCTION

A bespoke vision agent's reading of the design language behind Sword of Desperation's key art.

Dominant Palette
3 colors
#363B51
#FFFFFF
#000000
Mood
Serious, Intense
Composition
Split
Era
2000s
Visual Style
Photographic

“A man in a dark blue kimono holds a katana sword, with the blade pointing towards the bottom left. His face, visible from the nose up, is in the upper left quad”

actiondrama
Key Elements
Katana SwordKimono
Atmosphere
Dark
Color Mood
Cool
Setting
None Visible
Design Score
7/10
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