Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends (2014)
Director: Keishi Ohtomo
Starring: Takeru Satoh, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Emi Takei, Munetaka Aoki
Primary genre: Action
Secondary genre: Period
Third genre: Drama
“If you can’t see what you lack, you can’t win.”
“The Legend Ends”, the final chapter in the live action adaptation of the Rurouni Kenshin manga carries profound emotional value and plenty of showstopping action without though losing sight of the humanity (and humility) residing inside its titular character.
Employing familiar heroic tropes seen in several stories of similar thematic content, our hero broken and isolated from his weary and lengthy confrontation with Shishio in Kyoto is now in recovery mode. Following the hero’s journey, Himura must recover both physically and psychologically guided by his ultra-powered and fiercely pragmatic mentor - the one who, if you recall, saved him in the previous chapter’s finale.
Dialing down the frenetic pace, “The Legend Ends” focuses wisely on life lessons from Kenshin’s teacher, a figure many would yearn to learn from in real life. The instantly memorable Masaharu Fukuyama steals the show muttering stone-faced pragmatic wisdom that is both admirable and as Himura discovers later on, daunting. Director Ohtomo captures their evolving relationship - paying homage to Zhang Yimou’s “Hero” (2002)) through striking visual parallels - within the gorgeous backdrop of a lush bamboo forest, a symbol of our protagonist’s growth, renewal and quest for harmony and inner peace. “The last thing I must do as your teacher is to kill the monster that is Battosai” declares the all powerful mentor; truer words have never been spoken. Though we understand, recognize and may even sympathize with Kenshin’s murderous past, others do not and rightfully so.
Determined to end Shishio’s relentless bloodshed and avenge the “death” of Ms Kaoru, Ohtomo pauses before unleashing a massive battle royale in the last forty minutes involving all the major players that will leave you breathless; from the inevitable clash with Captain Aoshi and a beach skirmish featuring every single force in the series to an ultra extended showdown aboard Shishio’s ship, the creative team surpasses any effort in “Kyoto Inferno” (2014). The action dynamics in particular between Sojiro Seta and Himura alongside Shishio’s ferocious fighting style which highlights his combat prowess deliver both A+ entertainment and masterful visual storytelling.
Japanese action cinema, like its Hong Kong counterpart, is infamous for pushing actors to perform their own stunts through rigorous training, and “The Legend Ends” pushes this tradition to new heights. These “pretty” boys accomplish astonishing feats of speed and strength; Ohtomo gives us an epic, over-extended climax of 4-vs-1 that must be seen to be believed creating genuine stakes against a formidable villain deserving the price of admission alone. The exquisite staging and clear spatial awareness of the battle outshines Hollywood’s efforts, despite their lavish budgets and extensive crews rendering them simplistic and formulaic.
While issues from its predecessor persist - too many characters still don’t get much to do besides being action figures or silent observers - its undisputed and visceral energy is evident. Naoki Satoh’s score is electrifying three films in, the costume and production design remain top notch while the cinematography finds new ways to illuminate the lead’s emotional and physical odyssey. MVPs though are the performances of Satoh as Kenshin and Fujiwara’s Shishio who, in quieter moments, invokes a sense of Greek tragedy within his determined, Shakespearean-inspired blood-thirsty madness.
“The Legend Ends” is the perfect conclusion to Kenshin’s three-film arc, one that does not celebrate the use of violence but elevates the resilience of the human spirit against the perilous emotions of anger, hate, fear, despair and lust.
Satisfying trilogy capper
+Incredible fights
+…especially the final one
+Great life lessons
+Slower pace
+Compelling protagonist/antagonist dyad
+Beautiful production values
+Fukuyama’s master steals the show
-Too many characters with not much to do