If I remember one thing about Eiichi Kudō's Castle of Owls (itself an unlikely event because I fully expect to forget about this film in a couple of days), it will be that I didn't realize that there were two different protagonists until an hour into the film. And even then, I only came to that realization after stopping the film and seeking out a plot summary online because I was so lost as to what was going on. From what I can gather, the film is about two rival ninja. One swears vengeance on Toyotomi Hideyoshi for the murder of his family and the destruction of his clan. The other enters the employ of Hideyoshi, abandoning his clan for self-advancement. And along the way the revenge-bound ninja falls in love with a kunoichi. I will say that I enjoyed the plot twist wherein the first ninja finally confronts Hideyoshi only to find that he is a senile, bed-ridden old man. Disgusted, the ninja cannot bring himself to kill such a pathetic creature. When Castle of Owls ended, I couldn't help but feel cheated. I tried so hard to follow what was going on. I enjoyed much of the cinematography, particularly scenes where characters are swallowed up in torrents of rain. But to what avail? Castle of Owls may have been pretty to look at, but it left me scratching my head and wondering what in the world I had just finished watching.
6/10
No comments:
Post a Comment