Nami Tamura Movies

A pair of luckless would-be warriors find themselves caught in the middle of a skirmish between rival gangsters in this darkly comic samurai film. Tabata (Etsushi Takahashi) and Genta (Tatsuya Nakadai) are two hungry ronin who meet in a windswept town which has fallen so deeply upon hard times that the proprietor of the only restaurant has committed suicide in her own dining room. Tabata is a former farmer who dreams of living the exciting life of a samurai, while Genta tried to give up the violent and nomadic life of a swordsman but hasn't had much luck finding other work. The village is dominated by a clan of yakuza who are caught up in a power struggle, and as the two factions split off and declare war on one another, the two new friends find themselves hired by differing sides -- Tabata as a samurai, Genta as a messenger. However, one of Tabata's first assignments is to assassinate Genta, even as his new pal offers him helpful hints on his newly adopted trade. Kiru (aka Kill!) was written and directed by Kihachi Okamoto, one of Toho's leading action directors during the 1960s, who earned a reputation for his strong but cynical perspective on the violence of men. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This Japanese action-adventure is set in the 17th century when all forms of swordplay were banned. One fighter, an excellent swordsman believes the law is unfair. His brother keeps his opinions about the law to himself. The swordsman vents his frustration by cutting off the thumbs of an enemy. The fighter is then banished. To live, he becomes a thief. To restore the family's lost honor, the other brother is forced to challenge the fighter to a duel. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Several internationally known directors contributed to this generally adept and compelling series of five brief vignettes on love and its many ramifications. François Truffaut starts things off with a story of innocent love between a young man in his mid-teens and a slightly older woman. Renzo Rossellini continues in sketch two about a tough mistress who keeps her lover on a short tether. Shintaro Ishihara renders the only violent episode -- that of a disturbed young worker who becomes a real lady-killer. Marcel Ophüls (son of the late and great Max Ophüls) directs an upbeat tale about a journalist who accepts the responsibilities of marriage and fatherhood when a brief fling with a woman ends in a pregnancy. The last vignette, directed by the well-known Polish helmer Andrzej Wajda, is about a brave act by a young soldier whose deed gains him the admiration of a woman, but the response from other men his age is something different. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi