In legendary director Takeshi Kitano’s mesmerising historical epic, rival warlords battle to reign supreme over feudal Japan. In the 16th century, Lord Oda Nobunaga is waging war against several clans, while asserting sexual control over his generals in order to intimidate them into loyalty. But when one of his vassals, Araki Murashige, stages a rebellion and promptly disappears, Nobunaga assembles his other vassals and orders them to capture the fugitive. But who has the skill to survive the web of shifting alliances, brutal passions, and vengeful betrayals?

Offering a darkly comic perspective on the relationship between political intrigue and homoerotic desire, Kitano directs this bloody spectacle with panache. Thirty years in the making, this strikingly violent film comprehensively debunks the myths of masculinity, ethics, and honour that have defined the samurai genre onscreen.

Screening as part of Queer East.

Director Takeshi Kitano
Year 2023
Duration 2h 11m
Language Japanese with English subtitles
Cast Takeshi Kitano, Kanichiro, Hidetoshi Nishijima