'When the Last Sword is Drawn' is a beautifully captured work of art. It also portrays the time it is set in, realistically and romantically. An ageing ex-samurai brings his grandson to the doctors. While there he sees a picture of a man from his past. He launches into a story of a greedy and embarrassing samurai who would do anything for money. However later we see the story from the doctors point of view. The doctor shows how this samurai would do anything to ensure the survival of his family. We see the protagonist Yoshimura as both a failure and a hero. This approach to the narrative is a novel and effective non-linear structure. It shows how different people have different opinion of others. The film starts of with a poetic sword fight. Well choreographed but not so much that it looks like a performance. It feels like a real fight. We get another fantastic sword fight not too long later, with a dark rainy setting, adding to the atmospherics. Later on in the film we deal with a number of battles. Battles that seem as though they are lost before they are thought. The air of tragedy but determination of the Shinsengumi is admirable and moving. Throughout the film Yoshimura must deal with many hardships, including leaving his clan, leaving his family and deciding upon loyalties. This is traditional jidaigeki with a hint of Kurosawa. Unfortunately towards the end it fails to have the necessary emotional impact, as Yoshimura dies from his injuries, he speaks almost directly to the camera. It is almost as though there is not enough faith in the subtext alone, and we as the audience are told how to feel. After Yoshimura's death the film becomes like a puzzle and one I failed to work out as there are many epilogue type endings. Each deals with a different character we don't really know or care for. It feels as though these moments could have been cut and actually improved the film. The film is no doubt a superior piece of film making only let down by the final quarter. The film also contains one of the most impressive screen decapitations ever.
