Kitano returns with a bit of an unusual film, for him. It might seem like a historical film at first, but it delves deeper and deeper into satire and comedy as we go. Many details are historically accurate, many are very much not, and many more is speculation or outright fiction, but these only serve to drive the point home. One of the peculiar historical inaccuracies is the age of the most famous protagonists, Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu. The latter one are much older than they were in reality, while Nobunaga is younger. This can be explained by the 30 year delay in making the film, and Kitano refusing to recast himself, while the young age of Nobunaga reinforces his brash nature in the film. Many, if not all, famous people of the era are present, including Kiryu, Hattori Hanzo, even Yasuke. Also many famous events (other than the main event, the Honnoji incident) are also recounted in shorter versions than we have seen in previous films dedicated wholly to them, like the battle of Nagashino (Kagemusha) and the siege of Takamatsu (The Floating Castle, which is actually based on a similar siege 8 years later). While remaining quasi accurate to history, Kitano (or rather, Beat) Takeshi takes a satirical edge to these events, most evident in the (I think wholly made up) character of Mosuke. Everyone can be killed at any time in this struggle for power, and no one life means anything. While quite successful in balancing the historical and the humorous, I think it would have been better to skew more toward the humorous side. The costumes and sets are great, as are the cast, with the usual Kitano mainstay actors, plus everyone's favorite Shark Skin Man. Some budget restraints are evident, as we don't see huge battles head on, but rather framed as to only suggest this is part of a big battle. It's still very enjoyable, but not his best.
