Complex historical epic follows the exploits of a survivor of Oda Nobunaga’s purge of the Iga Clan of ninja who is given an opportunity to seek revenge on the leader’s second successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but rival ninja stand in his way.

For a film firmly rooted in the history and lore of Japan’s mysterious ninja warriors at the very height of their existence, Owl’s Castle seems remarkably tame and even reticent about intimately portraying ninja and their fascinating abilities. Shinoda Masahiro’s film instead puts the ninja into the larger context of an equally fascinating political and historical framework that slows the action, but provides a quality and slightly more accurate snapshot of realistic, rather than fantasy ninja and how they factored into the founding of the Shogunate.

Nakai Kiichi (47 Ronin, Warriors of Heaven and Earth) stars as Tsuzura Juzo, one of few survivors of a massacre of the Iga ninja clan ordered by Oda Nobunaga, the first warlord to begin to truly unify Japan in the 16th century. He does so out of fear of their capable abilities as assassins. Ten years later, Nobunaga is dead, as is his killer, and the shrewd Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Mako Iwamatsu) has succeeded them both. Juzo is the most capable ninja of his remaining clan members apart from one Kazama Gohei (Kamikawa Takaya) whose personal ambitions lead him to betray Iga and become a samurai in the employ of a crafty official. Following the death of his infant son and subsequent abnormal behavior, several lords plot to assassinate Hideyoshi and Juzo is ordered to perform the duty. While on his quest, he encounters a number of opposing ninja who each have the potential to be allies or deadly foes. Juzo falls in love with one, a beautiful female ninja who turns out to be a student of the famed ninja master and loyal servant of Hideyoshi, Hattori Hanzo. Another is his friend and arch-rival Gohei, and the last is a powerful and brutal ninja from the Kaga Clan named Marishiten Dogen (Nagasawa Toshiya), who is a master of altering his opponent’s perception of reality.

Owl’s Castle attempts to be all things, historical drama, romantic adventure, and an action fantasy. This ambition leads to mixed results for the film fails to excel in any one aspect, but is uniformly entertaining enough overall. First and foremost, this is a story of the Iga ninjas. These are not the ground-burrowing, exploding kind that more exploitive films feature. Most of the action is grounded in reality and the actual ninja members are shown more often as ordinary people in typical dress of the day, rather than living in black ninja suits and endlessly skulking in shadows. Yet, the film unevenly includes a few supernatural effects such as one woman’s ability to briefly fly. There is no reason for such antics and it only degrades the film. The only way this would have worked is if the whole film went the fantasy route. But the action, which includes some subtle CGI effects, is not the main attraction. It really doesn’t kick in to any great degree until the final quarter as Juzo battles Dogen and makes his final infiltration of Hideyoshi’s castle.

The film is shot in broad strokes with lots of attractive, wide angle shots of period cities, burning villages, and ornate interiors. Due to budget constraints, much of the settings are artificially created with blue screen effects, but they look good enough for the most part to pass as the real thing. Judicious camera angles and tighter shots on attacking soldiers mask the limited numbers of extras used for the film’s few battle sequences. Much of the running time is devoted to fleshing out the many characters and presenting a wide perspective of their interactions. You get to see Hideyoshi entertaining guests while wearing Western garb as his armies advance through Korea. The conspiring lords under him, numerous lesser ninja, as well as the leading ninja characters play a part in the proceedings. This attempt to capture everything is noble, but the film’s limited production values keep the film from coming anywhere near to matching the great epics of old. The ultra-conventional directing style also blunts the impact of the action. Viewers accustomed to modern, Braveheart-style battle sequences or the bloody chambara of the ’70s will be disappointed. Juzo’s battle with Dogen is about as bloody as it gets with Japan’s trademark geyser of blood effect and a lost limb seen briefly.

The real selling point is the historical aspect of the film. Hideyoshi’s reign is well represented and the great Mako (Samurai Jack, Bulletproof Monk) plays the aging military leader with wizened authority. The costumes are slick and the rest of the cast who fill them play their parts well. Kiichi looks a little old to be running around on rooftops, but he gives the lead character substance as a relentless killer in pursuit of his goal, who begins to question himself and his mission over time. Despite the CGI used, the whole film has a real-world look to it. The passive soundtrack is a nice mix of traditional sounds mostly made up of guttural chanting and more modern orchestral themes. The dialogue may be one of more memorable aspects of the film as it features a lot of poetic and catchy phrases, even if it is a tad derivative.

Solid efforts to accurately recreate the struggles and look of Hieyoshi’s reign are unable to compensate for the fact that Owl’s Castle is basically a ninja film with a toothless bite. Director Masahiro tries to ride the line between compelling drama and actioner, but neither is good enough to really get the viewer hooked. This is a decent enough film for the causal Japanese chambara buff, but previous classics have more to offer in the way of action and splendor.

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