No one could seethe better than Mifune, but what gives the movie equal shares of exhilaration and heartbreak is the feeling that pours out of him ...

The film's escalation of tension is almost unbearable, and Mifune erupts with a ferocity that's as righteous as it is ultimately tragic, for Kobayashi refuses to soften the film's devastating imbalance of power.

Austerely anti-authoritarian.

A heart-felt action film that is eloquent and haunting in its reflections on the abuse of powers by the ruling class.