The Twilight Samurai (2002) 90/100 - All throughout the film I saw the influences of most of the great Japanese directors, with one exception. No Kurosawa. You get the tragedy of Mizoguchi, the family depth of Ozu and the bushido breakdown of Kobayashi. I don't know why, but for years I thought this was just an anime film, and my disdain for that kind of animation, kept me from watching this hauntingly beautiful and tragic film. It's definitely not a film for those who like a good blood letting in their chanbara escapades. The pacing is drawn out and it lets you immerse yourself into the day to day struggles of Seibei and his small family. You want him to find some happiness as he struggles to provide for his family in the midst of impending civil war and a famine which is ravaging the peasantry. I only wish I got to watch a better copy of the film, instead of the washed out version I found on Hiroyuki Sanada's wall.