An enjoyable ninja thriller that doesn't require much knowledge of the genre (or previous installments) to thoroughly enjoy.

Movie Summary

Popzara Rating

All in all, Shinobi no Mono 4: Siege is an impressive ninja film. You don't have to see the other seven movies to appreciate Saizo's tale – you need only a penchant for action, intrigue, and those stealthy fellows we know these days as ninjas. This is a tale that fairly examines the exploits of ninjas back in the time period in which they actually existed, and it would be a great film to share with anyone you know who loves plot twists, political intrigue, and, well, ninjas! AnimeEigo as usual does an impressive job with packaging and features, so definitely pick it up if you want to view something a little different. Release Date: 06/02/09 MPAA Rating : NR Studio: AnimeEigo

Written by Brittany Vincent

I won't claim to be a connoisseur of the ninja film genre. It's true that I dabble, but you could hardly call me a walking encyclopedia regarding all related to the topic. It's with this statement that I preface the following: ninjas are one of my favorite archetypes. When offered the chance to view Shinobi no Mono 4: Siege, I was thrilled. The box happens to boast that this series of films, in fact, made ninjas legendary. Some rather bold claims, right? Shinobi no Mono 4: Siege is, as you guessed it, the fourth in a series of eight films starring Ichikawa Raizo.

After doing a bit of poking around online, I discovered that Ishikawa is normally portraying an Ishikawa Goemon – a popular ninja/thief character. In this film, he tackles the role of an agent of the Sanada clan, taking the movie's namesake – Kirigakure Saizo. Having no knowledge of the film series prior to this movie, I took great delight in tackling the plotline and figuring out whether or not it would function well as a standalone film or if you would need to follow the rest of the films after all. What I discovered was an action-packed, politically-charged film that should please fans of anything ninja-related whether you have any prior knowledge of the series or not.

Shinobi no Mono 4: Siege's stage is set with a siege of Osaka in the early 1600s. Tokugama Ieyasu leads the shogunate in an attack against an Osaka castle. After trying to penetrate the castle on several different occasions and then failing, Ieyasu has a brief moment of clarity – perhaps the most direct approach isn't always the most effective. This leads to an airstrike of the castle in an attempt to spook the mother of the Toyotomi clan leader. Thinking that if the mother fears for her son's life, Ieyasu believes that this new method should be the best way to press the clan into a peaceful surrender. Ieyasu needs to take out external defenses at the castle before calling in an artillery strike, and in doing so the son of the head of the Toyotomi clan finds himself in a bit of hot water. Like a Saturday morning cartoon hero,  Saizo makes his triumphant entrance. Daisuke, the son in question, assigns Saizo the task of rescuing a group of terrified women. While Saizo makes a valiant attempt, he cannot save all of them. Still, in what seems like a flash, Ieyasu's plan still finds a way to be successful. After all is said and done, a peace treaty is indeed put into play, though it's an extremely uneasy one.

Saizo travels to Edo in order to track Ieyasu to possibly pre-empt anything the shogunate leader may try. On his travels he happens upon Akane, a woman he happened to fail in saving all the way back in Osaka. After being ravaged by Ieyasu's henchmen she has taken to the life of a prostitute. Akane takes up the mantle of plucky heroine almost akin to Aldonza from the tale of Don Quixote. She begins gathering information for Saizo in order to track down Ieyasu. When it is revealed that Ieyasu is planning on attacking the Osaka hold yet again, Saizo takes it upon himself to return and assassinate Ieyasu. When Saizo attempts to take the life of the wrong man, he is thrown into a well, without mercy. Poor Akane is captured as well, and is tortured into giving up the location of Saizo's men. Ever a quick thinker, Saizo has already faked his own death through usage of an ancient ninja technique (just work with me here!). Before the movie's over, many more twists will unfold before the satisfying payoff. Will Ieyasu finally be thwarted? What of Ayane, who can't be bothered to preserve either side after the tortures she's endured? In an exciting conclusion all will be revealed.

I found Siege to be a perfectly gripping and exciting ninja film. Saizo is never touted as an all-powerful ninja capable of thwarting all foes, the way most contemporary ninjas are portrayed – even in video games. My attention was taken for the duration of the movie and I was always excited to see the next twist unfold before my eyes.

Though Siege is an older movie, it's been preserved in an absolutely gorgeous manner. The monochrome filmography is entrancing, and lends itself well to the bittersweet tale of Saizo, Akane, and Ieyasu. An epic soundtrack cues up the main “action” moments, and may bring to mind some of the late Godzilla films. Surprise – it's the same composer, Ifukube Akira! As a Godzilla fan, hearing a familiar score was a real treat.

If you're not well-versed in Japanese history during the 1600s, the DVD is jam-packed with helpful featurettes in order to better explain the events that were unfolding around that time. AnimEigo provided an interactive map, exhaustive historical notes, a still gallery of promotional photos, and even the original trailer from when the movie first aired. I viewed the film with original Japanese language audio, and subtitles – you can even choose the color of the subtitles. It's obvious that AnimEigo takes classical Japanese film translations seriously.

All in all, Shinobi no Mono 4: Siege is an impressive ninja film. You don't have to see the other seven movies to appreciate Saizo's tale – you need only a penchant for action, intrigue, and those stealthy fellows we know these days as ninjas. This is a tale that fairly examines the exploits of ninjas back in the time period in which they actually existed, and it would be a great film to share with anyone you know who loves plot twists, political intrigue, and, well, ninjas! AnimeEigo as usual does an impressive job with packaging and features, so definitely pick it up if you want to view something a little different.