Kiru (1962) Destiny’s Son | Region-Free (Blu-Ray)

Title: Kiru (1962)

Alternate Title: Kiru

Genre: Chambara (Samurai), Drama
Plot Synopsis:
Set in Edo-period Japan, Shingo is born the son of an assassin executed for murdering her lord’s concubine. Decades later, his adoptive family is massacred for keeping this secret. Armed with an unbeatable sword-fighting technique, Shingo embarks on the path of a masterless samurai, seeking vengeance and a path beyond his ignominious origins.

Cast and Crew:

• Director: Kenji Misumi
• Writer: Kaneto Shindô
• Based on the Novel by: Renzaburô Shibata
• Cast:
  • Raizô Ichikawa as Shingo Takakura
  • Shiho Fujimura as Fujiko Yamaguchi
  • Mayumi Nagisa as Yoshio Takakura
  • Masayo Banri as Sayo Tadokoro
  • Jun’ichirô Narita as Mondo Tadokoro

IMDb Link:
Destiny’s Son (1962)

Reviews from Letterboxd:

1. ChungMo – ★★★☆☆
   “Minimal almost abstract story of a ‘Beautiful and Tragic Wandering’. The same year he directed the first of the Zatoichi series, Kenji Misumi directed this tale based on a famous novel by Renzaboro Shibata.”
2. Lencho of the Apes – ★★★☆☆
   “70 elliptical minutes who reduces action to minimal essential gestures all of it have something to do with killing. A life and what is getting passed along is a notion of survival in a feudal society that can only be expressed through violent power.”
3. loureviews – ★★★☆☆
   “Despite its 71-minute runtime, acclaimed chanbara director Kenji Misumi’s ‘Kiru’ possesses the breath of a movie significantly longer, fitting in a wealth of themes, stories, violence, and beauty.”

Meta Description:
Destiny’s Son (1962), also known as Kiru, is a Japanese chambara film directed by Kenji Misumi. The film follows Shingo Takakura, portrayed by Raizô Ichikawa, a master samurai with a mysterious past and an unvanquishable combat technique, as he seeks revenge and redemption after his family is executed by a rival clan.