A critique of the samurai with a truly tragic ending
Revenge was a 1964 Samurai period piece released by Toei. It featured writer Shonbu Hashimoto who had worked on Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai and Rashomon and starred Kinnosuke Nakamura as the main character Shinpachi. He’s challenged to a duel by Tatsunosuke. This becomes a huge event for the clan. The story is then about how this feud started between the two, their fight, and its consequences. It turns out everything began over a flippant remark about a spear that had many unintended consequences. This is relayed through a series of flashbacks, something Hashimoto also employed in Rashomon.<br /><br />One of the standout scenes is when Shinpachi is exiled to a monastery for punishment. The head monk gave up on trying to make him a holy man, but told him to run away to another fief and start a new life with the girl he liked. The monk warned that if he stayed he would get caught up in the samurai code of saving face and honor, which could only bring trouble. The monk said that heaven and hell is not in the afterlife but right here on Earth and he had the choice to pick which one he would face.<br /><br />Just as important the film portrays the psychological toll Shinpachi’s actions have upon him. He’s declared insane at the start of the movie, and then starts to actually go crazy during his exile at the monastery. In a great piece of Japanese symbolism his mental state is shown in the weather.<br /><br />Finally, Revenge is a critique of the samurai. Shinpachi is a lowly swordsman with no formal position within the clan. He should have never gotten in trouble and as things escalate the entire clan gets involved because it has to save its honor or forever lose face if it allows someone like Shinpachi show them up. Instead of the noble samurai, Revenge shows them as upper class snobs. Rather than admire Shinpachi for his skill as a fighter, the only thing the clan can think about is the fact that he is poor. The samurai were not about meritocracy or even the warrior spirit but rather keeping everyone in their place, especially if they were downtrodden.<br /><br />The ending is a true tragedy and makes Revenge a standout release in samurai cinema.<br />C
The movie title "Revenge," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.6 from 22 reviewers. 
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This title falls under the categories of Movies & TV, Genre for Featured Categories and Action & Adventure. 
The additional details include the following in key-value format :
 {"Genre": "Action & Adventure/Martial Arts", "Format": "Multiple Formats, Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen, Black & White", "Contributor": "Various", "Language": "Japanese", "Runtime": "1 hour and 44 minutes", "MPAA rating": "Unrated (Not Rated)", "Product Dimensions": "0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.72 Ounces", "Media Format": "Multiple Formats, Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen, Black & White", "Run time": "1 hour and 44 minutes", "Release date": "May 17, 2011", "Actors": "Various", "Subtitles": "English", "Studio": "Animeigo", "Number of discs": "1"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : A minor quarrel escalates into a duel. A death crates a debt of honor. The demands of honor outweigh the demands of justice and force friends to spill each others' blood. And the need for victory requires the sacrifice of honor. One simple argument spawns death, madness, and a final confrontation that will leave the sandy soil soaked with blood. Kinnosuke Nakamura stars in this film by director Tadashi Imai and writer Shinobu Hashimoto..