Title: 隠し砦の三悪人: THE LAST PRINCESS (Kakushi Toride no San Akunin: The Last Princess)
English Title: The Three Villains of the Hidden Fortress: The Last Princess
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
Year: 2008
Cast:
- 松本潤 Matsumoto Jun
- 阿部寛 Hiroshi Abe
- 長澤まさみ Nagasawa Masami
- 椎名桔平 Kippei Shīna
- 古田新太 Furuta Arata
- 宮川大輔 Miyagawa Daisuke
SYNOPSIS
There were three feudal states that shared borders: Hayakawa, Akizuki, and Yamana. The Yamana wanted to rule over the three territories and invaded Akizuki.
Rokurota Makabe, a loyal retainer of the Akizuki royal family, has been commissioned to transport Princess Yuki and Akizuki's ample treasury of gold bars safely to the politically stable Hayakawa. Rokurota and Yuki disguise themselves as humble firewood peddlers, hiding the gold bars inside the logs they are carrying so as to pass safely through roadblocks set up by the Yamana soldiers under the control of Takayama Gyobu.
Takezo and Shimpachi have escaped from forced labor in a gold mine and they come across Rokurota and Yuki, who are on their way to Hayakawa. Takezo and Shimpachi join Rokurota and Yuki on their journey in the hope of escaping oppression in Yamana and cashing in on the gold reward Rokurota offers them.
REVIEW
Kakushi Toride no San Akunin: The Last Princess is a remake of the 1958 film The Hidden Fortress by Kurosawa Akira, a world-renowned Japanese director. I haven't watched the original before watching the remake but I'm still intending to watch it in the future especially since it is considered as one of the best films of all time.
This was very interesting to watch because it provides a glimpse on what life may be like in feudal times. The movie also tackles several issues about honor and duty as well as how to properly rule a country or a group of people.
Most of the film is spent following the protagonists as they travel on foot, encountering one mishap after another. It is quite nerve-wracking to see the protagonists miss getting into trouble with the Yamana soldiers a number times due to the carelessness of the Princess Yuki. Well, perhaps not necessarily due to the carelessness of the princess but due to her well-meaning intentions of saving her people even though it is already quite a struggle for her protector Rokurota to keep her safe.
I suppose it is difficult for Princess Yuki to accept that other people are suffering and dying for her sake. It is understandable that she wants to do everything she can in order to minimize the suffering of other people because of her, especially the ones that she encounters personally.
Takezo and Princess Yuki develop romantic feelings for each other, which may have influenced Takezo's decision to go after Princess Yuki and rescue her from the Yamana soldiers. But then again, it seemed that Takezo is an honorable man and when Rokurota entrusted the princess to him, he is bound by honor to protect the princess and I think he will do so even if he doesn't have romantic feelings for her.
Even though Takezo and Princess Yuki have an understanding and they have promised each other to always be together, they eventually went their separate ways. I do not understand why they had to do so; but perhaps it had something to do with Takezo being a commoner and Princess Yuki having to take care of the Akizuki people. I think it would still make for a better ending if they ended up together but I suppose that kind of ending is not realistic.
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隠し砦の三悪人: The Last Princess (Kakushi Toride no San Akunin: The Last Princess)
