Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island

Ganryu Island is notable for finishing with the greatest duel ever put to film, and for that (among other reasons) it is the best film in Inagaki's trilogy.

I thought I just unconditionally enjoyed samurai films, because they are all just so much fun, even to the point where the cliches don't even bother me because they are just so badass. Then I realized that although I have seen a strong number of them, they are almost all Kurosawa or "Zatoichi" films. The Miyamoto trilogy has shown me that even samurai movies can be boring, and I am going to go even further against the grain and say that this is the most boring of the three.

To me, this is the best of the trilogy with more effectiveness, passion and feeling conveyed in. It also has some of the greatest samurai-sword battles ever caught on camera, along with more stellar cinematography and a wonderous, inspirational performance by Toshiro Mifune as Tazeko. Inagaki's finest offering.

The final duel in this movie is possibly the finest swordfight in all of samurai movie-dom.

Beautifully shot with great action scenes and entertaining melodrama. Toshiro Mifune is absolutely amazing. The sunset covered duel at the end of the film is without a doubt one of the most, if not the most, incredibly shot swordfights ever. Personally I found this one to be the best of the Samurai Triology making it almost one of the best films I've ever seen.

Maybe this should’ve just been one long movie as this final “act” was so worth the build up. Mifune shines.

This isn't a Samurai action movie. It's a movie about moving on after being at the top of the game, the same way that Unforgiven is a (albeit more violent) deconstruction of its Western genre. Fav scene: the titular final duel, not for the action but for the tremendous buildup only to have a quick anticlimactic end, the same as sword duels in real life. The sunset was filmed beautifully. Then..."my best rival is dead."

rvw. i liked how the trilogy set up the akemi and otsu, and sasaki stuff. akemi and otsu still had cheesiness. end duel coulda been better. and i wanted to see more after the duel, and him becoming an old man and philosopher and shit

Miyamoto Musashi #3 do dia. Final digno para a trilogia, quem sabe agora me animo a ler o livro do Eiji Yoshikawa que está na minha fila de espera há décadas. DVD Versátil trilogia Musashi.

A fitting end to the trilogy that gives itself a little more breathing room plot-wise than its predecessor. Duel at Ganryu Island pares down the conflict to two men and two women. The final confrontation is beautifully shot in the twilight of the day.

Third and final installment of samurai training. His skill is now tempered by the maturity his has gained on his quest. Another skilled swordsman, also undefeated, dreams of the extra fame he will get by defeating him. In this installment he has finally matured enough to see there is more to life than his quest for skill and fame. A few great sword battles.

The best in the trilogy; the master swordsman is back and this time with absolutely stunning swordplay and camerawork that surpass the films before it. The duel is wonderful, jaw dropping and intense. By this film you are more in love with the character Musashi Miyamoto and his every action and thought are now yours. An absolutely mind-blowing end to an epic triumph of Japanese cinema.

My favourite of the trilogy, Miyamoto's evolution from the first film is obvious. All the threads of story come together and the final duel is captivating.

I can't figure out why people drool over this trilogy. I don't like any of the characters, I found it to be boring, and this isn't even the best of the three.

Entertaining and moves along at a nice pace. There's a bunch of story threads to keep things interesting and Mifune is awesome as usual. The final duel was pretty sweet, but not as impressive as I expected. Maybe all the glowing reviews raised my expectations too high.

Definitely the best film in the entire trilogy. This is the most focused of the three films with a story that just gets its hooks in and doesn't let go. The final duel to the death at the end of the film probably has to be the most gorgeous swordfight I have ever seen.

It's unfortunate that it takes so long for this trilogy to reach this point of quality, but Duel at Ganryu Island is altogether on a level of elegance, intelligence, sensitivity, and just plain samurai coolness far above its predecessors. Not to be too negative regarding the first two films (they're pretty okay), but now their occasional slog seems justified: an appropriate sense of momentum and finality, closure to an epic, a man changed by journey, embodied beautifully by Mifune.