Film Movement

Bushido

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Edition Type: Limited Edition Slipcover

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This Partner Label release is distributed through Vinegar Syndrome's sister company OCN Distribution. Vinegar Syndrome had no part in, nor are responsible for, the restoration, extras, quality control or any content(s) of this release. We hope you enjoy our growing roster of Partner Labels and the expertise and curation brought to each release by their dedicated staff!

Details

2026 Subscribers: This is NOT included in your Subscription. If you'd like to purchase it, you will need to login to view your special 50% off SRP pricing.

This special limited edition slipcover (designed by Poochamin) is limited to 1,000 units and is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them.

Founded in 2002 as one of the first-ever subscription film services with its DVD-of-the-Month Film Club, Film Movement is now a North American distributor of award-winning independent and foreign films based in New York City. In 2015, Film Movement launched the reissue label Film Movement Classics featuring new restorations released theatrically as well as on home video, with an emphasis on films by auteur directors such as Eric Rohmer, Peter Greenaway and Takeshi Kitano.

Taciturn Kakunoshin, renowned for his formidable skills both with a sword and in the game of go, embodies the purest ideals of the samurai code. But when his unwavering honesty is exploited, he is framed by his own clan for a theft he did not commit. Disgraced and forced to become a ronin, he survives as a humble seal maker, quietly supporting his grown daughter while burying the wounds of betrayal. Years later, when a case of missing gold pulls him into a new web of intrigue, Kakunoshin finally uncovers the truth behind his long-buried downfall. With the real culprit exposed, the restraint that once defined him shatters. The go board flips, and a hellstorm of righteous vengeance follows.

Acclaimed director Kazuya Shiraishi’s first entry in the genre, “is not only a great return to form reminiscent of the golden age of samurai cinema" (Asian Movie Pulse), but an elegant, ferocious epic destined to be hailed as a new classic.

directed by: Kazuya Shiraishi
starring: Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Kaya Kiyohara, Taishi Nakagawa, Kyoko Koizumi, Takumi Saitoh

2024 / 129 min / 2.35:1 / Japanese DTS-HD MA 5.1

Additional info:

  • Region A Blu-ray
  • Making of featurette
  • 16-page booklet with essay by film writer Hayley Scanlon
  • English subtitles

Overall rating: 4.766667 / 5 from 30 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

Bushido is a highly acclaimed film, praised for its engaging storyline and superb execution. The special limited edition slipcover, designed by Poochamin, is a collector's item with only 1,000 units available. Directed by Kazuya Shiraishi, this film is a return to the golden age of samurai cinema, featuring a compelling narrative and outstanding performances by the cast.

Summary topics

  • Film Quality: 30%
  • Storyline: 17%

Review topics: ["shipping","looks","sound","picture","detail","film","movie","restoration","flick","constraints","drama","transfer","tension","pacing","cost"].

Review highlights

  • "Looks great, sounds great, packaging is on point and I liked the film!!"Marco A.
  • "Pretty good samurai movie I'd not been aware of."Arthur C.
  • "Excellent movie, superb storyline."Aaron T.

Reviews

Samurai Drama

"Bushido is a slow‑burn, atmospheric samurai drama that uses the game of Go and the samurai code to explore honor, integrity, and the heavy personal cost of living by rigid principles. It’s visually striking, emotionally restrained, and ultimately powerful. The film follows Kakunoshin Yanagida, a fallen samurai living in poverty with his daughter after a false accusation destroys his standing. Critics highlight how the movie interrogates the samurai code itself—showing it as both noble and suffocating—while using Go matches as tense psychological battlegrounds that reveal character and moral conflict. Reviews consistently praise its elegant period detail, the quietly charismatic lead performance, and its thematic depth, noting that the film’s slow pacing pays off as the drama intensifies toward a gripping, honor‑driven climax."

Tarek E. (3/5)

Worth it for samurai fans

"Kazuya Shiraishi’s Bushido has the patience and restraint of a classic samurai drama, but with enough modern tension underneath to keep it from feeling like museum-piece filmmaking. It is quiet, sharp, and honor-obsessed in the best way, the kind of movie where every staredown feels like someone is about to ruin a bloodline over principle."

Shane P. (5/5)

Very Entertaining Flick!

"The peerless VS restoration process was on full display with stellar sound and picture! Thank you, VS, for continuing to lovingly restore and release so many wonderful films from every conceivable genre! You are keeping physical media alive in this streaming world we now live in! Highly recommended!"

Paul K. (5/5)

Banzai!

"Pretty good samurai movie I'd not been aware of. Picture and transfer is pretty top notch"

Arthur C. (5/5)

A restrained samurai drama set in 18th-century Japan

"The feel is austere and wintry, with muted visuals and minimal spectacle emphasizing restraint over action. As historical artwork, it favors atmosphere and political unease over conventional swordplay, ultimately using its sparse violence and deliberate pacing to underline the cost of integrity inside a collapsing order."

Mitchell C. (4/5)

Missed in Theaters

"I wanted to see this when it played in theaters so I was happy to see Film Movement release this BD. They are quickly becoming my favorite partner label from Vinegar Syndrome."

Ryan B. (4/5)

Bushido

"Blind buy but really enjoyed worth the purchase"

Andrew D. (5/5)

Instant Classic

"This will become a samurai movie classic. Lots of action and excellent story. Highly recommended."

Jeffrey L. (5/5)

New Japanese classic!

"Awesome title, never heard of it. Glad I checked it out. Love the slipcover."

Edward S. (5/5)

Good samurai flick, but i’ve seen better

"Kinda boring but really great cinematography."

Nathaniel C. (3/5)

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