Samurai Spy - Criterion Collection

Years of warfare end in a Japan unified under the Tokugawa shogunate, and samurai spy Sasuke Sarutobi, tired of conflict, longs for peace. When a high-ranking spy named Koriyama defects from the shogun to a rival clan, however, the world of swordsmen is thrown into turmoil. After Sarutobi is unwittingly drawn into the conflict, he tracks Koriyama, while a mysterious, white-hooded figure seems to hunt them both. By tale´s end, no one is who they seemed to be, and the truth is far more personal than anyone suspected. Director Masahiro Shinoda´s tale, filled with clan intrigue, ninja spies, and multiple double crosses, marks a bold stylistic departure from swordplay film convention.