Samurai Spy

Masahiro Shinoda (Double Suicide, Pale Flower) directed this film recently released by Criterion on DVD. It's one of the best samurai films I've seen, and the type that could only come from a New Wave director like Shinoda. Beyond the basic idea of using the samurai genre to make a spy film, there are several things that make it stand out. The fight scenes are never played straight; sometimes it's slow-mo and quick cutaways of spears and bodies comically flying through the air, sometimes it's long shots during the most suspenseful moment of the action, but he always gives us a new spin on cliched scenarios. Furthermore, the cinematography is fantastic throughout, making use of fog, chiaroscuro lighting, a steadily moving camera, and compact locations.

The stylistic and technical innovations alone would be enough to get excited about Samurai Spy, but the narrative is equally strong, juggling about 10 characters and featuring a protagonist who poses and answers moral questions without seeming didactic and preachy.
I'm beginning to think the Japanese films of the 50s and 60s were the golden age of sophisticated moral storytelling.