A film which benefits from a second viewing. Yasuo Mikami gives respect to the complicated psychological struggle of the real-life Musashi, moving the film forward at a meditative pace. So viewers seeking a fast-paced-action-thriller movie are going to be disappointed here. However the pace gives plenty of opportunity for some stunning cinematography, where the human action is balanced by the calmness of nature. A supreme example here is Musashi's sword practice in the bamboo forest, which is simply beautiful. The sword fights are frantic but sharp, showing-off the athletic ability of Yoshihito Miyamoto, who also puts in a convincing and memorable performance as the mentally tortured Musashi. The political background is critically important to the story, and is explained in a series of static discussions (in which the Director himself appears as one of the main characters). These vignettes, while important, drag the film down slightly - especially compared with the static scenes in which Musashi's anguish is depicted: Miyamoto steals the film in all of these. Look out for the sword fight in the dark, which is spectacular.