Japan's classic tale of loyalty and revenge, dating from 1748 and based on an actual incident of heroic mass suicide, has been immortalized as a Bunraku puppet play and Kabuki drama. Among the scores of screen adaptations, Hiroshi Inagaki's is one of the most celebrated. "Shakespearean in intensity and sweep (it) mingles exultation with a dreadful sadness, for precisely those most worthy of life sacrifice themselves for the good of future generations. Yet this profound, subtle film never descends to a mere catalog of heroic ideals and deeds. Inagaki directs with unbelievable control some of the most complex sequences in film history. His pacing is equally sublime: the rising action alternates discreetly with passages of lyric contemplation until it closes in (a) completely satisfying denouement." (Edward Landberg, Cinema Guild) Toshiro Mifune in a supporting role "struts and preens and roars, nearly dominating the film with only a handful of scenes." (Edward Guthmann, S.F. Chronicle)