Watch The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail For Free

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Simply A Masterpiece

People are voting emotionally.

Excellent but underrated film

Here we have an early and very underrated film by one of the most acclaimed Japanese directors: Akira Kurosawa. The whole film is a joy from beginning to end, packed with some nice Japanese humor brought by Japanese actor Kenichi Enomoto, whose acting might tend to be overacted, but one can't help but laugh at those facial expressions he pulls off.The story concerns Yoshitsune, a Japanese general and six men guarding him, who need to cross the border to avoid being caught by one of his enemies. So as to go unnoticed, their men decide to impersonate monks (although one of them was one for real), and their general would disguise as a porter, borrowing a box porters tend to carry (or ,actually, taking it by force) from one porter (Kenichi Enomoto) they encountered on their path. The porter briefly joins the crew and accompanies them. When they finally get near the border, they are halted by the border patrol, due to orders they had received that stated no monks should pass, as it had been rumored Yoshitsune and his men were disguised as monks. There is where the biggest climax of the film is, when they have to prove they are actual monks.The acting is extraordinarily realistic (with the exception of Kenichi Enomoto); it has that real feeling of the old Japan. Probably the character that most stands out is Benkei, enacted by a not very well known Japanese actor: Denjiro Okochi. The determination he demonstrates as a monk is praiseworthy. Another actor that stands out is Kenichi Enomoto, another unknown Japanese actor. As I mentioned in the beginning of this review, he is the one in charge of bringing a brighter side in the film, acting as a foolish, fearful and humble porter who firstly comes across Yoshitsune and his men without knowing who they really are. Takashi Shimura, who would take better roles in later films by Kurosawa, does make his appearance on the film, but he does not stand out at all, nor does he have an important role.The camera-work is perfect to the portrayal of the story, very slow-moving and it adapts to the settings. There's not really much worth mentioning about it, but Kurosawa's touch is already present.The film is really recommendable, probably one of the most appealing from Kurosawa's early works. The only problem with it is that it is too short, or maybe that's its biggest strength, in that you do not lose interest at all because everything fits perfectly and there are no boring scenes.My score: 9.2/10

This film is just less than an hour long and tells a simple tale about a warrior with his six followers (one is a "driver" who almost reminds me of a Japanese Stan Laurel) and their quest to move on. They disguise themselves as monks. The film is set in the year 1195. The second half of the film is better, where they have to prove to others that they indeed are monks. The tension, including facing otherwise certain death, is extremely well done. I labeled the film curious due to its simplicity in telling the story. Kurosawa is rarely this straightforward, usually there are interesting twists and turns. That said, this watchable, there is a little comic relief, but it is not A list Kurosawa. Thats fine in and of itself.

So here's a little personal background: I played Benkei in a somewhat modernized version of Kanjinchou, the kabuki play that this film is based on. Using a DVD recording of a 1943 performance, the cast spent a month of rehearsal copying in excruciating detail every motion and intonation of the kabuki actors (we spent the next month taking it apart and rebuilding it). So watching this film was, for me, a really interesting experience.First off, this film is very faithful to the kabuki. Its overall structure varies in some ways, but the story arc unfolds very similarly and many of the lines are taken directly from the original. I was really pleased that so much was kept in. While there have been many successful adaptations of kabuki to film in the past (Chushingura, Yotsuya Kaidan etc.), Kanjinchou doesn't really lend itself to this. The story is laughably brief, there's almost no action, and the play as a whole is really designed as a chance for the actor playing Benkei to strut his stuff.Other kabuki adaptations generally take just the story, but in this case Kurosawa has incorporated several aspects of kabuki performance in interesting ways. Using the 'nagauta' background singing to tell parts of the story is one, another the drum beats that come up occasionally. It might have been nice if these elements were applied more rigorously, but they're appreciated where they are put in.As others have noted, there's no real fighting or most of the things that people expect from samurai films. The interest stems from the tension in the relations between the three main characters: Benkei, the tower of strength and sworn to protect the noble and effete Yoshitsune (yes, there's some romance implied) squaring off against Togashi, learned and embodying samurai virtue. Kurosawa sparingly uses cinematographic techniques to heighten this drama in some scenes.Where Kurosawa makes changes is primarily increasing the role of ancillary characters in the film. I felt like this was a little unfortunate as it lessens the gravity of the relationship between Togashi and Benkei, whose clash of wits is at the heart of the play. The addition of the porter character is well considered where he seems to play the audience. However in other scenes he takes over Benkei's more seemingly silly acts (like the dance), which I think detracted from the dimensionality of that character: compared to the kabuki, the film's Benkei is almost depressingly unemotional.Overall the film probably will be disappointing to those wishing to see another 'Seven Samurai' or 'Yojimbo.' This is a very different sort of film, and I think probably takes some background reading to really appreciate. As a final note, I think it's misleading to try to read the film as WWII allegory. While the timing of its creation begs this sort of inquiry, this is a fairly straight adaptation of the original. That it was banned by the GHQ shouldn't be surprising: nearly everything set in the feudal period was seen to embody some sort of imperialistic values and was suppressed.

Very well done, but "The Men Who Step On The Tiger's Tale" feels like the first act of a larger film, not a complete film in itself.It follows a party of samurai escorting a fugitive prince through enemy territory, accompanied by a clueless servant (echoing Kurosawa's later masterpiece, "The Hidden Fortress"). They come to a border crossing, are interrogated by the magistrate, convince him that they are actually a party of monks, & are allowed to proceed. Shortly after, a group of soldiers catch up to them & offer them a drink & apologies from the magistrate. They drink, get quite drunk, then the next thing we see is the servant waking up, deserted by both groups.The end.I had to check my copy of the film, log on here to check the running time & read several reviews to make sure that there wasn't some kind of mistake. No mistake, that's all there is. Were the samurai taken into custody while they were drunk? Were they spirits? Was the servant hallucinating or dreaming? I'm sure there's a reason for the film ending so abruptly, but it was ultimately a very unsatisfying experience. At the point it ended, I was ready for another encounter with danger, then perhaps another, followed by the party's escape, or capture & subsequent death. But no, it's the end.Recommended for Kurosawa fans & those interested in Kabuki theatre only.