It must be about twenty years or so since I've seen this. Listening to the newly released soundtrack on CD is giving me the urge to watch it again.

Sato's scores often socialize well with the music of his peers Henry Mancini, John Barry and Ennio Morricone. The brooding, obsessive and oppressive nature of this score recalls Bernard Herrmann and Akira Ifukube. It should go without saying that it's still all Sato, his personal sonic world.

The story is one of moral dissolution, as a swordsman's quest for power rots him from inside as he chalks up victory after victory, whether in official tournaments or illegal assassinations, whether he fights one opponent or a dozen at once.

This samurai Dorian Gray has a misleadingly placid exterior. His signature move is to lower his sword and present himself as exposed and vulnerable, thus luring his enemy into a trap.

There are a beautiful love theme and some traditional Japanese music but this is ultimately a score of isolation and dread.