Inagaki's Samurai Trilogy

I thought it was a little strange how suddenly the monk just drops out of the trilogy after the middle of the second film, never to return. And you never really get a sense of just who or what precisely Mifune is fighting for. But it makes up for all that in epic. Other minor things to trifle about - Mifune's friend from the beginning of part 1 just suddenly disappears more or less from the framework when his parents find him. Speaking of which, I wanted to see more of his mother - she did such a great job not only in the first part, but was also a favorite of mine from Good Morning.

That all being said, the fact that this was based on a real samurai just blows my mind. The final duel on the island at the very end = perfect scene.