Owls' Castle

Original title: Fukurô no shiro

1999
2h 18m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

As the great military commander Nobunaga Oda was consolidating his power across Japan, one of his actions was to wipe out a clan of assassins, killing every man, woman and child he found in ... Read allAs the great military commander Nobunaga Oda was consolidating his power across Japan, one of his actions was to wipe out a clan of assassins, killing every man, woman and child he found in the village. Years later, one of the survivors has hired a young but skilled assassin to a... Read allAs the great military commander Nobunaga Oda was consolidating his power across Japan, one of his actions was to wipe out a clan of assassins, killing every man, woman and child he found in the village. Years later, one of the survivors has hired a young but skilled assassin to avenge the deaths of his friends and family. His mission: to sneak into the most heavily gu... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

552

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 3 wins & 9 nominations

Photos5

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Featured review

6/10

Ninja picture, but don't expect too much

As a prologue, ruler Oda Nobunaga, worried by the threat of independent Iga ninjas, orders the killing of everyone in Iga province. Ten years later, our hero leaves a life in hiding accept the difficult job of killing the current ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi for a client who prefers to remain anonymous (presumably the lord Tokugawa Ieyasu). He has to deal with two ninja trained love interests and must fight off an Iga ninja who is trying to advance by becoming a retainer to a powerful lord and well as a band of Koga ninja's.

Ninja picture fans will be unhappy because most of the fighting and killing is offscreen. The plot can be hard to follow in places. The history is bogus and there seems to be too much of it. Less philosophy would have been better too.

Wonderful costumes, especially the mixture of Japanese and Western dress worn by the entertainers and the rich of the time. Some nice sets, such as the entertainment district on the Kyoto riverbank.