Masahiro Shinoda's 1999 film "Owl's Castle" is a classic tale of revenge and affairs, of double crosses and ninjas dashing through the night. The story involves a ronin called back into action to fight against the regime who took over his village and territory long ago, attached to a selection of somewhat shallow subplots dealing with old flames, personal grudges, and rivalries. However, Shinoda doesn't get involved enough with the emotions and characters behind this movie, which doesn't necessarily distract from the film's positive elements, but it does call for a bigger, better and more complete sequel (or prequel) to be made. Shinoda seems to be too focused on "events" and surprises, rather than getting mixed up in soap opera.

But what we do get with "Owl's Castle" is a display of deep colors and smooth photography in the world of ancient Japan. Mind you, this isn't the rough and scruffy world of Kurosawa, but one that sometimes appears artificial, nevertheless being quite intriguing to look at with its blend of set pieces and some computer generated effects (the opening credits with it's eerie soundtrack is captivating). Everything in the movie is handled well- the skirmishes between characters are not blown up into Hollywood/Shaw Brothers-like extravaganzas, but instead contain quick choreography and powerful bursts of energy and precision. These elements add a much-welcomed layer of excitement over the movie. The cast is great to look at, but as stated before, Shinoda doesn't rub our faces into them enough. In fact, by the end I found myself wanting much more to come out of the story in hopes of getting to understand a little better some motivations and decisions of the characters. It's unfortunate unbalanced nature of deep-plot-little-plot and fine production values shouldn't keep you away from "Owl's Castle" though- should you decide to watch it, you will find a nice slice of entertainment for a boring evening.

Shinoda gained widespread acclaim with works such as DOUBLE SUICIDE(1969), SILENCE(1971), MacARTHUR'S CHILDREN (1984), GONZA THE SPEARMAN (winner of the Silver Bear at the 36th Berlin International Film Festival, 1985), and SHARAKU (1995).

Director of photography is Tatsuo Suzuki who is well known for work with Shuji Terayama.

Art director is Yoshinobu Nishioka, whose triumphs include the l953 Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix winning film GATE OF HELL.

The star-studded cast includes Kiichi Nakai as Juzo, Mayu Tsuruta as Kohagi, Riona Hazuki as Kisaru, Takaya Kamikawa as Gohei, and Mako as Shogun Hideyoshi.

In 1581 Japan's most powerful warlord, Nobunaga Oda, with 50, 000 soldiers, wages war on the province of Iga. The area is targeted because it is the center of "shinobi," the martial art practiced by Ninja. Nobunaga had become concerned that the Ninja were gaining power and could cause disorder among clans that might result in civil war. Ten years later, Nobunaga's successor, Hideyoshi Toyotomi, unifies the country as Shogun.

Juzo (Kiichi Nakai), one of the few survivors of Nobunaga's carnage, is a skilled Ninja. After fleeing from Iga, he stays in the mountains like a hermit until his former master gives him the mission to go to Kyoto, the capital, to assassinate Shogun Hideyoshi. This gives Juzo a chance also to avenge the massacre of his family at the hands of Nobunaga.

On his way to Kyoto, Juzo is approached by a mysterious young woman, Kohagi((Mayu Tsuruta). They are strongly attracted to each other and become lovers even though Juzo knows she is a spy and that her goal is to learn about the plot against Hideyoshi.Gohei (Takaya Kamikawa), who works for the city magistrate in Kyoto but was formerly a student of "shinobi" under Juzo's master, is determined to stop Juzo.He believes that if he succeeds, he will be re-instated to the life as a samurai.

Juzo faithfully pursues Hideyoshi, all the while dealing with interference set up by Gohei. When he finally manages to sneak into Hideyoshi's private rooms, he has second thoughts....