In his final portrayal of the Yojimbo character, Mifune is hired to perform a mission so mysterious, he isn't even told what it is! All he knows is that he is supposed to go to a remote mountain pass and wait for something to happen.

When he arrives at a lonely tea-house on top of the pass, he becomes ensnared in a twisted plot involving a bandit gang, a Shogunate officer, a discredited doctor (Katsu) and a convoy of Shogunate gold. He soon discovers he's apparently been hired to be a bodyguard for the bandits, but all is not quite as it seems!

Review: Ambush at Blood Pass is one of two rare instances where Japanese screen legends Toshiro Mifune (Yojimbo) and Shintaro Katsu (The Tale of Zatoichi) came together on screen. Unlike Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970), this film saw Katsu stepping out of his beloved blind character to portray a rough-edged criminal both at odds with Mifune and on equal terms, an aspect devoted fans of both icons surely demanded.

The director is Hiroshi Inagaki who helmed the internationally acclaimed Samurai trilogy fifteen years prior with Mifune in the lead playing Musashi Miyamoto. The classical direction he used for these films was by 1970 somewhat outdated. By this point there were far bloodier films available with more action or artistic brilliance. Ambush is ploddingly slow at times, awkward in it's execution of action scenes, and leaves Mifune recycling his Yojimbo character to far lesser effect. In contrast, Shintaro Katsu comes alive in a much darker role.

The story begins with Mifune as an unnamed ronin only known as a 'yojimbo' (bodyguard) being hired by an enigmatic character named 'The Crow' to journey to the Sanshu Pass for reasons left unsaid. On the way, Mifune rescues Okuni (Ruriko Asaoka), a woman abused by her husband and together they arrive at a roadside teahouse. She becomes enamored with him, but resigns herself to be hired at the teahouse while Mifune continues. A series of events follows at the teahouse that leads to a number of thugs taking over the teahouse and threatening the aging owner, his granddaughter played by a bubbly Mika Kitagawa (James Clavell's Shogun), Okuni, and a pompous official. The leader of these bandits turns out to be a former physician turned fugitive and criminal named Gentetsu (Shintari Katsu) who is planning to attack a convoy of officers and their retainers carrying a large shipment of gold. Having previously returned to the teahouse and left again while awaiting further instructions from The Crow, Mifune shows up to confront Gentetsu who is planning to kill the teahouse residents. Complexities mount as Mifune discovers that Gentetsu had been previously wronged and has now been set up by The Crow. He then struggles to protect the teahouse residents from Gentetsu and help Gentetsu confront the approaching officers.

Katsu is virtually unrecognizable with shoulder-length hair, a beard, and a crazed look. Fans used to seeing him as the humble masseur are in for a surprise. He's a wild man with intense presence who seethes with hatred and menaces the lovely Ruriko Asaoka until he finally erupts into a savage frenzy of death against a group of officers. You pretty much despise this guy until Mifune surprises you by showing him some compassion. Its ironic that earlier in his career, this is the sort of role that Mifune himself would have played. Instead, Mifune does the no-name ronin bit with little bite. As he always does, Mifune still fills the scene with his presence, but possibly because of the staid direction he comes off as fairly wooden. He remains passionless to Ruriko Asaoka's advances and to everything else going on in the film.

Mifune's fistfight with a gambler early on betrays the actor's limited martial arts abilities. The two just sort of swing arms and tumble about in a John Wayne fashion. I'm not expecting Sonny Chiba karate action here, but you would think that a character who lives to fight would look a little better doing it. His last fight isn't much better, even though he has a sword in hand. In a rush to complete the story, Mifune wanders off to face The Crow and his men in the middle of no where. The battle is shot in silhouette from a distance and lasts all of thirty seconds before the closing credits role. Katsu's last fight is much better. Yet, this film as a whole fails to offer much in the way of sword fighting and what is present is mediocre. Add in that aside from a faint, Mifune and Katsu never square off and action buffs are going to be disappointed.

Kinnosuke Nakamura has an interesting role as an officer with some major self-esteem issues who barks orders and looks down upon those around him. He captures one of the thugs before their plan comes together and ends up wounded in the process so that he's forced to stay at the teahouse for a time. But, this character undergoes an unexplained change of heart at the end that makes little sense.

The best aspect of this film is actually the soundtrack by Masaru Sato. He's the Ennio Morricone of Japan who scored hundreds of films from Godzilla to chambara movies and everything in between. The anthem in particular is a rousing piece that outplays the film.

Ambush at Blood Pass is a solid effort for a classical samurai film that outlived it's era with good characterizations, picturesque outdoor photography, and outstanding music. But the pace is too slow, Mifune walks through his role, and Hiroshi Inagaki directs with little flair. If nothing else, Shintaro Katsu fans should take note of his robust performance that proves he was a better actor than some might give him credit for.