Musashi Miyamoto has become a fearsome fighter and a master duelist, but his quest to become a true Samurai is as much spiritual and mental as is is physical; and on those two fronts he has been much less successful. As he struggles with those challenges he must also confront his abortive romance with the one-time fiancee of his former friend, the machinations of another young woman who sees him as a means for revenge, and the dishonorable actions of those whom he has embarrassed with his superior skill.
Much like the first film in this trilogy, Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple is a beautifully shot, stately film that is likely to prove somewhat difficult to engage with for modern western audiences, as well as feeling more like a section of a larger work (in this case, the trilogy as a whole) than a complete film in its own right. Certainly it makes little effort to re-establish who supporting cast members are: much like Avengers: Infinity War it just assumes you remember who these people are.
Because of that feeling that it is only part of a bigger work, which I have not yet finished, it's actually pretty hard for me to say whether or not I'd recommend this film. In and of itself, if it was a standalone project, the answer is "probably not". But it's not a standalone project, and it feels like it might be a little unfair to try and judge it as one. So I am going to put "Qualified Recommendation" on it for now, with the qualification in this case being "wait for my comments on the final film before you decide whether to commit time to watch this one".
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