Overview: To protect his clan, an honourable samurai (Raizo Ichikawa, Shinobi) takes the blame for a murder committed by one of his fellows. He is promised a safe return after one year in exile, but this vow is broken and he becomes a fugitive chased by his own clansmen. Disillusioned by the bushido code of honor, he realizes there are only two ways out: vengeance or death.

From director Tokuzo Tanaka (The Snow Woman), a former assistant to Akira Kurosawa, this cruel jidaigeki stands alongside such notable works of the genre as Harakiri and Sword of Doom with its classic mix of honor codes and samurai action. Beautifully filmed in black and white scope with thrilling set pieces, The Betrayal features one of the most breathtaking finales in all of samurai cinema.

Blu-ray Verdict: It’s been a while since I watched a good samurai movie, so was pleased to find that The Betrayal really scratched that itch. It almost feels like a Hitchcock-esque man accused of doing something he didn’t actually do, and going on the run type of plot, except done with samurais instead of spies.

At just 87 minutes, I will say that although it goes by pretty quickly, the pacing’s not always fantastic. There’s a good deal of stopping and starting that can make some scenes feel repetitive, and I feel like that’s especially true of some of the small skirmishes that play out through the film’s first two acts. The action’s not bad, but just a little samey, so to speak.

But much is forgiven when it comes to the final 15-20 minutes, which has a huge amount of action, and it’s generally really well-choreographed. There’s some ambitious camera movement in this big final action scene, too, and it overall looks like it would have taken ages to film (and there are so many extras in a few of the shots - almost like a small army).

At the risk of sounding bloodthirsty, it’s a shame the action was bloodless. I don’t need it splashing all over the place, but a well-timed blood spray here and there is often the icing on the cake when it comes to samurai action. In all truth, I don’t remember a drop of blood being spilled in this movie, despite a body count that might fast approach 100!! [J.U.]

BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
High-Definition digital transfer by Kadokawa
Uncompressed mono PCM audio
Select-scene audio commentary by Japanese film historian Tom Mes (2025)
Visual essay by film critic Philip Kemp, comparing The Betrayal with the original Orochi the Serpent (2025)
Visual essay on director Tokuzo Tanaka by Tom Mes (2025)
New English subtitle translation

The Betrayal (1966) - Official New Trailer

Official Purchase Link

www.radiancefilms.co.uk