Tatsuya Nakadai is no stranger to Samurai films, having played in Ran, Yojimbo, and Sanjura among the almost 100 films he has done. This film is based upon the same book as Sanjura.
Tatsuya Nakadai plays Genta, a yakuza that travels from town to tow. He meets up with Hanji (Etsushi Takahashi) a farmer who wants to be a Samurai. Reminds you of the farmer in the Magnificent Seven who wanted to be a gunfighter.
They get caught up in a local fracas that pits seven samurai against a lord taking over the town. It is a one-sided fight, to say the least.
You will find some Kurasawa in here, as well as some Clint Eastwood as "the man with no name"; along with some very funny dialog. All of this will serve to keep you glued to the action until the very end.