Samurai (Assassin)

This is one of my favourites.It is precisely its blend of noir style police procedural voice-over,complex plotting and melodrama and explosive samurai action sequences that scull my punt. Mifune is a joy, though obviously not half as young as his character but it is Ito's performance as Kenmotsu that I enjoy most. His expression barely changes throughout the film but a raised eyebrow or a stroke of the chin betray some of the machinations in his mind.
I'm no jidai-geki expert but as far as my collection goes, this film is the second (after Sanjuro), to employ the explosive blood effect, Im sure there must be others that predate it but I haven't seen them yet. As soon as Kenmotsu appears in the white kimono you know there's going to be a blood-bath. Love this to bits, by the way my copy (Artsmagic) says it was released in 1964.