Yamada is confident that by taking his time and relishing the leathery arrogance that is the perquisite of a director in his 70's, his audience will follow his whims. The loving, nervous formality of the courtship between Seibei and Tomoe occupies his attention as much as the other elements: he wants to give each tick of the story as much time as possible. In some ways this makes Samurai feel like the kind of distended drama that is often rewarded with a foreign-film Oscar nomination. But Yamada counts on his command to make audiences stick around for the action that constitutes the last section.
This film also buzzes with sorrow: when the fights finally arrive they are informed by an adult sense of doom and misery. What Yamada does by lingering until he has to force Seibei into a physical challenge is to develop a melodramatic aspect for the scenario. It is not enough for his protagonist to defend himself; he has to live with all the consequences.
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