Notable Cast: Raizo
Ichikawa, Yaeko Mizutani, Ichiro Nakatani, Keiko Kayama, Michiko Ai, Tamotsu
Fujiharu, Ryutaro Gomi, Kiyoshi Ito, Kanae Kobayashi
“For a villain like me, this is a very nice grave.”
In terms of this franchise, Sleepy Eyes of Death 7: The Mask of the Princess represents one key
aspect of why it has been so successful: impressive execution. At this point,
the formula of what constitutes a film in this series is pretty solidified and
almost exclusively etched in stone, so there are plenty of elements to be
expected in those regards. However, The
Mask of the Princess uses those aspects to continually spin the film in
some intriguing directions and plays on the audience’s expectations in some fun
ways. On top of that, the film might be one of the more fascinating films of
the series on a visual level with director Akira Inoue bringing a great sense
of style and purpose to it that layers well with the narrative and script. Even
when the film is predictable, it is able to be one of the best in the franchise
on sheer execution.