The Sword of Doom12A

Directed by Kihachi Okamoto | Japan | 1966 | 1h 59m | Japanese w/ English subtitles | Starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Yûzô Kayama, Yôko Naitô, Tadao Nakamaru

In feudal Japan, Ryunosuke Tsukue is a ruthless swordsman and government assassin, guided by neither conscience nor code. During what should be a friendly fencing match, he kills his opponent without hesitation, setting off a chain of bloodshed and revenge that tightens around him. Starring Tatsuya Nakadai and Toshiro Mifune, this gripping tale follows a sociopathic samurai caught in a storm of violence and moral decay. Kihachi Okamoto’s 1960s action classic is a bold portrait of a man who embraces evil and slowly descends into madness.

Classic Season: Samurai Summer

Reviews

‘A film defined by its meticulously precise construction.’
★★★★★
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine

Book tickets

Monday 11 August

 8.45pmBook tickets
Tuesday 12 August

£6 for Members

 6.00pmBook tickets

What else is on?

Tomorrow (Friday 18th July)
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15:15

From Hilde, with Love 15
2h 5m | German w/ English subtitles
In Nazi-era Berlin, resistance fighter Hilde risks everything for love and liberty. Arrested while pregnant, she faces a harrowing fate with quiet defiance. This stirring true story is a moving tribute to resilience, sacrifice, and courage under impossible circumstances.

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18:00

The Shrouds 15
1h 59m
When futuristic tech lets the living watch the dead, one grieving man’s obsession turns sinister after his wife’s grave is desecrated. David Cronenberg returns with a chilling, cerebral thriller about grief, surveillance, and the eerie intersection of life and death.

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20:30

Pavements 15
2h 8m
1990s indie rock icons Pavement reunite for a sold-out 2022 tour just as bizarre tributes emerge, from a musical to a museum to a biopic. Alex Ross Perry directs a playful, surreal docu-satire blending fact, fiction, and fandom.

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Saturday 19th July
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15:15

The Piano Teacher 18
2h 11m | French & German w/ English subtitles
Michael Haneke Classics
Behind Erika’s icy control lies a world of suppressed longing. When a student awakens her darkest desires, obsession erupts. Isabelle Huppert stuns in Michael Haneke’s disturbing tale of power, repression, and unraveling identity. A bracing psychological masterpiece.

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18:00

Le Samouraï 12A
1h 45m | French w/ English subtitles
Classic Season: Samurai Summer
Jef Costello is a hitman of few words and exacting precision, until a botched job puts him in everyone’s crosshairs. Jean-Pierre Melville’s stylish noir is a minimalist masterpiece of cool detachment, silent tension, and existential menace.

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20:45

The Shrouds 15
1h 59m
When futuristic tech lets the living watch the dead, one grieving man’s obsession turns sinister after his wife’s grave is desecrated. David Cronenberg returns with a chilling, cerebral thriller about grief, surveillance, and the eerie intersection of life and death.

Book here


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Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road. We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don't be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!

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