Samurai Films (16 page)

Despite its setting and preoccupations, the elements of the samurai film are still clearly present. Meiko Kaji as Yuki continues to slash her way through large groups of enemies, proving to be just as adept as other stars of the genre, such as Shintaro Katsu and Tomisaburo Wakayama. Toshiya Fujita continues his carefully styled direction, creating a variety of visually satisfying shots. Worthy of mention is the sequence towards the beginning of the film, where Yuki, cornered on a beach, surrenders herself to the police. Yuki throws her sword away, then there’s a shot from above, as the police encircle Yuki, obscuring her from our view. Next we see a beautiful image of Yuki’s sword, lodged in the ground, surrounded by the ocean, both the metal and water reflecting the sun and each other.

Unlike many sequels,
Love Song of Vengeance
allows Yuki’s character to develop. It is disturbing to see her at the beginning of the film; she moves like a ghost, clearly tired of the fugitive’s life she leads, and shows very little expression. For those who followed Yuki’s painful journey in the first film, it is a pleasure to see her finally smile.

A very fitting sequel and a great film in its own right,
Love Song of
Vengeance
builds on themes touched upon in
Lady Snowblood
as well as adding new elements. A standout example of the samurai film genre, not only because of its unusual heroine and setting, but also its superior quality.

The Kumokiri, a gang of skilled thieves, continually avoid Shikibu, a samurai inspector.

Their latest plan is to rob the vault of a wealthy merchant, Matsuya. Nizaemon Kurokiri, the leader of the Kumokiri, sends Ochiyo, a seductive woman, to make Matsuya fall in love with her. Matsuya proposes to her, and Ochiyo, along with some of her accomplices, is able to infiltrate his household. Shikibu discovers that Nizaemon is really Iori Tsuji, a samurai whose brother was accused of embezzlement by the Owari clan. The Owari clan killed their family, while the two brothers were able to escape. Nizaemon’s brother, Kuranosuke, urges him to seek revenge on the Owari by helping him kill their daimyo, but he refuses, no longer caring about their old life. Ochiyo discovers the location of Matsuya’s vault and his keys, but Shikibu is waiting for them on the night of the heist. In a long brutal battle, only Nizaemon, Ochiyo and two other members of the gang escape. Kuranosuke gives himself up, pretending to be his brother. He is executed, along with the other captured members of the gang. When Nizaemon hears of his brother’s sacrifice, he realises he must take his place in the assault on Lord Owari. Sneaking into the Owari castle, Nizaemon battles his way through Owari’s retainers, but stops when he discovers that a child born to his ex-lover Oshino and heir to the Owari, is actually his, and not Lord Owari’s. Nizaemon tries to escape with Oshino, but she is killed by their pursuers. Shikibu resigns his post, as he has discovered corruption in the Owari, and is sympathetic to the Tsuji brothers. When visiting Kuranosuke’s grave, he and Nizaemon pass each other on the road.

Another film by Hideo Gosha,
Bandits vs
. Samurai Squadron
combines elements from the two genres he was most familiar with: yakuza and samurai. The result is an epic tale of gangster heists and samurai-style revenge, a pleasing combination which benefits from Gosha’s skilled direction.

Bandits vs
. Samurai Squadron
tells the story of the Kumokiri gang, a group which specialises in infiltrating the households of wealthy individuals, such as merchants and sake brewers, in order to rob them. The film’s plot works very effectively to keep viewer attention; the devious ways in which the Kumokiri gang rob their targets, and the constant efforts of the valiant Inspector Shikibu to apprehend them, make for some entertaining scenes, in the tradition of classic heist films. The slowly unfolding plot gradually reveals the relationship between Nizaemon and Kuranosuke, and keeps the viewer wondering what this will mean for the two characters and the gang. There are also plenty of twists and changes in the plot, which keeps the story moving at a nice pace. The only criticism is that some of the twists come too late in the film, which means their implications do not have sufficient time to be explored.

At 2 hours 40 minutes, with a large cast of characters, and complex plot, there’s always the potential for the viewer to become lost or confused. But the pace is perfect: not so slow that it becomes boring, and not so fast that we lose track of what’s happening. Many of the characters assume false identities, and Gosha employs the simple technique of text on screen to show their name and true allegiance.

Gosha lends his distinctive sense of rhythm to the battle sequences. The fight between the samurai police and the Akatsuki gang at the beginning of the film is particularly good, complete with ingeniously paced squirts of blood that shoot out as the camera pans across the scene.

Tatsuya Nakadai as Nizaemon, is the strong, inexpressive boss of the Kumokiri gang, who loses everything, and then embarks on a selfless quest for revenge. As always, he excels at portraying both an inscrutable strength and a profound sense of loss. Shogoro Ichikawa is equally effective as Inspector Shikibu, lending credibility to this noble character who must change when he discovers corruption in the clan he works for. Also worthy of mention is Shima Iwashita, the beautiful yet harsh Ochiyo, master infiltrator of the Kumokiri gang.

A pleasing fusion of the yakuza and samurai genres,
Bandits vs
.
Samurai
Squadron
is a solid film, although not quite as good as some of Gosha’s earlier works. But like all his films, it’s definitely worth seeing.

Gomyo, a yakuza boss, hires Yataro, a ronin who has lost all memories of his past. He helps his new boss escape an attempt on his life by Omon, a woman jilted by Gomyo, and also manages to kill Jihei, Gomyo’s rival. Omon escapes Gomyo’s men, and is taken in by Kasuke, a poor fisherman. Meanwhile, Shimoguni, an ambitious samurai, is charged with the task of wiping out the Kitamae ronin, a group attempting to restore their clan. Shimoguni hires Gomyo to perform this task and sends Yataro after them. In a vicious battle he kills most of them, but a few escape. Recovering from his wounds in Gomyo’s house, Yataro is recognised by Oriwa, who used to be his wife. Unable to bring his memory back, she sends him to a temple, where he will learn all the secrets of his past. Gomyo overhears all of this, and Shimoguni demands he hand over Yataro. At the temple, Yataro regains his memory; he is the last hope of the Kitamae clan, entrusted with a document proving the clan’s ownership of the wealthy Ezo province. The remaining Kitamae ronin burst in and attack him, eager for revenge. In the confusion the temple catches fire, and Yataro is rescued both from the fire and his madness by Gomyo, who has him hidden in an old warehouse. Gomyo sends Oriwa to be with him, even though he loves her himself. Shimoguni destroys Gomyo’s house, but discovers Yataro’s whereabouts from Omon. Orei, a woman wanting to avenge Jihei, also finds Yataro, killing him in his weakened state, although he manages also to kill her. Shimoguni arrives in time to see Oriwa commit suicide, and leaves, confident he has been successful. Gomyo has recovered the Kitamae document, and confronts Shimoguni with it. In a final duel, the two kill each other.

Considered by many to be Hideo Gosha’s best film of the 1970s,
Hunter 
in the Dark
is a gripping samurai film, combining Gosha’s trademark direction with a compelling plot.

The film revolves around Yataro, a ronin with no memory whatsoever of his past. Throughout, small details about his identity are revealed, and the audience is left to piece them together. A number of other characters, each with their own bloody aims, most of which are closely intertwined with Yataro’s past, ensure there’s a constant sense of conflict and opposition in the film. Also, the character who actually ends up fulfilling the heroic role of
Hunter in the Dark
is very surprising, which lends great momentum to the later scenes.

The moment where Yataro finally regains his memory is hard to forget. Having just escaped a burning temple, weak from his wounds, Yataro cries out as he recalls the horrors of his past. With his clothes still smouldering, he swings his sword wildly, desperately attempting to kill the ghosts of his old life. Poetic moments are peppered throughout: when Yataro stares at a burning lantern, for instance, an image that plays an important part in his tragic past; or when Omon, a tough yakuza woman, kills Kasuke, one of her admirers, with the same hairpin which caused them to meet earlier in the film.

The battle scenes are of a very high standard. Yataro’s battle with the Kitamae ronin is particularly impressive, and includes one of the most surprising severed arms ever shown in a samurai film. After defeating the ronin, Yataro is confronted by a group of vengeful yakuza women, who, in an intensely frenetic scene, almost succeed in killing him. The battle between Gomyo and Shimoguni is also realised with Gosha’s usual skill, and takes place in the unique location of a large chicken coop. Tatsuya Nakadai and martial arts superstar Sonny Chiba bring a necessary energy to this scene, both swift and unpredictable.

Tatsuya Nakadai again demonstrates his considerable range in his performance as Gomyo, the tough yakuza boss who proves to be more than just a criminal. Yoshio Harada is also very engaging in his role, convincingly conveying anguish and pain when Yataro finally regains his memory. Keiko Kishi offers a frightening performance as Omon, a treacherous woman prepared to do anything to survive. Sonny Chiba is similarly well cast as the ruthlessly ambitious Shimoguni.

Yet another swiftly paced Gosha film, with a compelling plot and absorbing performances. A definite highlight of 1970s samurai films.

By the 1980s, samurai films had lost much of their popularity, with audiences’ attention turning instead to the yakuza (gangster) genre; and studios followed the money. Even Akira Kurosawa struggled to make his two samurai epics of the 1980s,
Kagemusha
and
Ran
, which were saved from cancellation by international funding. George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, both admirers of Kurosawa’s films, provided him with the funds to finish
Kagemusha
, a haunting film telling the story of Takeda Shingen (a famous daimyo) and his body double.

Throughout the 1980s and 90s few samurai films were made, compared to the voluminous output of the 1960s. Recently, however, the samurai film has been enjoying somewhat of a revival. Popular directors in Japan are returning to the genre, creating films that are finding acclaim overseas. Yoji Yamada’s trilogy of samurai films (
The Twilight Samurai, The Hidden Blade and Love and Honour
) were all popular among judges and audiences on the film festival circuit, and rightly so. Takeshi Kitano, a popular director of crime films, made his own version of
Zatoichi
, putting himself in the lead role, with great success: the film was not only popular with audiences, but also won a variety of awards both in Japan and abroad. The inflated style of the 1970s samurai films is still alive and well with films such as
Aragami
. Directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, famous for his flamboyant action films,
Aragami
is every bit as wonderfully overblown as the
Lone Wolf and Cub
series.