Hitokiri (Japan, 1969) – 4/5
Hideo Gosha’s most famous film is also one of the greatest jidai geki movies ever made. Shintaro Katsu, in one of the best roles of his life, plays a samurai who mindlessly follows his master (Tatsuya Nakadai) and believes the more people he kills the more respect he will get. The screenplay is terrific and avoids many of the genre’s cliches. Gosha manages to keep the film rather realistic without having to sacrifice any of the entertainment value. At 135 minutes Hitokiri doesn’t feel stretched but instead almost too short. Cult writer/actor Yukio Mishima appers in a supporting role.
- dvd / Wild Side Video
Kiryuin Hanako no shogai (Japan, 1982) – 3,5/5
Gosha’s massive gangster family biopic has a lazy start, including a nasty dog fight scene, but grows incredible debth during its 140 minute running time. The whole story is seen through the eyes of a girl (Masako Natsume from Somai’s Gyoei no mure) adopted by a yakuza godfather. She’s not the film’s main character, though, or at least not the only main character. Tatsuya Nakadai, who plays the godfather, acts like madman. The best, and pretty much only imaginable comparison part would be Al Pacino in Scarface.
- dvd / Wild Side Video
Wives of the Yakuza (Japan, 1986) – 2/5
Somewhat lazy effort from Gosha. Certainly he still knows how to make movies, but the energy and inventiveness of his past masterpieces is missing. The plot idea is not bad, though. The film follows a bunch of yakuza wives, most of them now heads of their families as the husband is either in jail or dead. Two sisters, one of them the leader of the most powerful crime organization in the area, and the other living with his father and trying to stay clean, are in the spotlight. Instead of going to action mode Gosha follows their normal life; relationships, sunny beaches, karaoke… and clan wars. But the characters are not very interesting (a very pretty lead, though), and nor is the storyline. It more or less works about 3/4 of the film, but when the emotional finale comes, you notice you don’t feel much anything.
- dvd / Wild Side Video
The World of Geisha (Japan, 1973) – 1,5/5
“The acting is perfect, and the film is humorous. In its praise for female beauty and derision for male stupidity lies the generous spirit of Jean Renoir.” No, that’s not me trying convince you a pink film can have real qualities. That’s François Truffaut describing Tatsumi Kumashiro’s The World of Geisha. And, as expected, I don’t care much for the film. It reminds me of Noboru Tanaka’s masterfully boring Jitsuroku Abe Sada; a talented director trapping himself between four walls and delivering an uninteresting characterization piece. The structure is slightly interesting, though. Half of the film consists of Junko Miyashita’s geisha spending a hot night with a customer. The rest is about several different characters and their affairs. All stories take place in the same house and are told simultaneously, but the timescale differs. Some obviously expand over several days while the main story is just one night (appart from the very end). Kumashiro is in no hurry to point out what takes place before the other, and what comes after.
- dvd / R1
A Man and a Woman Behind the Fusuma Screen: Enduring Skin (Japan, 1974) – 1/5
Sequel to The World of Geisha (aka Man and Woman Behind the Fusuma Screen), only even less impressive. Kumashiro is still helming, and Miyashita appears in a supporting role. Usually the director is interested in characters and technical experimentation, but this film unusually heavy on sex (including some gay humping, which surprised me). You can see those Kumashiro touches here and there (b&w film clips, varying aspect ratios etc.), but it does make you wonder if the film was made only because the original was a hit. Meika Seri’s supporting role, one classic line of dialogue and some history bits alone are not enough to save this overlong film from being utterly unnecessary.
- dvd / R2J
Nawa to chibusa (Japan 1983) – 1/5
Lets get this out of the way; despite being one of Nikkatsu’s most acclaimed directors, Masaru Konuma hasn’t impressed me too often. But, he has made a couple of films I’ve enjoyed, too (Image of a Bound Girl and Woman in the Box II coming to mind). I can’t deny him having some talent… although Nawa to chibusa once again makes me wonder what the hell was he thinking. Probably not much. The first half is character drama, only that it lacks drama and characterization. The rest is sm fun. Nami Matsukawa and Ryousei Tayama play a couple who have sex, walk on the streets, have more sex, and ultimately find their way into the punishment cellar. The whole production feels strangely unpassionate. It’s as if Konuma was sitting in the editing room, very bored, every 15 minutes deciding to turn the music on while the rest plays silently. Perhaps he was trying to prove Shogoro Nishimura is an exciting filmmaker. And indeed, that would take some talent.
- dvd / R2J
The Intruder (Hong Kong, 1997) – 1/5
Mainland girl steals a dead woman’s identity and makes her way to Hong Kong, only to continue her terror in even more brutal forms. Cat III rating attached. Quite a cleaver cash in plan (see production year). That is, however, where the cleaverness ends. The Intruder is an incredibly frustrating thriller with zero originality. An amateurish attempt to copy from better filmmakers, without any understanding for their work. Making matters worse, the director creates severely overlong suspense scenes although the audience knows exactly where it’s going. Depending on the scene the viewer is 10 to 15 minutes ahead of the film. The only surprise is how the film manages to fail on all possible areas from uninteresting cinematography to bad writing and dull use of music. Yet it demands to be taken seriously. But that’s impossible, and so is going to other end as there isn’t anything funny about its badness. The worst kind of failure.
- dvd / R2 DE
Run and Kill (Hong Kong, 1993) – 2,5/5
Billy Tang (one of the best Cat III directors; someone capable of delivering both the bloodshed and technical quality), Kent Cheng, Simon Yam, Danny Lee (yeah, cop). This one wasn’t going to fail. And the outcome doesn’t surprise. Cheng is excellent as a likable loser character that you care for, and Yam gives his usual psychopath performance. Lee is a bit dry but hey, it’s Lee as a cop, it’s all good. No complaints about the music. Overall not as much fun as Tang’s best films, but that’s not the problem. The problem is how to survive till the end. The first 80 minutes, yes, easily. It’s not very gory, and surprisingly there’s no graphic sex or nudity at all. But the last 8. There’s a classic scene that some might consider tasteless. People like me, who enjoyed a hamburger meal after Ebola Syndrome. Thankfully a comic relief follows. Those who still feels like laughing may like it.
Comments refer to the uncut DE dvd. As far as I’ve understood Simon Yam is less insane on the Hong Kong dvd.