Reviews

You don't know how to forgive yourself

Chances are most of you reading this have never heard of this film before today. It's odd being only the second person on here to review it equally so but I shall do my very best to convey my thoughts to you all. Fear. A primal instinct we as humans all share. Fear of the unknown, fear of the unexplained, fear of anything different to the norm and Tokyo Blackout exploits those fears to the max.

A dome-shaped electromagnetic cloud suddenly covers Tokyo. The city becomes totally blocked and isolated from the rest of the world. With the temperature inside the cloud slowly increasing, the Soviet Pacific fleet getting closer and the U.S. forcing Japan to form a new government to help stabilise the situation. Scientists and research workers outside Tokyo must race against time to find out how to get through the cloud, rescue the 2 million lives and the country's fate all before the residents of Tokyo boil alive.

Equal parts Cold War thriller and natural disaster piece, it's another product of the insane imagination of Sakyo Komatsu—the same mind who brought us the likes of Japan Sinks and ESPY. Tokyo Blackout asks the difficult questions about the prospect of never seeing an entire capital city again, how the country would respond, how would its people react and what on earth can we do to possibly return to a sense of normality.

The multitude of plotlines keeps the viewer invested in one way or another. Be it the political outcry from the higher-ups trying to retain some form of order while the government has become unreachable, the ever-mysterious threat of the cloud baffling the scientists at every turn, or the more down-to-earth everyman stories of people simply missing their families and trying everything they can to return to them.

There's a lot here for everyone and anyone and I loved every second of it. Especially a beautiful little personal moment of calm stillness as two friends share a drink over the prospects of never seeing their families again, one barely holding her drink and the other downing it in one, two very different upbringings yet extremely touching as they both recognise each other's faults and guilts through the simple act of sharing a drink.

Directed by Toshio Masuda, a name known to me for a multitude of reasons, be it Tora! Tora! Tora!, Space Battleship Yamato or Prophecies of Nostradamus. You know he's going to deliver a visually striking film and while Tokyo Blackout is one of his more understated pieces it still carries with it some incredible imagery and excellent visual storytelling across the film's 2-hour runtime.

The visual effects from Teruyoshi Nakano are the quality you've come to expect from the ever-proficient man. Even in this upscaled copy, I'm watching, you can tell how much passion he puts into every shot. Granted there are some odd uses of front projection work that don't quite stand up to scrutiny nowadays but the rest of the film is absolutely stunning that it gets a pass. The shots of the US radar plane trying to navigate above the cloud as it's desperate to find out just what on earth it is are stunning, especially during the sequence of every engine slowly losing power and eventually St Elmo's fire is seen by its crew.

The cast all does a great job, there's no one who really stood out to me apart from the so-so English-speaking cast of the production who are laughable at points, nothing new for Japanese cinema at this point though. There are the usual bunch of Toho regulars you've come to expect from these films, Tetsurō Tamba, Tsunehiko Watase, Shinji Yamashita, Isao Natsuyagi and an early appearance from Ittoku Kishibe. Dennis Falt, that Soviet Sub Commander from The Return of Godzilla even makes a brief cameo role this time as a US pilot.

Perhaps Tokyo Blackout's other standout piece is the musical score by French composer Maurice Jarre, the same man who composed the music to Lawerance of Arabia. It's a very rousing and tragic score made all the more impressive by Jarre's limited use of synths lending itself to very easy listening if you can find a copy of the score.

Overall, Tokyo Blackout while being somewhat overly long in the dialogue department at points is a very unique and yet human story that needs way more appreciation than it has currently. Give it a watch when you can.

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So English yet so Korean...

U know that one thing that is different about kdramas that you cannot find in other dramas all around the world. That vibe, feel that is hard to define but it is there. Yes, that is what I find the most in this movie. This movie is so Korean yet so English, one can only understand this after watching it. This masterpiece is unforgettable and has a very realistic ending. The eye contact between the leads is my favorite part of this movie.
And of course, this is the best movie of the year...
So don't contemplate whether to watch it or not and just watch it.

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The story about culture that we often forget + some youth energy & love. We as modern people, sometimes forget how important, deep & meaningful our traditional, sometimes mostly about our own culture, we often more proud with international or modern stuff.

This drama tell story about some student that have enthusiasm for traditional musical instrument & some of them even have enthusiasm about Chinese history itself. While some of them try to find the root for the traditional musical instrument itself.

The story start from Chen Jing (CJ) that see Wang Wen (WW), the handsome classical music student, while he's practicing on the piano and immediately falls in love with him. While WW himself condescending CJ & her traditional musical instrument, thinking that traditional musical instrument outdated. CJ hear that determine to introduce her traditional musical instrument (Yang Qin) & make WW acknowledge both herself & her Yang Qin. With that thought in her mind, she begin her journey to make people acknowledge traditional musical instrument altogether.

In her journey, she meet with unique friend that turn out really passionate about traditional musical instrument than herself. And together with them she finally start to ask herself about her root with Yang Qin itself.

In their journey to make more people know and finally feeling proud with traditional musical instrument. They encounter many condescending word or behavior that think traditional musical instrument just outdated, even their teacher not really support them. But with friend & their love & passionate for traditional musical instrument they keep in their journey.

How the end...? Well I tell you enough, not gonna spoiled the end for you too. So... In the end Music is something everyone can enjoy no matter outdated or not... ^^

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Pride or Justice?

This story reminded me of Ikiru when Watanabe tenaciously visited department after department each hidden behind a wall of red tape to get a park built. Qiu Ju, the title character, quietly, persistently confronted the ever-expanding layers of legal hierarchy to gain satisfaction after her husband was kicked in the chest and groin by the village chief over a supposed slight. All she wanted was for the stubborn chief to admit what he did was wrong and apologize which was something he refused to do.

Poor farmers and living above the snowline, Qiu Ju sold much of their chili crop to have money for her trips to significantly larger towns as she implored officials to resolve her case satisfactorily. From the beginning each of the officials agreed that the chief needed to pay for her husband's medical bills and lost wages. Qiu Ju didn't want the money, she wanted an apology, but the chief managed to offend and belittle her at every encounter. The story began to feel repetitious as Qiu Ju and her sister-in-law traveled to the next city and next official in hopes of gaining justice.

Qiu Ju was the irresistible force and the chief was the immovable object, both stubborn and prideful. Qiu found out what many have before, that people in power rarely admit to wrongdoing and would rather hand over money instead of losing face. Near the end of the film as Qiu Ju gave birth and the chief was called upon to help because her life was in danger, the interconnectedness and interdependence of those living in the remote village came into clearer view. In the final scene, she was forced to weigh her actions when the consequences were doled out. The film finally scratched below the surface of Qiu Ju's journey. Perhaps in the end both learned a lesson in prideful actions and the importance of community.

Zhang Yi Mou is known for his gorgeous settings and color saturated scenery. This was a more beige film with the demarcation between snowy mountain village and urban city quite stark. The village could have been from 50+ years ago with the large wheel barrow carts, bicycles, and occasional motorized cart. The modern (1992) city in contrast was loud, crowded, and busy. The sisters-in-law stuck out with their simple clothes. ZYM filmed the crowds clandestinely, giving an authentic view of the bustling streets. Posters of both Chinese and American movie stars covered walls. It was interesting to see how the wheels of justice moved for those with the least power, but color me cynical at believing each layer of law enforcement justice would move as quickly, politely, and seriously for a peasant woman who in essence was only seeking an apology.

I've read this film is considered a comedy, but I failed to see it with the exception of one scene where Gong Li was told to buy new clothes so that she wouldn't be targeted by scammers. She ended up purchasing a large striped blazer which should have been considered more of a tragedy than comedy as it further hid her body and made her look even more like a gullible country bumpkin. Between the pregnancy pads and an enormous green scarf wrapped around her head it was hard to recognize her in some scenes. A close-up of Gong Li's beautiful face was not even used until the final shot. Despite having her face nearly obscured for much of the film, her charisma shone through as the uneducated, dutiful wife who despite her husband's protestations, would not let go of her need to hear from the chief that they had been wronged and it was not in his power to physically abuse her husband. There were only a handful of actors in the film, the rest were local people, much like in Not One Less. Liu Pei Qi represented well the patient long suffering husband who saw their store of peppers quickly dwindling as Qiu Ju monetized them in her quest for justice. The village though desperately cold was warm with human compassion as her husband's family and the chief's family all got along well and worked well with each other with the exception Qiu and the chief. Overall, it was a gentle law and order slice of life.

As an historical window into 1990's China, The Story of Qiu Ju was informative showing the busy market places and traffic and the snowy paths the neighbors' walked up the mountain to the little farming village. Viewing a Gong Li performance is always worthwhile. But in the pantheon of Zhang Yi Mou films, I found this one to be less than enthralling as Qiu traveled from city to city beseeching officials who repeatedly gave the same answers. There weren't any bad guys, with the exception of one con artist, the people Qiu met were polite and helpful. Even the chief came through when it counted. Qiu began to look more petulant and obsessed as the film went along. While I could appreciate Qiu Ju's quest for justice, at some point, much like the chief's stubbornness in not apologizing, it became a pyrrhic victory.

7/11/23

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"put out my eyes but i still can see you..."

I just finished this movie and I already know that, this movie is going to have a special place in my heart for the rest of my life!

The music and sound were so good that it was as if I was listening to a precious piece of music in addition to the movie. In terms of the quality and aesthetic of filming, it was very eye-catching and beautiful, and you could feel the love between the main characters~

I don't think I need to talk about the acting talent of the actors because they are both the best; Although the actress had no dialogue at all, she showed her emotions so well that I felt familiar with her more than many other characters with a lot of dialogue.

And in the end, it was one of the few movies that made me cry because of happiness, sadness and stress...

If you, like me, have doubts whether to start this movie or not, I assure you to start faster because you are going to see one of the best movies of your life!!

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There has never been a single moment where i havent loved you

I could tell you this is a very nice movie to watch on a shallow day. I could you that this movie is the better half of all the sad dramas that don't end well. I could tell you that cliché is what the plot reads (it is) but feelings start to form mid way and you would want to stay. I could tell you and that's why I did. Because that's what it told me.

As for me, I didn't start with any expectations. Honestly just watched it, while i was scrolling through one of the non-legit sites for dramas. I just wanted a nice movie and Oo, look a nice movie with amazing cast. It was already calling me towards it.
Honestly speaking after seeing the poster, you don't even need any more reason to watch the movie but hey, its okay to have trust issue. We know how it went down with Scarlet Heart Ryeo. And that's why i am writing a review.

The movies is cliched but not heavily. We have a shy female lead who lives in a indiscernible patriarchal family who learns to express herself more and a male lead who is (like always) rich and has a troubled past neither of which lasts long. This is the story of how they meet and do they last? But as the movie goes on, we can see from the naked eye that just as annoying as it seems and however cliched it may be, it talks about some issues. It talks about academical pressure that comes from excellence, the subtle actions in the family that draws a fine line over "patriarchal ideologies" and "unquestioned love for sibling", the burden of sickness, and mildly the fickleness of society. The plot slowly shifts.

What i liked about this movie are only two things and they stood out the most to me.
One, people are good at different things and what you thought you are good at may not be the one you are the best at. Its like you finish first in the neighborhood race but you last in the national race. You can try hard to be the best. If you cant be perfect, that's okay, be like the FL, try a different opportunity. You are not God to make things always go your way.
Two, the cinematography, whenever the plot got dusky, happy, prideful, stupid, heavy, etc., the mood was always right. Thanks to the excellent cast the feeling was there and with the magnificent cinematography, everything was perfect. There are like a million potential screenshots of beauty in this movie.

I love to talk about the cast and music but i think i need not say much cause those are for the sense organs to feel. You will know it when its bad and when its good. And mine said it was good.
It have a good rewatch value mainly cause its a feel-good movie and cause of the lit cast. And that all adds up to "Damn, that's a fine movie to watch". So there we have all the issues solved.

P.S.: There were R-rated scenes but because its China, they weren't released. So check them out on YouTube.

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Heartbreaking and Beautiful

A film about heartbreak and loss . Serve the People, gets to the heart of relationships we can't see through. The couple is in love, but society and Communism take away any hope of a lasting relationship. Soo-ryeon is in a marriage of convenience, and leaving would likely lead to debt or death. Mu-gwang is a poor man who has never known the depths of respect until Soo-ryeon. He too is tied down by society's expectations. Their intense relationship is very short lived,. It is heartbreaking knowing the couple can never be together again and must endure their circumstances in order to survive in a harsh society. They both move forward, but there is forever a longing in their hearts and a question of "what if?" In the end, Mu-gwang seeks out Soo-ryeon, but she will not face him. Overcoming longing again would only cause more pain. If you can't relate to this drama, then you might one day. There is nothing like love lost and forever longing, and this film paints it beautifully.

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This movie is such a great love letter to the franchise! It was really so beautifully written and quite action packed. While at times some of the sfx or superfast fight scenes can turn out to be quite anime-like, overall the stunts and battles and story telling still makes you feel so exhilarated and excited to know what happened next.

I know of Sousuke from the MOZU series almost a decade ago, and I had looked forward to seeing him play Hongo in his own image. And I have to say that I wasn't disappointed at seeing the result. Since the behind the scenes had been released way ahead of the screening, I was excited to see the final result on film and it was really great to see how all the shots play out.

With every single reimagination of Rider 1 and Rider 2 stories, it never ceased to amaze me at how unique each version of Rider 1 and 2 turned out to be. This movie's approach to introducing Hongo to the audience was quite different compared to how it was in The First, as well as in original. But I love how refreshing the story felt, even when at the very core of each different Rider 1 and 2, there's still that certain quality that remains the same.

I also love the reimaginations of the five kaijins or Augs, and how they have a different stories behind them... to which we learn how twisted they had become after joining SHOCKER.

The movie somewhat ended with a pretty open ending though, like it felt like there should be a continuation after this. Hopefully there is, because I really like to see more of Anno's reimagination of the Showa riders.

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"Anyone could become Asura by chance" or "There but for the grace of god, go I"

This was a brilliant and profoundly deep movie experience for me. It blew my mind with how loaded it was. Watch past the closing credits as you get the final picture to the whole story. Before I go further TRIGGER WARNING – this movie does include scenes depicting mass shooting in a market place in the opening scenes and later on in the movie. There are also some suicidal themes.

Fascinating story ... I thoroughly enjoyed it ... it sent me on a deep dive into all sort of existential questions ... LOVED all of it and I was particularly taken with the black and white drawings ... the high contrast with the darks ... very emotive indeed. The movie has a "chaos theory" edge to it i.e. Edward Norton Lorenz's 'butterfly effect" - a tornado can be influenced by minor perturbations such as a distant butterfly flapping its wings several weeks earlier ... and so it is with this movie but in respect of people and the effect they and their actions have on other people's lives and actions. It was a truly fascinating watching this concept unfold ... very moving and deeply thought provoking ... it was very well done indeed.

I liked the different cinematography effects used, loved the use of symbolic imagery which was very powerful in the messages it conveyed ... sometimes a picture really does say a thousand worlds. The score was good and did not detract for the story. Nothing is superfluous in this story … everything links to everything else … even the robotic vacuum cleaner is pivotal.

The movie was partly inspired by three in depth articles about a random killing incident and an article on council estates. The screenwriters Lou Yi An and Singing Chen have truly crafted an amazing story around those articles. It is told in 3 chapters: Chapter 1 – Raging Zero; Chapter 2 – Goddamned Asura and Chapter 3 – Bridge to Hades.

Chapter 1 sets the scene for all that follows. It starts off with a mass shooting as seen through cell phone videos and then goes to a blank screen and then a series of beautiful and emotive black and white drawings over which the ML character Jan Wen says, “I dreamt that dream again. In that dream, all of humanity had disappeared except for me and Oreo.”

Oreo is a Border Collie dog that has been locked up in a small cage by its owner. Oreo's predicament is highly symbolic. Jan Wen does not have the words to describe his feelings but through videoing Oreo’s caged life he can, they are two different creatures but are living ‘parallel’ lives … in the mind of Jan Wen, all of humanity has disappeared except for himself and Oreo.

That Oreo is a Border Collie adds to the symbolism. Border Collies are highly intelligent dogs, probably the smartest dog breed out there. It was bred for an active outdoor life of herding and is a high energy dog of purpose and drive. Cage a dog like that ... limit where it can go ... limit what it can do ... it will go crazy, it will lose its sense of purpose and identity. Oreo has been in that small cage for such a long time. When it was set free it didn’t know what to do, it was reluctant to leave ... why? Because it had no idea what to do outside of the cage ... it had been disconnected too long from its instinctual behaviour and drivers. Oreo left only to be either caught again or go voluntarily went back to that horribly small cage.

Oreo’s situation is so similar to humans ... intelligent beings that need purpose ... cage them and they can go crazy ... limit what they can do ... where they can go ... and they can go crazy, lose their sense of purpose and identity. Set them free and most will either go back to the cage they came from or make a new cage to go into. Jan Wen is no different. Jan Wen wanted to escape from the cage his separated parents put him in and write stories with his friend Axing. When both of his parent wanted him to go overseas ... in one way an opportunity of freedom ... he doesn’t want to go and is desperate to stay. So creates his own cage by shooting people with an air pistol ... and is sent to another cage ... prison. His life parallels the life of Orea the border collie.

Everyone is in some kind of cage to one degree or another … be it physical, psychological or both. Individuals trapped by their families, trapped by location, trapped in addiction, trapped by poverty, trapped by violence, trapped by gaming and virtual worlds that give players a greater sense of control, a greater sense of value that they lack in real life. Even the robot vacuum cleaner is trapped … even it cannot do what it was made to do.

Chapter 2 - Goddamned Asura … the aftermath of the shooting. We see how all the characters are connected to each other and the effect their actions have on each other and how that fuels their future action. Powerful stuff … talk about degrees of separation.

Jan Wen is in prison but he doesn’t want to be imprisoned for life like a dog … he wants to die. His best mate Axing, who has an unrequited love for Jan Wen, is totally distraught with Jan Wen’s situation … he is deeply struggling to understand how this all came to be, he wants him out of prison. He thinks if he had of gone with Jan Wen then none of this would have happened. Axing’s “IF” is an “IF” that all the key players are thinking … if I had of … but Jan Wen tells Axing, “Don’t you know me? That day I just reached a critical point. I couldn’t take it anymore. I forgot how it started. However, I felt that it was the first time I gained control of myself … If I hadn’t done it [inadvertently killed Sheng] would things have been very different?” Such a profound questions ... that gets answered later on in the movie.

Everyone has a critical point … most don’t do what Jan Wen did, some do, most don’t as they numb themselves out before hand with alcohol, drugs, sex, games, bullying etc ... theirs is a kind of 'delayed' self destruction ... but even that has knock on effects to those around them. Jan Wen does not want this kind of delayed destruction, he just wants to die and Axing takes extreme measures to help him and to help himself understand Jan Wen.

Chapter 3 Bridge to Hades. WOW … just the smallest of things … the flutter of butterfly wings … can literally change a person’s life … this chapter is like a kind of “Ground Hog Day” … we go back in time to when Jan Wen, packing his pistol, walks down the stairs to go to the market place. One his way down the stairs he sees the robot vacuum cleaner … it was stuck before but it now manages to get itself unstuck and starts to vacuum up new places. At the same time, different place, Lin Lin’s drunken mother gets a pain in her ear and doesn’t throw the bottle at Lin Lin. These two changes in the lives of Jan Wen and Lin Lin have a domino effect on everything else causing a surprising change of events.

Sheng got to send the message to his girlfriend who came to see him in the marketplace … ironically their conversation ended with her hoping he got carved up by a nutter.

Jan Wen posts about Oreo who cannot escape from the cage, how he is 18 and fed up and that something needs to be done … and who comes walking by … Oreo. Jan Wen then sees “Zero” aka Lin Lin walking on the other side of the street … he calls out to her and she comes over and the reminisce about their days back in school.

After talking with Jan Wen, Lin Lin catches up with the reporter Mold and talks about the rage she feels about her poverty stricken life. Mold mentions his mother who was beaten up by her husband and died in jail. She had reached her critical point and nearly killed her husband … did the father go to prison for his constant assault on his mother … idk .. probably not. In just a few minutes of conversation the utter unfairness of life is laid out bare. Mold says that anyone could become Asura by chance … and so it was.

At the end of the day instead of ending up in prison, Jan Wen ends up in Axing’s tent … a changed man. He had made up his mind to be himself, not to go abroad, not to depend on his father, and retake the exam again so he can go to the same college as Axing … he might fail again but he will give it a go… a whole load of options Jan Wen couldn’t even conceive of under the previous circumstances of chapter 1 and 2.

Talk about the insane effect the vagaries of life can have. The smallest of changes - a robot vacuum cleaner getting unstuck … a bottle not thrown - can make such a significant difference … but it is not necessarily all for the good … sometimes it is enough to prevent a person from reaching their critical point … but for others it tips them over the edge.

For example, Lin Lin says to Jan Wen, “since you showed up, a lot of shitty things in my life have seemed to disappeared. So I want to thank you. You’re my angel”.

As for Axing … well his angel was Jan Wen whom he loved (unrequittingly) … after hearing Jan Wen and Lin Lin have sex and their post sex conversation … he sees his critical point so he goes off with the gun. He gets busted for shooting female mannequins through shop windows … Jan Wen gets busted because it is his gun; Lin Lin gets killed by Shining because she won’t give him back his money and Mold gets a flogging for the articles he posted. My god what a turn around … doesn’t matter what you do there is suffering one way or another. I am not a fan of any religion but I have to say Jesus Christ saying “the rain falls on the just and unjust” … and the Buddha saying “all life is suffering” comes to mind.

Is that the end … no … because it was all part of Raging Zero comic which Axing finally finished 🤣 … BUT I am sure that this all went down in some other parallel universe.

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threading on the fine line between heros and villains.

story: the first half of the story was really messy tbvh. i still haven't figured out what importance did the reporter's role had seeing the ml says "i can't do this without u". the 2nd half however was comparatively good. there were a lot of “how's” tho, like how'd the bombs get where they did cuz he was working alone (ik he has an 170 IQ but still) why sound-triggered bombs? etc etc. action scenes were okay-ish could've been better. overall story isn't that astonishing but more emotional due to the brothers. i know it's weird but if lives weren't cost, if sympathize with the villain too.

acting: very well performed by the actors esp LJS & CEW. you can feel their pain, LJS’ desperation, anger and agony thru the screen. a lot of people say eunwoo cannot act but I'd say he acts really really well he's just stereotyped into the "idols cannot be good actors" belief, he even proves his versatility in this one. and Lee Jongsuk as a villain is *chefs kiss*. their roles really carried.

music: not too special, infact not even noticeable till the ending credits.

rewatch: I'd mostly not rewatch, if i did I'd directly skip to the 2nd half.

overall: nothing special, carried by the actors I'd leave it halfway if it wasn't for them.

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A Funny, Charming, and Altogether Delightful Little Movie

The movie is about 5 men who'd been friends since they were 10 years old, and parted ways for 3 years after high school, only to reunite after one friend (who'd joined the yakuza), went on the run from his boss and needs help. The yakazu boss is played by Yoshida Kotaro (many will recognize him as the older man from Ossan's Love), who puts in a comically flamboyant performance while sporting a floral patterned suite, fedora hat, and cane.

Since none of the childhood friends, now in their 20's, has any gainful employment or direction they all readily agree when one says, "Let's go back to being the idiots we were during the best times of our lives!" This effectively translates to: "Let's help our pal who's on the run because the yakuza thinks he stole 300 million yen by finding the thief who truly stole it." There are multiple plot points intertwined with this as it comes to light who truly did steal the money, as well as how and why they did it.

None of this, however, really matters. Because the actual point of this movie is to watch the gang of pals displaying their hilarious comradery as they try to outrun the bad guys. In other words, it's a bromance. Only instead of a bromance between 2 men, it's between 5 men. We see them backslapping as they trade the same inside jokes they'd been trading since they were little kids.

For instance, one of them fell in love with a prostitute when he was 10 and asked her to marry him, causing his buddies to tease him about still wanting to honor his promise to her. Another has been having dreams since he was 10 which accurately predict the future -- so much so that the other guys ask, "Wait, did you see such-and-such happen in your dream last night? No? Ok, then we'll be fine." Then, son of a bitch, they truly will be fine. It's a bit of silly, supernatural fun among the movie's many such sparks of originality. There are also some tender scenes of them uplifting one another when feeling down mixed in with the overall comedic tone.

The cast was clearly having loads of fun playing their parts in such an agreeable, charming little romp. I could tell that their laughing in many scenes was not acting, but them genuinely cracking up at what they were doing in that particular scene. The feeling was infectious, meaning the viewer ends up smiling or laughing as well.

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"The road ahead is more important"

Kurosawa filmed The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail in 1945 but due to Japanese and American censors the film wasn't released until 1952. Based on a Kabuki play which was based on a Noh play which was based on a famous legendary event in 1185, the film retained the look and feel of a play. The event involved a famous samurai and his six loyal retainers attempting to seek refuge far away from his murderously paranoid brother.

The story retells the tale of Yoshitsune who helped his brother defeat his enemies and become Shogun. Despite all his help, Yoritomo, like any loving brother would, decided Yoshitsune was a threat and ordered his "capture". Yoshitsune escapes with six loyal retainers, including the fierce monk samurai Benkei. As they travel through the woods dressed as monks, the audience is treated to a chatty, unhinged porter who informs them that the check point guards are looking for samurai disguised as monks. Some unlucky monks were cut down recently at the checkpoint---so much for capture being the goal. Yoshitsune disguises himself as a porter, but having never carried his own equipment, is shaky with handling the load. When they arrive at the barrier, Benkei works for their release by appealing to the magistrate, Togashi. Eventually, after several close calls, Togashi allows them to pass. As long as you don't read the next chapter in history, it's a happy ending!

One of the reasons that the Japanese failed to list Kurosawa's film officially, which caused the occupying forces to ban it, was that certain censors felt like Kurosawa had treated the revered samurai too lightheartedly, especially with the addition of the comical porter. The porter who mugged for the camera when he wasn't bouncing around was annoying. He was a prescient combination of the jester in Ran and Mifune Toshiro's deranged samurai in Seven Samurai/Rashomon. Whether he was comic relief or an avatar for the audience, I could have used less of him onscreen.

The main character in this film was not Yoshitsune, but rather Benkei, at least when the porter wasn't laughing maniacally and stealing focus. The monk did most of the planning and when confronted with the opposing forces at the border pleaded their case to Togashi. This included a 3 ½-minute reading of a Buddhist "proclamation" which felt twice that long. When Togashi sent the "monks" food and drink afterwards as an apology, there was an 8-minute drinking, dancing, singing segment. There were several singing segments, the film was much like a musical play.

Aside from Benkei, Togashi was the other compelling character. The way he was played it appeared he knew the monks were Yoshitsune and his men and purposefully let them go much to the consternation of his underling. When he sent the drinks, which Benkei took very seriously and ceremoniously, it caused me to wonder if Togashi would have to forfeit his life when it was discovered Yoshitsune had eluded him and Benkei was aware of that sacrifice as well.

As I mentioned, the film felt theatrical and simple. Maybe Kurosawa was filming on a wartime budget which might have accounted for the short running time. There were very few settings, only indoor sets with painted backdrops and fake trees. With the exception of opening fog, his signature wind was missing. Unlike Kurosawa's wider shots from later films with action going on in three layers, most shots were narrowly focused in small frames. This film felt lacking in energy and urgency, especially for men on the run with the enemy lurking about. Instead of his fluid shots with action carrying the story forward, even if it was just the weather giving movement, much of this film showed men squatting or manspreading or simply standing around. For a Kurosawa film it felt strangely static.

As a brief lesson in Japanese history, it was interesting to learn a little bit about this famous samurai. What came after this story was even more fascinating to me. A few years later, to give his lord time to commit seppuku when they were betrayed and surrounded, Benkei guarded the way in, taking so many arrows he died standing up. Such was the nature of his reputation that the opposing side waited before checking to see if he was alive. While most foreign audiences wouldn't have known this story didn't ultimately have a happy ending, reading more about it did give what appeared on stage more depth to me.

I found the porter grating instead of humorous, although in the end he did show his loyalty and use. Benkei proved to be fast on his feet when it came to crossing words with the enemy. And the enemy turned out to understand that murdering one's own brother might not be the best way to instill trust in people. The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail was fairly entertaining and a nostalgic look back at Kurosawa's fourth film. How well you enjoy it may depend on how well you enjoy the porter's antics and dialogue interspersed with song.

7/10/23

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Contrary to popular opinion, I thought this was actually a great length for this story. A lot of people have said they wish it was longer but let's keep in mind that when BLs are longer, it's not because of the content we like to see but the more frustrating stuff that I personally can't stand. I wouldn't want to drag out the misunderstandings or the horrible treatment of Light. This movie gave enough to show that it happened, why it happened and a swift and reasonable resolution.

The actors were good in their roles though nothing really stood out to me as far as outstanding or overly bad. They were pretty average though that's not meant as a negative thing.

I liked the change of pace from the lighter, fluffy BLs and was glad to still receive a happy ending after such a dark, more mature plot. To me, it makes the happy ending more worthwhile and meaningful.

I would definitely rewatch this and look forward to doing so again and again.

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