HIDEO GOSHA X3 Review: A Must-See Trio Of Thrilling, Poetic Chanbara And Yakuza Classics For Any Asian Film Fan
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This May will mark twenty years since the passing of actor Isao Natsuyagi, who made waves earlier in his career with Samurai Wolf in 1966 for Toei. Marking his debut lead role in his second screen credit – Hideo Gosha’s fifth feature after making his mark with titles like Three Outlaw Samurai and Sword Of The Beast, Natsuyagi takes center stage as a charismatic ronin who finds himself squarely in the middle of a feud between the employees of a local shipping and relay company run by blind owner Lady Chise (Junko Miyazono), and Nizaemon (Tatsuo Endo), a crime boss looking to take it over.
Things get even more intense when Nizaemon makes an attempt on the Wolf’s life. Sought by Chise to help oversee the transportation of 30,000 gold coins and with Nizaemon upping the ante by hiring a lone mercenary named Sanai (Ryohei Uchida), the Wolf reluctantly accepts the job, ultimately throwing him into a web of betrayal and violence, forcing him to draw his sword amidst a spur of the moment love triangle involving hidden identities, and agendas.
The second chapter continues the black-and-white formula and sees Natsuyagi back in the title role for Samurai Wolf 2: Hell Cut, in which after a wolf rescues a mad woman from a potential gang rape, is drawn to a prisoner convoy that includes a killer named Magobei (Ko Nishimura), who bears a striking resemblance to his father when he was a young boy. Faced with newfound romance and the bloodlust of a gang of ronin looking to avenge their men, and a stash of gold hidden somewhere in their trail, the Wolf’s final act will find him confronting his past in a way never expected.
Both films serve as stimulating back-to-back chanbara fanfare that provides ample introduction to folks who are new to Gosha’s work. Natsuyagi carries the role of the Wolf brilliantly from characterization in drama to his presentation in the films’ action sequences, bolstered at times by high-speed slow-motion sequences standing on an air of dead silence in a way that invokes the stoppage of time. Several of the more crucial death moments have an exciting element of suspense to them, followed by a few quick cuts between body movements, camera positioning and strikes, leaving you curious to rewatch the transitions shot by shot. It contributes to an interesting study of how action scenes were shot by some of the heyday greats.
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You get a little of the same and and then some in Gosha’s 1974 crime thriller, Violent Streets. Swapping swordplay, sandals and horseback with bullets, blades, bats and blunt force, it’s a classic story greed and gluttony when the botched ransoming of a beautiful television singer ensues a bodycount between two Yakuza clans. With a bag of a hundred-million yen missing and Egawa (Noboru Ando), a retiree resigned to quiet life in his Spanish-themed nightclub is pulled back in, lust, betrayal and deceit lie in wait as an all-out war ensues, and for all the footsoldiers involved, death is the only way out.
Set against the backdrop of a changing society, Gosha’s Violent Streets has virtually all the trimmings you could expect from a 70s Yakuza crime thriller: underworld skullduggery, sex, lies, betrayal and murder, the latter being the most essential to any story of its kind. Ando nails it as the stoic, cool, and collective Egawa whose story, while equally compelling and tragic, begs no pity from anyone. Even as an outsider, he has to grasp with still being used as a pawn in someone else’s game, which speaks in part to the larger narrative of the film, especially when it comes to some of the people who were once, and currently closest to him. The last shot of the film says everything you need to know about the film and its message, bookending another enthralling, bloody and consequential morality play headlined by a legendary cast, including Natsuyagi and genre favorite Bunta Sugawara both in supporting roles.
Fans easily pulled into Asian niche films in the last twenty years will take a liking to these three titles, accompanied by a pristine resolution and playback that compliments the packaging. You can learn more about these titles and more at the official Film Movement website.
Click here for our previous piece promoting the films’ limited theatrical engagements!
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