When a group of aimless ronin meet in the picturesque Japanese countryside, you can bet that things are about to get dicey. Tsukamoto’s period drama is a fine-tuned genre film, a tale of romantic destiny, and a provocative meditation on human values.
The late period of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Masterless ronin wander still-feudal Japan, which will soon undergo radical reform. Some become bandits, others hope that they may still be of use to the shogun. In a small village, an aging ronin named Sawamura comes across young Tsuzuki, who has been helping the farmers harvest rice while acting as their protector. Together, they decide to set out for the capital in order to serve their country once again. But don’t expect a classic costume drama from underground experimenter Tsukamoto. This story of two men seeking – at all costs – to earn honor in battle is not a Samurai legend but a captivating anti-Western in which true heroes kill without hesitation.
Nikola Paggio
80 min / Color, DCP
Director Shinya Tsukamoto
/ Screenplay Shinya Tsukamoto
/ Dir. of Photography Shinya Tsukamoto, Satoshi Hayashi
/ Music Chu Ishikawa
/ Editor Shinya Tsukamoto
/ Producer Shinya Tsukamoto
/ Production Kaijyu Theater
/ Cast Sosuke Ikematsu, Yu Aoi
/ Sales Nikkatsu Corporation
Shinya Tsukamoto (b. 1960, Tokyo). Selected filmography: Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989), Tokyo Fist (1995), Bullet Ballet (1998), Gemini (Sōseiji, 1999), A Snake of June (Rokugatsu no hebi, 2002), Vital (2004), Nightmare Detective (Akumu Tantei, 2006), Kotoko (2011), Fires on the Plain (Nobi, 2015), Killing (Zan, 2018)
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