New realms of weird comedy - Dasepo Naughty Girls

Picture this: a man comes into a board meeting, pitching his idea for a movie. "Hey," he says, "I have a good one for you. How about we do a high school film, but not anything like what has come out before. How about we mix Porky's with The Story of O, and The Faculty?" "Genius!!!" They cry, instantly giving the man a promotion, a key to the executive washroom and employee of the month parking privileges. Unfortunately, the ivory tower that serves as the creative launching pad for today's films is bankrupt of ideas and any sort of originality. Dasepo Naughty Girls is a film that can only be made in Korea, a hodge podge mixture of teen melodrama, erotic comedy, a couple of musical numbers, and weird sci fi. Quentin Tarantino couldn't possibly come up with something this insane, though the gimp scene in Pulp Fiction comes remotely close. Imagine if you will a school filled with dysfunctional high school students -- and teachers! The opening scene, a teacher announcing that one of his fellow teachers has been tested positive for a STD, causes a near panic among the students, as they all apparently have been sleeping with one another, a domino effect that clears out the class as they all go to the doctor's to get checked. Yikes! We follow a cast of students -- a girl who likes with her invalid mom, near broke and having to sell herself to make money; her classmate, a sexually aware hottie who is foul mouthed and has undiscovered talent for acting; a male classmate who happens to be a cyclops; his sister, who happens to be a boy or a hermaphrodite (we never really know for sure); a gangster who loves to dress in drag; a teacher who gets off by being punished in front of his students (with many of the students all too willing to apply punishment); a headmaster who is not what he seems to be (human that is); and a pair of Hardy Boy like students who set out to discover why some of the more notorious classmates are suddenly studying all the time. This almost two hour film tests the limits of one's patience by throwing you so many curve balls with its outrageousness. Suffice it to say that while the teen actors and actresses really give it their all, and the high production values, this film is a train wreck. Sure, there is a big finale, as the students band together to defeat the evil headmaster in a crazier version than the famous Buffy the Vampire Slayer season finale -- yin yang anyone? But the bonding is superficial and let's face it, this has been done much better. Sex is Zero, for instance, which was more outrageous, but it had a plot. Apparently this fim was targeted for an adult audience in Korea; however, and this may be a cultural thing, I fail to see how a movie like this would succeed in its target audience. The satirical punches misses its marks.

Gate of Youth - obscure Fukasaku Kinji 80's film

Gate of Youth is an 1982 film about a coal mining family whose lives are turned upside down when the father, played by Sugawara Bunta, dies while attempting to rescue a group of fellow Korean miners in the caves. It is also about Shisuke Ibuki (played by Koichi Sato), the son who grows up in the mining town, and moves to the city with his ill mother to work and go to school. His coming of age takes up the second half of the film. Fukasaku shares directing credits with his assistant, Koreyoshi Kurahara, which explains the split in mood and story. The first hour is typical Fukasaku - violent, kinetic, with Sugawara prominent as the man who wins his wife over the mining boss, has a son, and fights to have better working conditions for every one living in the town, which is a shanty town. The boss is played by Tomasiburo Wakayama (best known for his Lone Wolf and Cub movies), who is a stern but not an evil man, who later aids Shishuke and his mom after the father dies. His mom eventually falls ill, and they move out of town and to the city, where she is treated and he goes to school, He falls in love with baseball and a young woman who is a music teacher, but goes back to the mining town to visit his childhood friend, Orie (Karou Sugita), a girl who always had feelings for him. Orie goes to the city as well, after her mother's death, to become a hostess at a club. His mother eventually succumbs to consumption, the boss goes into hiding after a yakuza attack, and Shishuke rides off into the sunset on the boss' Harley Davidson.

The time frame takes place from the 30s through the 50s, and while events like WWII have an impact on the story, it is not so much about life during that time as it is about people surviving extremely harsh conditions, working like dogs in the mines and living like paupers. Shishuke and his mom rise above this because of the father's actions; they gain respect from the other villagers, and from the Koreans, who were treated even worse than the others, and when the war ended they all fled the mining town. Orie is Shishuke's link to home, but when she moves, she has to sell herself to make money, and she knows that he can not go back, to her or home. She can only allow him to couple with her, a final gesture to their past. Overall, this is an unusually long and drawn out tale that will demand the attention of the viewer, and I'm not sure if the viewer will be willing to put forth the effort. The scenes in the minng town are fine, the story well told and loaded with tension, but when it shifts to the city, the wheels come off the story, and we plod along from one scene to another, with minimal development, although the years fly by. It's interesting to note that Fukaskau directed shortly after The Fall Guy, a magnificent look at the film industry at that time. This is a lesser effort. I'm wondering if the suits in charge meddled with it. Recommended to Fukasaku completists only.

Pandora's Box

A recent December release by Criterion, Pandora's Box gets my vote as one of the best reissues of 2006. I have loved this movie since I first saw it in a German Expressionist film class I took back in college in the early 90's. I owned the Kino VHS release, which was considered definitive at the time, then sold it when I converted most of my collection to dvd, expecting it to be released any time. Well, it took 10 years, but it's here, looking better than ever, with a wealth of extras. A late masterpiece of silent cinema, this film, released in 1929, was directed by G.W. Pabst, considered the greatest German director of his time (other notable films: The Threepenny Opera, and Joyless Street, starring the then unknown Greta Garbo). It stars Louise Brooks, an unknown American actress who plays Lulu, a showgirl whose sexual magnetism draws men to their destruction, while maintaining a naive innocence about herself that is sympathetic and tragic. Lulu is having an affair with Dr. Schoen, who is engaged to a woman of his own class. Her father, a vagabond who syphons money from her to continue his gambling addict, comes unexpectedly to visit, and he brings a man (who is waiting outside) to her attention. He works in show business, and he offers her a position as a glamorous showgirl, and she accepts. Dr. Schoen is not pleased, and decides he must marry her to keep her. She accepts, but the wedding is a sham, as her conduct with other men drives him insanely jealous. Confronting one of her rivals with a gun, Lulu intercedes, and in despair, Dr. Schoen forces Lulu to shoot him. Dying, Lulu runs away with the rival. There is a warrent for her arrest, and the two, along with her father, live as fugitives. Meanwhile, Jack the Ripper is terrorizing the city with his murders. He meets Lulu on the street -- Lulu offers herself to him, her body the only means to make some money for them to survive. Her lover has degenerated to a shell of a man, her father not good for anything other than gambling. Even though Jack has no money, she takes to him, and leads him to her bed. After being torn between salvation and damnnation, Jack opts for the latter as his insane need to kill takes over, and he slays Lulu. The lover and the father are left out in the rain, only to discover the crime later and manage to pursue and capture the killer.

The plot was unlike anything during the 1920's -- the sexuality and violence brought forth to the forefront, even though there was no nudity nor gore shown. Louise Brooks has a career defining role as Lulu, one of the immortal roles of film actually. Her look and haircut define the times, and her look is still copied today. The film has never looked better - Criterion has doen another top notch job of restoration. They make the unusual offering of four different soundtracks -- I watched it with the most recent orchestration, and it works perfectly with the film. There is also a thick booklet with interviews and an article written by Louise Brooks, as well as a bonus disc featuring interviews and several documentaries about the film and its influence, and about Brooks. One of the classics of cinema and a mandatory purchase for film enthusiasts. Highly recommended!

Award winning weepie - Kura

Released in 1995, Kura is a powerful story of a woman who, while slowly losing her sight, fights to continue to run the family business, a sake brewery. Sae Isshiki, in an award winning performance, plays Retsu, the daughter of a hard headed but well meaning man who has managed a successful business of brewing sake. The proceess is shown in some detail, from the sterilizing of the wooden tubs to the fermenting of the rice, to the chilling of the tubs snow to maintain temperature control. It is run by several dozen men who are all experts in sake manufacturing. Retsu's mother dies while she was young, leaving her aunt to take care of her, while her father kept things going. Retsu's failing vision prevents her from going to school, mostly because of her own fears of inadequacy, and so she is home schooled. Retsu would like to learn the business, but her father refuses, giving the excuse that women are "impure" -- sake being a spiritually pure substance. Her father remarries, a young inexperienced geisha with a silly laugh. They have a son, which pleases him to no end, as his family line can now continue. But Retsu and her aunt feel like they are being pushed aside. The son dies in a terrible accident at home, devestating the father. And on top of everything else, the business is not doing so well -- it is the 1930's, and the war has its effect on business. Retsu is determined to make something of herself, having spent much of her lifetime being told that she can't do this or that, because of her condition and her sex. She rounds up the best saki making people she can find, some former workers who had moved on and some who were considered the best in the business. One of the men was a childhood friend of Retsu, who has now grown to be a handsome young man. As production begins Retsu moves closer and closer to total blindness. They make some of the best sake that any of them has ever tasted. Retsu goes blind as the business shuts down for the season, and in a dramatic finale, she stumbles across the forest to a sea town where the young man lives. She almost dies in the blizzard on the way, but is saved by her mother's spirit. She is brought to his place and she declares her love to him, but he is afraid to reciprocate -- they are from different classes, and he did not want to incur her father's wrath. But Retsu's father has come around to seeing things -- after his second wife's separation, he has become humbled by life's agonies, and wants only for his daughter to be happy, and gives his consent. The film abruptly ends with the father and the aunt declaring to live the rest of their lives together at a small farm.

Kura was nominated for eleven Japanese Academy Awards, winning three - best actress, best newcomer, and best producer. I think the slight wishy washy resolution of the film -- which becomes focused on Retsu's struggle to survive in the forest, to win her man's love (even though he barely appears in most of the film) might have prevented from it winning more awards. The acting is superb, and you feel for her and her family as they encounter one setback after another. And at its best, Kura has qualities not unlike a film made by Ozu -- a story about family, and the dynamics that propel the story. A very good film and recommended!

Two films starring Okawa Hashizo

Okay, after a holiday pause, let's get down to some reviews. I was looking for background information regarding the actor Okawa Hashizo -- I was surprised not to find a thing! Despite being a huge film star in Japan from the 50's on up, and being a cult favorite among the samurai fans here in the States, there is little if anything online that would be revealing. He starred in the longest running tv series, Zenigata Heiji, and starring in the popular Shingo's Challenge movies. Hashizo was a rising star in the 50's, for Toei, and became a popular actor. In the 60's he became the featured actor, and in two early 60's films, The Paper Crane and Pirates, we see examples of his role as an action star, as well as the period films typical of that time. Neither are cinematic classics, but are entertaining and watchable. The Paper Crane has Hashizo starring as Hantaro, a wandering yakuza who comes to the aid of a blind woman and her father, who were being accosted by bandits. They in turn pay for his ride across the river, as he has no money, and the blind woman , impressed by his manners, thinks him to be a nobleman. She is going to the city to get an operation which may restore her vision. She gets the operation, and the family runs into trouble with some con artists. Hashizo, staying in the same town, finds out about their situation and comes in to save the day, rescuing the woman from abduction. She recovers her sight, and discovers that her assumptions were all wrong. Hashizo leaves without her seeing him, because he realizes that romance could never happen between them -- she is of a noble family, he a vagrant. The movie ends with him walking out of town, to begin another adventure. It is a typical paint-by-numbers plot that is done dutifully by all involved. Nothing special.

Pirates is a rip roaring sea adventure. This time Hashizo plays a shipwreck survivor who is rescued by a group of sailors on a bahansen (pirate) ship. Not all pirate ships were evil; this was during a period in Japan's history where the mainland was being torn apart by wars. There were those who lived on the coast or islands who chose to separate themselves from all that, and did trade or other activities under a different banner, the Hachiman. The men who saved him were from Sakai, and one of the men knew Hashizo's father, who was a great sea captain. Hashizo is not overwhelmed by their warm reception or hospitality that they receive when they return to Sakai -- his concern is for his sister, who was kidnapped by the pirates who wrecked their ship. They agree to help him, as well as train him to follow in his father's footsteps. Intrigue is supplied by a female shipmate who at first hates then falls in love with Hashizo; she is a tomboy who has skills equal to any of the men, and the exception to the rule that no women can be on the ships. They set out to sea, and during their travels they come across remnants of the renegade pirates' actions -- a pillage seaport, an island of inhabitants who were decimated by them, and even being attacked by them in the high seas. Revenge is served as Hashizo and his fellow Sakai men confront them in a terrific sea battle, with lots of swordplay and cannon fire. His sister is rescued, and he wins the hand of the tomboy. A fine pulp fiction swashbuckler that while thin on plot, makes up for it with a fast pace and lots of action. Recommended!

Stranger than Fiction

Stranger than Fiction is a real sleeper; a Hollywood film that shows a bit of imagination, wit and intelligence. Will Farrell stars as Harold Crick, an IRS employee who lives a rigid, spartan bachelor life with no prospects of moving up or down, he is just a reliable, hardworking man with no outside activities. His world is turned upside down when one day he hears a female voice (Emma Thompson) who accurately describes what he is doing as he is doing it. She knows how he feels and what he is thinking, and he hears it all. Realizing that only he can hear her, he goes to see the company shrink, who tells him to take a vacation. But work is still his life, and Crick has been auditing Ana Pascal (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal) who runs a bakery. Ana takes an immediate dislike to Crick, him being a tax man -- she deliberately withheld payment because of her objection to government funded projects -- military or otherwise. Crick is attracted to her but plods along with his work. The voice is still present -- driving him to start doing things that are out of his routine. In another part of the city, Kay Eiffel, a renowned British fictional author, is having writer's block. In all her books, her main characters die at the end, and she is having trouble figuring out how to off her newest character -- a man named Harold Crick. Her publisher sends an assistant to help her finish the book on time, named Penny Escher (Queen Latifah). Penny is a no nonsense woman with a successful record of helping complete a number of author's works. Kay dislikes her, because she sees Penny as an intrusion on her creative process. She tries to imagine all sorts of horrible accidents. Kay can only go so far as to type "little did he know that his demise was near". Crick hears this and panics. He goes to another psychologist, only to be diagnosed as a schizophrenic. However, because of his description of the kind of voice that he is hearing -- literate, British accent -- the doctor offhandedly suggests that he consult a literary professor. Enter Jules Hilbert (played by Dustin Hoffman), a professor at a local university who listens to Crick in bemusement. He dismisses him as a nut, until Crick tells him the "little did he know" statement. That intrigues him -- Hilbert has done a course and a lecture on just those very words as a subject. So he agrees to help him. A funny sequence of deduction and detection follow, with Hilbert running through the entire literary gamut of subject matter, to try to determine who the person - the living author might be. He also tells Crick to start living his life the way he wants to -- follow his dreams. Crick buys a guitar, and woos Ana. And, he succeeds. While Hilbert is deducing, Crick sees on the television an old Book Talk cable show featuring Kay, and he is stunned to find out that she is the one. Crick finds her -- not an easy task, since she is a recluse -- by going through the tax records, and Kay is shocked to see that her fictional character is a real life man. To his dismay he finds out that Kay has broken through her block and came up with a brilliant ending to the book -- where he has to die. Hilbert reads the manuscript, and later Crick himself, and they both agree. The following morning, Kay types the ending and Crick goes to work, where he is involved in an accident at the bus stop. But instead of being pronounced dead, he is still alive, and taken to the hospital. Kay goes to Hilbert (presumably referred by Crick), and show him her revised ending. Hilbert finds it okay, but not as good as the original. She knows, and realizes that some stories need to have a happy ending. Ana finds Crick in the hospital, and the movie ends with them in each other's arms.

Blood Rain - Thrilling Revenge in 19th c Korea

Blood Rain is a crime movie, transposed to early 19th century Korea, that follows in the tradition of the modern thrillers, like Seven, in plot and execution. While there are moments of extreme violence, it is a well plotted mystery. It takes place in a village on a small island that has a paper mill -- its only source of production and income, and famed for its high quality paper. They make tributes twice a year, and because their product is in demand the village is a thriving community. The movie opens with what seems like a standard horror scene -- a woman is floating underwater, drowned, with a brief flashback to the moments before her death -- being chased through the woods by several men, before coming to a stop at the edge of a cliff, and falling into the water below.

The movie then begins proper with a loading of a ship with paper -- a man carrying one of the boxes slips and falls into the water, upsetting but not damaging a box. He is reprimanded. Later, a village ceremony that turns sour when the priestess is suddenly possessed by Kang, who, along with his family, was brutally executed seven years before for practicing Catholicism. He claims that the time for vengeance is near, and that those involved will suffer the same fate as his family, and that the village will rain in his blood as a result of his curse. The ship with the paper is set on fire, and it causes great stress because it contains the biannual tribute to the government. Shortly thereafter, people start dying, as per the curse. A man is impaled, and another is suffocated. Won-gyu (played by Cha Seung-won), a government official, is sent to investigate. He links the victims as informers who helped convict Kang, who was the original owner of the mill. Following the trail of who would benefit from his death, Won-gyu uncovers a seedy past amongst some of the villagers, and discovers that his own father had a role in the man's death. As the body count rises, the villagers become increasingly agitated, and Won-gyu is pressured into finding the killer. He discovers that the daughter of the mill owner had not been executed, someone else had taken her place. She received the attentions of a local official, who was distraught when the others discovered that she was still alive, and killed her on the edge of the cliff. Won-gyu realizes that the paper mill itself is a target, as well as the remaining informer. He saves them both in an exciting climatic scene at the paper mill, where he confronts the local official, and kill him. However, the villagers, wanting to end the curse, execute the informer as he is being lead to custody by Won-gyu. The clouds darken and it indeeds rain blood, causing many of the villagers to panic, kill themselves, or flee. The film ends with Won-gyu returning to the mainland, burying the last bit of evidence by dropping it into the ocean.

An intense thriller, Blood Rain's unique take lies in the historical setting. It is beautifully shot, and while the entire story takes place in a single village on an isolated island, you get the feel of a unique culture and community that is centered on paper production. We may have seen the investigation part done many times in other films, but it is still compelling, because of the strong cast and intelligent plot. Again, I do compare it to Seven because of the violence -- the flashback to Kang's public execution by drawn and quartering is brutal and hard to watch. One curious note -- in the Korean film review site, the reviewer notes of the chickens that are killed towards the end of the film, as a means to ward off the vengeful demon, and it is indeed unexpected and unnecessarily graphic. But it is an odd moment in a very good movie. Recommended.

Who's Got the Tape?

Who's Got the Tape? is a silly, funny and entertaining film about three low level gangsters who in trying to make easy money get in way over their heads. Yoo Dong-geun plays Tae-sik, who comes across a video tape with his two buddies, Bonehead (Lee Moon-sik) and Fencer (Choi Ryung), that shows an illegal transaction between a corporate president and a crooked politician. He knows that this with lead to a rich payoff if given to the right people. They blackmail the official for its return. But while visiting his girlfriend, who runs a video rental store, he accidentally leaves it behind, and it is stolen by Dong-moo (Lee Sung-jin), thinking it was a dirty movie. But he loses it when his brother, who happens to be a district attourney, takes it along with a pile of other tapes to his office. Tae-sik and and the others find Dong-moo and try to intimidate him to give them the tape by pretending to be undercover cops. When Tae-sik realizes that Dong-moo does not know where the tape is, he and the others take the boy and roam throughout the city, falling into one situation after another, in search for the tape. During the search Tae-sik and Dong-moo form a bond -- Tae-sik being the kind of man of action that Dong-moo has always dreamed about, especially when it comes to women. Dong-moo has a crush on a girl who works at a convenience store, but she has a boyfriend, who intimidates him. Tae-sik's girlfriend, an ex-stripper before going into the video rental business, wants to marry him, but he is not willing to commit. Plus, he is a low life gangster with no future. During their search, Tae-sik actually has to pretend to be a police detective, first coming across a murder scene, then helping out another detective. Because of his crooked background, his insights on the crime scenes cause the other policemen to admire him. Finally, he helps Dong-moo, who becomes involved in a hostage situation, originally meant to be a staged robbery where Dong-moo would win the convenience girl's heart by acting manly and saving her. Instead, a real crook comes to rob the store. Tae-sik apprehends the man in front of a huge crowd of police and civilians, and is seen as a hero. But the video tape is still missing! Dong-moo finds the video tape at his brother's office, and brings it to the others. They all celebrate, and dream of the riches that will come their way. They meet the official in a warehouse, and give them the tape. Instead of giving them money, the official unleashes a gang of thugs against them, resulting in a huge battle royale where Bonehead and Fencer are almost left for dead. But Tae-sik manages to escape, and stumbles across a group of officers. He organizes a cavalry, and a huge battle ensues in the warehouse, and all the criminals are captured. The movie ends with Tae-sik marrying his girlfriend and Dong-moo finally getting the girl.

The film blends action, pseudo machismo, and slapstick perfectly, into an enjoyable two hour mismash. Sure, like most Korean films, it could have been trimmed down by fifteen minutes -- there are a few scenes that could have been left on the cutting room floor, like Tae-sik going out to the countryside to bring his girlfriend back to the city. It explains little, and slows the movie down, but the chemistry between the four main leads are what sells this film. Yoo Dong-geun is just great, and Lee Moon-sik and Choi Ryung are a great pair, providing most of the laughs. Mi-ryeung Cho makes the most of her role as the girlfriend -- really, except for her and Dong-moo's love interest, there are no other women in the film. The action scenes are well done -- they remind me of the insane fights from the classic Nowhere to Run. Who's Got the Tape? is a watchable delight, a fun comedy from 2004. Rent it!

Three Yakuza

Three Yakuza is a surprisingly good anthology, a film with three unique and genre bending tales of men who live a drifter's life. The first tale stars Nakadai Tatsuya as a yakuza on the run, having killed two officials to avenge the death of his gang's boss. While on the run he encounters a man who appears to be a one eyed bandit on the road. Instead of starting a fight, Nakadai introduces himself, and gives him some money. While walking in the forest, amid the wind and darkness, he hears footsteps behind him. It is the bandit, and he attacks him, but is quickly killed by Nakadai's swift swordplay. He finds a village, and introduces himself to a man who works for the local gang. His reputation proceeds himself, and despite Nakadai's situation, the gang boss takes him in. A gang member staggers back into town, and dies from his wounds. Before he dies he brings word of an impending attack. Nakadai is asked to help out in return for their hospitality. There is a disturbance in the brothel as well, as a prostitute is wielding a knife and warding off the others from coming hear her. She is grieving for her love, who was a one night stand and had promised to buy her freedom. Nakadai subdues her and she is tossed into the basement, with Nakadai as her guard. He finds out that her love was the one eyed bandit whom he killed, and taken by her beauty and goodness, tells her so. She grieves, but has fallen in love with Nakadai. Meanwhile, the boss, in a conversation with a local official, sells Nakadai out in order to gain protection. The one eyed bandit's brother steals into the basement, intent on revenge, but Nakadai subdues him. He drags him outside, into a closet, and tells him he wants to make amends, and when the gang is away, to take her away to safety. Nakadai goes with the gang, into the forest, to battle, but a trap is set: Nakadai has double crossed them, surrendering to the officials, who are there to arrest everyone. However, Nakadai is himself killed during the scuffle.

The second tale is about two gamblers on the run: Matsukata Hiroki and Shimura Takashi, who flee in a snowstorm, and take refuge in a house in the woods. There is no one home, so they start a fire and cook some food. Later, a woman (Fuji Junko) arrives -- it is her place, and she is terrified by the two strangers. Shimura recognizes her name, and tells her a story of a man who would come by this house to see her and her mother, pointing out the wooden doll he made her. She remembers and welcomes them as guests. Her mother had died some time ago, and blamed her demise on her no good father, who had abandoned them. Shimura reveals himself to be her father; a tatoo on his arm reveals his past. Upset, she tossers them both out into the cold. Matsukata tell him not to run away from his past but to go to her, as she needs a father, even a no good gambler like himself. Shimura does, and Matsukata goes away, to face the pursuers who arrive and fight.....

The final tale stars superstar Nakamura Kinnosuke as a wandering yakuza who stumbles into a town, where, upon finding that he is a swordsman, treat him lavishly, offering shelter, food, and a beautiful woman. In fact, he is a yakuza in name only, as he holds dear to the code of a yakuza rather than living the life. Despite having a sword, he has never used it. To his dismay, he learns that the villagers' hospitality comes at a price: they want him to kill the official who comes to town every month to collect taxes. A dangerous swordsman and a cruel official, he taxes them ruthlessly to the point where they can no longer live. Nakamura has no choice but to accept. Despite his deception he is an honorable man - he refuses to touch the woman who stays with him that evening. She is attracted to his honesty and good soul. He steals away during the night, but is thwarted by a boy whom he had promised to go trapping with. The boy shows him his animal trap that he made in the woods. Nakamura decides to stay despite better judgement. In the morning, the official comes into town, and Nakamura meets him on the road. But watching the official's swordplay scares Nakamura, and he abandons any attempt to kill him. The villagers pounce on him, berating him, and they would have done more except another swordsman comes into town, and they pounce on him, lavishing the same attention and treatment as they did to Nakamura. Only the woman shows any compassion for him. The new swordsman agrees to the task, and with Nakamura following, confronts the official in the woods. To Nakamura's astonishment, the official buys him out, and the swordsman reveals that it was the village head that conspired this. The official runs back to town and arrests the leader. The boy happens to be the leader's son, and it is his grief that spurs Nakamura into action. In the forest he frees the villager by cutting the rope, and tries desperately to flee from the official's sword. They come near the boy's animal trap, and Nakamura manages to ensnare the official in it, killing him. Nakamura flees, leaving the villagers grateful and humbled by the appearance of this "goblin" who had been sent to test their faith. The woman searches for him in vain, but the ending is left open ended, as he tosses aside his yakuza gear and runs after her.

This is a gem of a movie. The stories are well told and smart, taking the conventions of the period tale and adding something new to it -- the final tale especially, as Nakamura was a well known star, playing roles of strong, daring warriors. Here he is a coward and a poor swordsman as well. The dvd I watched this on had decent quality, widescreen, however this deserves a Criterion treatment. How I miss Home Vision Cinema, a sister reissue program that disappeared last year! They would certainly reissue it. Fuji Junko shines as the daughter, looking quite different than the later Red Peony series that she became famous for. Shimura, the great actor from many Kurosawa films, is a welcome presence as well. I highly recommend this!