JFF16 - Rurouni Kenshin

るろうに剣心 Keishi Otomo, 2012

Rurouni Kenshin is without a doubt, THE blockbuster of JFF16. The first screening in Sydney quickly sold out, with a second announced to meet demand. And wouldn’t you know it, the exact same thing happened in Melbourne. There is some serious buzz around this movie, most likely a combination of the fact that it was a huge smash hit in Japan and is also an adaptation of the Manga and Anime series. As usual, I had never read, seen or in this case even heard of the source material. So I went along to watch it just to see what all the fuss was about… And I’ve gotta say I have no problem whatsoever in dumping this one in the “Big, Boring Blockbuster” category, along with other 2012 entries The Dark Knight Rises and The Hunger Games (that’s right, come get me).

Himura Kenshin (Takeru Sato) is an assassin of legendary skill who leaves behind his violent ways upon the advent of Japan’s Meiji Era. Wandering the land as an itinerant samurai, Kenshin offers protection to Kaoru Kamiya (Emi Takei, who we last saw in Takashi Miike’s For Love’s Sake), a young girl whose Swordfighting Dojo is being threatened by a bunch of local bullies. Other characters then start turning up, including Megumi Takani (Yu Aoi) who has managed to escape evil villain Kanryu Takeda’s clutches and opium manufacturing operations. The underdeveloped and uninteresting characters come thick and fast; with Kenshin the quiet, softly spoken hero at the centre. I had to look up their names again, because they really weren’t interesting enough to remember. The main story however, is centred on Kenshin, who is haunted by the violence of his past, in the form of a big violent bad guy who is out to kill him for some reason.

Maybe if I had read the Manga or seen the Anime, I would understand the story better, or appreciate some of the inclusions of characters that otherwise felt completely unnecessary. But if this adaptation can’t stand on its own merit, then as far as I’m concerned, it’s a failure. Two or three characters in the supporting cast offered a few desperately needed laughs, and even received an uproarious applause from the sold out crowd, but I found the acting to be completely bland across the board. Takeru Sato was clearly cast for his good looks, as close ups of his handsome yet emotionless face and impossibly perfect skin are frequent. I found him completely unbelievable as a samurai, and he seemed to wander through the film dazed and confused, like he’d walked onto the wrong set. Teruyuki Kagawa as the cigar-smoking criminal mastermind is agonizingly bad, letting his lower jaw carry him through his scenes, and pretty much everyone else isn’t given enough screen time to actually do anything, thus resulting in a cast of pretty faces and not much else, in a film that takes itself way too seriously.

The fight scenes also failed to deliver for me. Some of the jumping and spinning around in was fun, particularly in the scene with Kenshin and the swaggering Street Fighter, but frenzied camerawork ensured that I tuned out almost completely until the fight ended. Although I quite enjoyed some of the dark, more modern music that underscores the action scenes, the swordplay would have been much more effective had the camera simply stayed in one place. The storming of the villainous estate in the film’s final act was the most successful part of the film, due to being one of pure spectacle. Like a classic kung-fu film or video-game, Kenshin and co’s progression through each room and villain, until they finally reach the big boss at the end, was a reasonably exciting ending to a film that is otherwise constantly flat-lining.

I don’t have much else to say. What you’ve got here is just a classic case of shiny but lifeless blockbuster. Of course the huge budget ensures that the locations, sets, costumes etc. are all perfect, but you can’t hide a shit movie behind that. I really was quite bored by this film. It didn’t make me want to read the Manga or watch the Anime, and there are plenty of “Lone Samurai” films out there with much more interesting characters, more heart and better action. Maybe if the film had spent less time trying to squeeze in all the characters I’m assuming have big fan bases thanks to the Manga, they could have created a film more accessible to causal viewers. But of course, this film’s success will no doubt ensure we see a plethora of equally dull sequels. Unless you’re a fan of the original stories, I wouldn’t bother with this one.

The Twilight Samurai

たそがれ清兵衛 Yoji Yamada, (2002)

A few years ago, a Japanese friend of mine recommended a film to me. It was Yoji Yamada’s The Hidden Blade (2004). It was a while ago, but I remember it being very slow moving and it didn’t really leave a very strong impression on me, either negatively or positively. However, I recently watched Yamada’s previous film The Twilight Samurai from 2002, which has sparked a desire to revisit The Hidden Blade, for the sole reason that The Twilight Samurai was the most amazing, most beautiful movie I have seen in a long time.

Based on a novel by Shohei Fujisawa, the story is very much a revisionist Samurai film. Set only a few years before the Meiji Restoration, Japan’s era of rapid modernisation, the glory days of the Samurai are nothing but a fading memory, with many of the characters referred to as samurai in name only, basically working desk jobs as their skills with the sword, unneeded, are gradually forgotten. Among them is Iguchi Seibei (Hiroyuki Sanada), a recently bereaved widower who must look after his two young daughters and his senile mother on a pitifully low wage. His devotion to his family results in his nickname “Tasogare” (Twilight) as he returns home to his family immediately after work, never joining his co-workers for socialising or drinks.

The era of the late 1700s conveys just as much twilight as Seibei. The atmosphere is rich and dimly lit, like a fine oil painting come to life, small indoor fires seem to serve as the sole light source in a number of scenes. The colours of the countryside; the winter snow, the green grass, is enough to make your eyes water. Yet Yamada creates an environment that is not solely visual, a feeling of peace and utmost calm pervades the film, while we are gently reminded of the film’s historical context through the arrival of guns as the new weapon of choice, the impending change of government and more chillingly, widespread sickness culminating in the dead bodies of children casually discovered in rivers. Seibei continues to earn his living and care for his family throughout this era’s final days, displaying a remarkable foresight as he guides his daughters into a new uncertain era as best he can. It is with a heavy heart that his life as a warrior catches up with him when his skills as a swordsman are required by his clan, and duty compels him to act. 

The question of Seibei’s remarriage also forms a major part of the story, as a childhood friend re-enters his life. Interwoven perfectly into the film, some of the its most moving scenes revolve around Tomoe, played by the beautiful Rie Miyazawa, who takes it upon herself to help look after Seibei’s family, following a divorce from an abusive husband. These domestic scenes of food preparation, calligraphy and cleaning could easily slip into dreadfully mundane territory, but the actors bring a palpable sense of reality to the film’s many quiet scenes and moreover, the entirety of its exceedingly simple story. While this film is centred on a central Samurai character, one should not expect bloody, sword fighting action. The film contains a grand total of three swordfights- actually its more like two and a half. The bouts are tightly choreographed, the first of which only lasts a few minutes, but their rarity and balletic beauty makes them truly exciting. Yet this revisionist look at the samurai genre, focusing more on the domestic life of a dying warrior class is never boring. Yamada has created a moving drama so beautiful it could challenge anything Yasujiro Ozu ever did. Coupled with this masterful direction and gorgeous visuals, Isao Tomita’s score also deserves mention, the soundtrack uses a strange mix of synthesisers and traditional Japanese instruments, with powerful percussion and haunting melodies enough to make your ears weep.

The film does an amazing job at never slipping into melodrama, I only had a few problems with some aspects of the ending, particularly the closing theme song which I think should have been left out. Also, Seibei’s youngest daughter narrates the story as a much older woman, I found myself wondering how necessary this was. All in all, this is an amazing film. I can’t remember the last time I saw a drama film that enveloped me so, and it is so refreshing to see one handled so masterfully and never goes for cheap drama clichés. It won a huge number of Japan Academy Awards including best film, director, actor, actress AND screenplay! Wow. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for best foreign picture (or as I like to call it; the “Rest of world” section) but did not win, which is a shame because The Twilight Samurai is an absolute work of art.