Tokyo Cowboy

First-time feature director Marc Marriott isn't Japanese, but his early career apprenticeship with revered Ozu disciple Yoji Yamada shows through in this satisfying 2024 dramedy. Co-written by filmmaker Dave Boyle and actress Ayako Fujitani (who co-stars as Keiko), the film takes the tried-and-true fish-out-of-water trope and elevates it into a heartfelt cross-cultural transformation adventure. The plot focuses on Hideki, a driven Japanese salaryman who heads up acquisitions for a Tokyo-based chocolate company. One of his riskier moves was having the company buy a money-losing Montana cattle ranch, so he convinces his management team he can turn it around into a profitable business producing expensive wagyu beef. Accompanied by a grizzled wagyu expert too irresponsible to be helpful, Hideki travels to Montana full of arrogance that he will excite the ranchers with his brilliant venture. Of course the opposite occurs and things unravel quickly. The story evolves leisurely between the expected and the sublime, and avoiding a predictable narrative, Marriott takes a rather elliptical approach that makes the film resonate. Arata Iura affectingly makes Hideki a relatably reluctant hero, while Fujitani plays his fiancée Keiko with a nice mix of coveted warmth and unblinking efficiency given her character is also Hideki's no-nonsense boss. Robin Weigert plays the ranch manager with calm authority, and Goya Robles quietly steals the film as the sympathetic ranch hand Javier. His story is worthy of another movie. The film wraps things up a little too neatly, but that doesn't take away from its overall impact enhanced by Oscar Ignacio Jimenez's hypnotic cinematography.

You can't ever forget the power of the open range even on those who have never seen it. The magic of mother nature to clear out the cobwebs and help you really see life for all its worth.

Now I have to enter another 400 characters to satisfy the requirements for the website. Unlike the film, where simplicity is the key to clarity, someone decided the minimum amount required to get a point across. Sorry but that's arbitrary and meaningless. Was that written by someone who get paid by the word count? Please review this nonsense and allow freedom to determine quality over quantity. It's the right thing to do.

PS The movie is good.

Saw the exclusive NY premiere - even better than I expected. Well written, and a great story with drama. Some great humorous moments mixed in at the right times. A very original story, didn't have to fit the Hollywood blockbuster mold. Great performances, and a good plot that takes you between the skyscrapers of Japan, to a Montana ranch. Lots of emotion in the performances from the actors, and impressively enough, the film was shot in 15 days! You would never guess it after watching it. Very impressive how this came together despite it being an independent movie. Go watch and support it when it releases 8/30 in theaters.

I entered this film the old fashioned discreet way. TC is an unexpected delight. I could not stop grinning or laughing the entire time. All I knew about it was the favorable rating, which I read just before it began. Hideki Saito is a corporate finance guy in Tokyo who is a mastermind at transforming fading companies. We see him efficiently buy out a chocolatier at the very beginning. His cost cutting solution proves to really hinder the product, a payoff that we will see twice much later in the film. He decides to take his talents to Montana and resurrect a failing cattle ranch. What can go wrong? It's a laugh a minute comedy, so a lot. He's been in a seven year relationship with fiancee Keiko, who's also his boss. She warns him to deliver or risk getting fired. No pressure. His luggage never arrived and things get much worse from there. There's wacky banter with perky hotel receptionist Cindy. He declines a four wheel drive rental car; it's $17 a day extra. This is a very poor decision. Consultant Wada, a ranching genius who flew over with him, prefers getting plastered with the locals and gets himself a long hospital stay in the bargain. He butts heads with ranch manager Peg, herself a spinster. The audience concludes a lot faster than him that his wacky plan is destined for failure. He does help ranch hand Javier, a failed rodeo star, who has an illicit sideline business on the property. Due to car trouble, he is grudgingly invited to a Quinceanera. There, he reflects upon his own relationship and makes an effort to improve it. Two hours fly by. I was absolutely entranced by the film's beautiful cinematography, to say nothing of the dialogue and performances. The theater was mostly empty, but our hearts were full by the time the credits rolled.

Arata Iura is absolutely wonderful as fish out of water Hideki. His adventures never got stale or old; his persistence is remarkable. Goya Robles is tremendously convincing as Javier, striving for a better life. Robin Weigert is maybe a bit too urban for Meg, but she's hilarious. She reads NY all the way. Jun Kunimura is laugh out loud funny as wily Wada. Ayako Fujitani, a cowriter, is really perfect as Keiko, down to her short efficient hairdo. Scout Smith is a revelation as Cindy. Most people will miss this film, both in theaters and streaming. Ah reckon that right there would be a mighty shame.

Director Marc Marriott has achieved the rare feat of creating a cinematic masterpiece that speaks to everyone, young and old, with equal force, in unforgettable imagery.

The film has a simple message (it is a film with a big heart) but it develops this message and this meaning organically, through the questions the characters themselves ask and the quest they themselves set out upon, never knowing what they will find in the end nor the answer they will get. So the movie earns its credibility through the authenticity of the story itself and the superb performances that round out the production. Ten stars seems to slight a tribute!