Ôsaka-jô monogatari

Surprisingly unknown, Osaka-jo monogatari (Daredevil in the Castle) (1961) is undeserving of its anonymity. Ably directed by Hiroshi Inagaki, no stranger to samurai dramas, it tells the tale of an irascible ronin played to the hilt by Toshiro Mifune channeling his greatest hits (literally) who finds himself in the middle of the brutal power struggle between the Tokugawa and Toyotomi families after the Battle of Sekigahara, when the leadership of a newly unified Japan was very much an open question.

Joined by Kurosawa stalwarts Takashi Shimura and the sublime Kyoko Kagawa, the story is pretty stock but thoroughly entertaining and it moves along at an accelerated pace. While it doesn't break any new cinematic ground it's a grand way to spend an hour and a half. Worth digging for if you're a fan of classic samurai films.

Toshiro Mifune comes to Osaka looking for a job. The clan which owns the castle is ready to go to war with the Shogunate, despite the efforts of a few who are trying to keep the peace. Mifune doesn't want to be involved in a war, but he does want to be involved with Kyôko Kagawa, who rises to be a princess as the movie goes along, and is threatened with rape several times.

Mifune once claimed that he was proud of only his work with Kurosawa. I think he gave fine performances elsewhere, but here the story is so chaotic, his character so varying, that he decided to play it for comedy, clumsy in the fight scenes, stupid or clever as the plot demanded at the moment, constantly rescued when the story has dug itself into a hole, by sometimes-ninja-sometimes-daimyo Akihiko Hirata, who accomplishes great feats off camera.

This was clearly intended by Toho to be a major epic, and the battle scenes are big and expensive-looking, but only Mifune's clowning keeping it from being a bore.

This is one of many samurai movies starring the great Toshiro Mifune. Here, he plays wandering swordsman Mohei, who is accepted by the Toyotomi clan in Osaka. Conflict erupts when the Osaka Castle is attacked by the opposing Tokugawa clan.

Even for a movie made in the early 1960s, the cinematography and special effects were realistic and believable, really capturing the intensity and trauma of war. The samurai action illustrates the courage and skills of Mohei and the love subplot between Mohei and Ai (Kyôko Kagawa) blends together with the plot well, enhancing the drama of the film.

It's not the most exciting or edge-of-your-seat material, but does give you a hour and a half of worthy entertainment.

Grade B.