L'héritage des 500 000

This film essentially begins with a Japanese Army officer by the name of "Takeshi Matsuo" (Toshiro Mifune) being tasked to hide a large chest of gold coins from the advancing enemy in the Philippines during the last weeks of World War 2. Being a loyal and conscientious officer, he obeys these orders and is eventually allowed to return to Japan once the war is over. The scene then shifts to 18 years later with a man by the name of "Mitsura Gunji" (Tatsuya Nakadai) threatening Takeshi that, unless he helps him find the hidden gold, he will have his men kill Matsuo's young daughter, "Masaka Matsuo" (Yuriko Hoshi). Realizing that Mitsura means what he says, he is taken at gunpoint by some of Mitsura's thugs to a small boat which then sets off from Japan to the Philippines. The problem, however, is that Takeshi knows only too well that once the gold is eventually found and recovered, he has absolutely no chance of remaining alive. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this turned out to be a pretty good film, all things considered, which managed to keep my attention pretty much from start to finish. Admittedly, I didn't especially care for the ending, but even so, I enjoyed this movie for the most part and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

World famous actor Mifune Toshiro sat on the director's chair only once during his 50 year career in the film industry. "Gojuman-nin no isan" (Legacy of the 500,000, 1963) was clearly something he felt passionate about, since he also produced the film. His directorial touch is nothing out of the ordinary, but he is also honest about his inexperience in directing: in the opening credits, after the director, a credit is given to directing assistant/consultant.

The screenplay is by frequent Kurosawa collaborator Kikushima Ryuzo, who wrote "Tengoku to jigoku" (High and Low, 1963) for Kurosawa and Mifune that very same year. The plot of the picture is a simple one, and also something that you could have imagined as a Kurosawa film. Mifune plays Matsuo Takeichi, a former soldier who in the final days of the war in Philippines, hid a large amount of Japanese gold under ground. In the present moment, he has become a small-time businessman who lives a quiet and economical life. Nakadai Tatsuya, made to look older than he was, plays an evil industrialist who knows that Mifune is the only one who knows where the gold coins are. So after our hero refuses to help him, Nakadai has him kidnapped, and put on a boat with his Nakadai's brother (Mihashi Tatsuya) and a team, that are travelling to collect the treasure.

So it looks like we have the ingredients for an entertaining treasure hunt, maybe even something like "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1966). But Mifune also carries other ambitions. His character is burdened by the loss of so many Japanese people during the war. He feels that his captors are part of a younger generation, who lack proper respect, since they do not remember how hard it was for the older generations. The preachy elements are constantly watering down, what could have been an electric adventure. I am not saying that the tragedy of war should not be depicted in Japanese movies, but this is not the right kind of narrative for it, this is no "Ningen no joken" (Human Condition, 1961). Also it is troubling, that this film likes to represent the war as a tragedy, that happened to Japan, and not a tragedy, that Japan caused. Mifune is haunted by the deaths of his countrymen, not by the deaths caused by them. The ideology being so visible prevents this film for being a product to export to other markets, since people from other countries would probably frown upon this patriotism.

The characters are very black and white, which is a typical feature in the directing debuts of famous actors. Look at Burt Lancaster's "The Kentuckian" (1955) or John Wayne's "Alamo" (1960) for further examples. Mifune is thoroughly a noble Japanese ideal citizen, and the villains are both evil and dumb. The contrast is super boring. Another huge missed opportunity is that although he is present in the beginning, Nakadai does not actually go with them on the journey! He is in the film very briefly, possibly because the actor was in such high demand at the time. The other villains aren't as interesting.

I liked the fact that this was shot on location in the Philippines. It does not feel like a studio picture. For most of the film, the potential of the narrative is somewhat visible, though the screenplay should have been rewritten once more. The last shot of the film is easily the best, and shows directorial ambition, that Mifune otherwise lacks. He definitely enjoys playing such a perfect hero, and for most of the time, it is also entertaining to watch.

It's an okay effort, nothing to be embarrassed about, but also nothing that makes you wish there had been further directorial works by the star.

It's hard not to stumble onto this and be agog at the folks involved. Kikushima Ryuzo has a fine list of writing credits to his name; Tsuburaya Eiji remains one of the most respected names in special effects. Even composer Sato Masaru should be very familiar to anyone who has spent a small amount of time exploring classic Japanese cinema, to say nothing of co-star Nakadai Tatsuya - and lead Mifune Toshiro, one of the greatest actors to ever live. The fact that this happens to be Mifune's one venture as director only makes it that much more of a gem, whatever the end result. To that end, none of this speaks to the overall quality, only that we can be assured of the earnestness of the effort. How is 'Legacy of the 500,000,' actually? Beyond the names that are attached it's not necessarily all that special, and in fact, I think it does specifically fall short in some measure. Even so, it's well made more than not; all told I think it's fairly solid and enjoyable, a decent credit to all involved, and suitably worthwhile if one has the chance to watch.

Tsuburaya's skill set doesn't come into play as much as one might assume wherever his name is invoked, but those stunts and effects that are employed indeed come off great just as they are. The filming locations are gorgeous, and from sets, to costume design, to props and weapons, everything looks really good in here. Sato's score lends neatly to the mood where it raises its head, and though in this case no one among the cast especially stands out, all involved give swell performances. And more than anything else, Kikushima whipped up some excellent ideas for his screenplay. The premise is full of potential as a disparate group of former Japanese soldiers sail to the Philippines to reclaim a cache of gold that the Imperial Army had buried there during World War II. Given the manner in which the party comes together and their varied motivations and personalities, the material is ripe for what we reasonably expect to be a thrilling tale of action and adventure as the group clashes and faces dangers along their journey.

With this in mind, the film also has particular weaknesses, and while not so severe as to fully dampen the viewing experience, it's unfortunate that this never really lives up to its potential. Even as troubles mount all throughout the progression of the plot, it's not until we're within the last third that it truly feels as if the stakes have risen for our characters. There is never a point where the picture is genuinely exciting, or where the ardor of the endeavor is brought to bear for the audience; the tone is flat. The most striking beat is one of drama, some gloomy rumination that isn't capitalized upon fully enough to have the intended impact. The next nearest narrative high point is a plot idea that is broached, then completely dropped for a huge portion of the length - only to be suddenly, unceremoniously brought back in the last couple minutes. Frankly, the incidence feels abrupt and sloppy rather than meaningful, almost like it was an afterthought tacked on in the last day of shooting to resolve the notion that had been introduced then neglected. It's neither convincing nor satisfying.

I don't know how much of these shortcomings stem directly from Kikushima's screenplay, and how much from the first and only instance of an esteemed actor trying his hand at directing. What I do know is that at its best 'Legacy of the 500,000' just kind of sails on by without fulfilling the promise of the concept, and at worst, the writing and/or execution is a little questionable. We should care about these characters, to one degree or another, and we would if they were developed more. Duly well made as the title is at large, the substance simply doesn't land as it should, nor leave a major impression. None of this means that the sum total is bad, because that's just not true. What it does mean is that Mifune was perhaps wise to otherwise stick to the profession he had mastered, and that this flick, though entertaining, is something to reserve for a lazy, quiet day rather than to go out of one's way to see. 'Legacy of the 500,000' is a good time, and I'm just sad that it lacks both the vitality and the mindful care that would have allowed it to flourish.

Sets up a simple but solid premise, then drags a little throughout the bulk of the runtime before finishing strong, and with an ending that perhaps renders much of the film futile in a way that isn't frustrating in a bad way.

Hard to wrap my head around the thing as a whole. I think I was expecting something more fun and action-packed, and then when the pace slowed down I wondered if they were doing a Heart of Darkness type story, and then by the end it clicked and made more sense.

Worth a watch so you can say you've seen Mifune's sole directorial effort. The time on screen he shares with Nakadai is also gold (pun intended), although like usual, it's not nearly long enough.

Legacy of the 500,000 sees legendary actor Toshiro Mifune both in front and behind the camera for the first and only time in his career, taking elements from Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and crafting a fun little treasure-hunting adventure with darker undertones. Mifune's level of technical prowess is genuinely remarkable and something he seems very passionate about, with plenty of impressive shots and making great use of being shot on location in the Philippines, it feels less like a big studio film and more like an independent B-movie. The performances from the entire cast are all solid, Mifune is the star so obviously gets the most screen time but it's time he happily shares alongside his co-stars. While the photography by Takao Saito was genuinely lovely for the entire runtime, utilising the B&W Tohoscope format to great effect, choosing to transition between scenes with Flash Gordon / Star Wars-esque wipes was certainly a choice. Nipping along at a fast pace, Legacy of the 500,000 is a genuinely great and highly enjoyable little film, more than showing what Mifune was capable of had he chosen to spend just as much time behind the camera as he did in front of it and for that reason alone it's worth a watch.