À armes égales

Very interesting movie. Say it when I was much younger and remember vividly the live lobster eating part as well as the eels in Sake. Scott Glenn plays a very believable Gaijin blundering around in Japan. The Lead Actress (Donna Kei Benz) threw me for a bit. I suspected that she was not Japanese but the name leads me a bit to wonder. Looked very Filipino.

A very classic representation of action movies around that time. I do admit that is does do a bit more homage to the way things were like in Japan at the time. The Office complex was as I would envision the offices of the Zaibatsu of that era. Worth a bowl of popcorn!

What seems to be just another "east meets west" actioner is given the John Frankenheimer treatment and comes up a winner. Scott Glenn is fantastic as a loser boxer recruited to help escort a priceless family heirloom back to Japan, and by the end o f the film he rediscovers his worth as a human being and man. Frankenheimer has always dealt extremely well with themes of "manliness" and this one is no exception. For a good companion piece, check out his even better "round-eye on the loose in Japan" flick THE YAKUZA.

Geez, I kinda like this one. It's an interesting look at Japanese culture from an outsider's viewpoint (compare it to The Hunted, with Christopher Lambert and Joan Chen). It makes good use of the same hotel as the one used for the Tyrell Corporation in Blade Runner, and the office/swordfight at the end is a hoot as Scott Glenn turns mere office equipment into deadly kung fu weaponry! Glenn's always worth seeing, even in this, one of his earlier works.

This isn't an award winning film. This isn't a well known film. But it has a good premise and is one of my secret pleasures. Two Brothers in a long standing feud over an ancient family sword and an American "dupe" that's been thrown into the fray. We watch his journey and education in a different culture with different values (yet oddly similar to ours, and riddled with similar weaknesses.)

The reason I know I like this one (even with all the flaws) is that it keeps coming to mind from time to time. And after some thought, I think it boils down to basic examinations of how to live one's life. How important is Honor? Is it better to take the quick and easy $ or to work for it? How important are family bonds? Are the modern ways of life any better than the traditional ones? Is it ever too late to turn your life around? And so forth. These are why I like this movie. Sure it can come off as a bit preachy about duty, honor, loyalty and traditional ways, but it has always made me think about what is the best way to live one's life.

Wow, it's a crying shame that more people haven't seen this one. It's really a lot of fun to watch. Frankenheimer's direction is sharp (as always) and the performances from Glenn and Mifune are pretty okay. The fact that John Sayles worked on the screenplay is what first drew me to it. My expectations were definitively on the lower end (I mean Alligator, Battle Beyond the Stars and Piranha are fun, but.....). So I was pleasantly surprised to find a film that I ended up really enjoying. It's not as good as Sidney Pollack's somewhat similar Yakuza, but they'd make an interesting double feature. The final raid on Mifune's brother's complex is a nice finale.