Sanbiki no samurai

Three Outlaw Samurai is a relentlessly thrilling Samurai movie full of twists and betrayals.

After a title sequence with a bombastic score, the action begins almost immediately in this film. A wandering Samurai stumbles upon a hostage situation - a few pathetic peasants (not too different from the ones in Seven Samurai) are holding the daughter of an aristocrat hostage in the hope that he would waive taxes. After observing the bumbling peasants and their failed negotiations with the aristocracy for a while, the cynical Samurai decides to join the fight on the peasants side.

While watching this film, it struck me that the Samurai attitude towards life is not too different from the cowboys in spaghetti westerns or protagonists in Noir thrillers. They are very cynical and are always watching how the situation unravels. But they often put their neck on the line in the end.

The treatment and portrayal of women in this film is quite hilarious and politically incorrect.

I liked the way the director balanced the different aspects of the film - the film is a mix of cynical tongue in cheek humor and relentless action while also foregrounding themes like samurai honor and the plight of peasants.

The plot, like a Noir film is quite complicated.

(7.5/10)

This one is Gosha's first directorial attempt, and what a debut! Though some of the performances are occasionally a bit overwrought, there are also many instances where Gosha reveals his sense of the camera.

Of course, there are Gosha's typical studied camera angles and compositions (you see some interesting "moving camera" work, which significantly predates the attempts of "pioneering" US directors). However, "Sanbiki no samurai" also showcases Gosha's ability to tell a story through facial expressions, rather than simply relying upon dialogue.

This is all film-school wankery. The bottom line is that "Sanbiki" is a gripping chambara flick, with a solid morality tale disguised as a cynical amorality tale. (Note that a common theme through many Japanese "chambara" is that of cynical ex-samurai who ultimately decides to risk life and limb for some hopeless but noble "little guy" cause.)

This theme was repeatedly, um, emulated by the likes of Sergio Leone with his spaghetti westerns. However, my point is that such tales are just plain entertaining. The three actors playing the samurai also turn in great performances.

Viewers new to Hideo Gosha may wish to start with "Goyokin" or "Hitokiri" (a/k/a "Tenchu"), but if you've seen those two already (or if they're already checked out), then this is still a definite movie to catch!

Hideo Gosha's first in a series of great movies leading up to his double triumph of Hitokiri and Goyokin in 1969, is a simple but engaging chambara with a sociopolitical angle that has more in common with Kurosawa's work than the stylistic flourishes and visual grammar the director developed later in his career.

Very similar to Seven Samurai in terms of style and themes, this is another take on the familiar story of cynical samurais helping out poor peasants in their fight against the oppression of the rich and powerful. Three lowly peasants kidnap a daimyo's daughter and demand a tax reform that will ease the economic burden for all the peasants in the nearby villages. It's all well plotted and interesting for the duration with great performances all around and near superb swordplay action. Gosha's two Samurai Wolf films as well as Sword of the Beast would make ideal companion pieces as an entry point to the director's output. Fans of Kurosawa's jidaigeki work are likely to appreciate it just as well.

Gosha was the Don Siegel of Japan, an artist of action, a poet of mêlée. So it is with this newly restored early picture of his, now available from Criterion in blazing black and white. Typical sam fare: clunky plot, great sword work, cool flourishes (like blowing dust giving mythic quality to climactic duel, or the use of blood to punctuate kills, never overdone but extremely dramatic.) Extremely enjoyable, it turns out to be an "origins" tale in which we learn how the three outlaws (if Japanese TV fame) came together. Briefly, seems wandering ronin decides to throw in with peasant reformers who've kidnapped magistrate's daughter for leverage on tax reform, and one way or other, the two others come to his side and ultimately they face off in duels and battles with magistrate's own ronin, soldiers, various thugs and creeps. Lots of racing, slicking, sword fighting in flip-flops and bathrobes. What did somewhat shock me was the utter disregard the movie shows for women. They are used up and tossed aside like Kleenex, with no regret or mourning or much in the way of grief. At least three are murdered or commit suicide, and two more dumped. I know this is emblematic of Japanese society in early '60s, but even so, it seems a little overdone here. I don't like to judge then by the standards of now, but even if gals were objects in '64, by those standards Gosha goes a bit overboard.

This debut from Gosha is a masterpiece. It features all the tropes of the samurai stories. It has familiar film tropes as well (think westerns, for instance.) It has humor in spades.

As the camerawork goes, you see in these movies where the John Wick films may have gotten some of their inspiration. Longer shots with minimal edits allow the audience to enjoy swordplay between multiple attackers WHILE running. Wide shots of the rural landscape as well as the scenes by the river could be taken as stills for a photography class.

I am a big fan of samurai films. There are many out there that do not feature Toshiro Mifune that are of equal or higher caliber.

This film is one of those. See it the first chance you get!