Shura

Demons is an adaptation of Tsuruya Namboku's play Kamikakete Sango Taisetsu, a kabuki theater classic based on an episode of the 47 rônins. It goes deeper, darker and crueler, than any other samurai movies I've seen. its pure malice. And thrives on diabolical suspense. Its a mans journey through hate and revenge, and his descent into madness, it is slow, painful and bloody. A remarkable exercise in cynical nihilism that is so breathtakingly grim that it becomes undeniably compelling. Along with Katsuo Nakamura's haunting performance in the lead role.

The story is not realistic. The setting and the intruducing course of action is undoubtly surreal, and almost every character in Demons is unsympathetic and devious with the possible exception of Hachiemon, who is so selfless in his sacrifices for his master that he becomes annoyingly obsequious. But thats part of the films appeal.

Matsumoto adopts an expressionist aesthetic similiar to the theatrical- play. And the editing accumulates false starts and several scenes are repeated almost identically, first dreamed then in real life. This can be very confusing and it creates incessant ruptures which breaks the narrative fluidity.

Demons is not perfect but its appeal is one you rarely see in cinema, and, of course, it has an extrodinary story and directing which thus class thus as one of world-cinemas timeless gems.

A stark, desperate tale of vengeance, Shura examines the plight of Gengobe - a Ronin (Samurai without Master) - and his quest to right the wrongs done unto him. This is basically the whole plot in a nutshell, but this isn't any kind of action adventure story or pulp fiction Samurai epic, rather a philosophical and meditative examination of manipulation and a misguided affection which blinds a man from his duty and true quest. True this is a staple of Japanese cinema - but it is one which has rarely been examined quite this painfully and as unflinchingly as it is in this film.

The theatrical origins of Matsumoto's film are very evident from the onset of this bleak piece, an extremely minimalist affair, but this only adds to the feeling of entrapment and claustrophobia. Daylight is glimpsed only once (the first shot as the sun sinks from the blood-red sky - also the only shot in colour) and the story plays out over the course of several nights.

As with his previous film 'Funeral Parade of Roses' Matsumoto employs many times a 'dual reality' device replaying scenes first as the protagonist imagines, and then as it actually happens, constantly keeping the viewer unsettled, with shocking - though never gratuitous - spurts of violence which one is torn between finding sympathy with and being repulsed by.

This is a film which is easier to admire than to actually like, but it's forlorn, doomed and - literally - lightless vision means it could only be truthfully recommended to those who are fans of truly downbeat cinema. A viciously dark night of the Soul.

9/10. 1 point deducted for not showing even the slightest glimmer of hope.

A heartbroken samurai in deep need of money is pushed to the edge and seeks revenge for his poor soul. But as he goes deeper with his revenge, discovers the people who stifled him may not be as different of people after all.

Pretty much a stylistic film akin to other famous Film Noir of the 40s and 50s. I would even categorize it as 'Gothic' and verging towards Expressionism with its deep saturated shadows and lighting that shadows the mental state of the film's characters. Its such a vision to be honest.

The story is what I believe is the weakest of the story. Its somewhat standard in a sense AND if you know his other film, you kinda knew what will happens. Its not as left field AND thematically rich compared to Funeral Parade of Roses. It's a story that had been told a hundred times AND while unique in its infusion of his dreamy stylings - it does not really feel like it adds much to the film. It works but not in a magical way that his early works shine through. It's more or less a preference thing on my side.

Acting wise, this is such a masterful direction. It is also Gothic by nature AND there is a sense of surrealism in how elevated their performances are. It perfectly matches the highly stylistic nature of the film, which I love. Katsuo Nakamura is amazing in his performance as a crazed samurai who just wants some money to escape his position. He really captures what this films what to evoke. Its kinda sad looking into his filmography that he seems to have gotten the prestige I think he could have.

Overall, a very worthy film to watch. It holds well against Funeral Parade AND shows a master stylist who knows how to modulate performers to boot.

A very slow burn of a horror movie. I had no idea what to expect from a Japanese movie from the 1970s. I've seen very few Japanese films overall, and definitely no horror ones.

I honestly have no idea how to contextualize this one. I have absolutely no frame of reference for what I just watched. Certainly unlike any film (that I know of) that was released before this. This makes me want to watch more Japanese films, and definitely more Japanese horror. That is the mark of a great film.

I wasn't sure whether I read the genre properly for this film because the build up is not typical of the genre.

Once it gets going it does not stop. And the circular storytelling is so satisfying. I wasn't feeling this one until it gets to around the halfway point and I realized this wasn't just horror for horror's sake. Really interesting film that I want to revisit someday, probably next October.

Hopefully I'll have a more nuanced understanding of the Japanese film scene by then.

If anyone imagined how a Greek tragedy would look if it was set in feudal Japan, look no further. It is a harrowing, exhausting, depressive experience, but it's worth it. The film follows a once great warrior, now a Ronin (for those unfamiliar, Ronin is a samurai without a master), named Gengobe, who has sold all of his property to repay his debts. He is in love with a geisha who is to be married to a rich lord, unless someone pays 100 Ryō for her liberty. Once he realizes that he was being played by this geisha and her husband, of whose existence he was unaware of, he becomes hell bent on revenge.

The film emits a strange sense of reality distortion. The film begins with a dream sequence, that is somewhat foreshadowing of things to happen. This theme is prevalent throughout the film. We can see things unfolding, only to realize that it was just a thought, or a fantasy of a certain characters. Reality tends to be different, albeit sometimes it can lead to the same conclusion. What was particularly striking was the way the graphic scenes of violence were portrayed. They were slowed down, they almost feel other-wordly, yet these graphic scenes are strangely beautiful. Highly contrasted Black and white cinematography helps this, we see characters illuminated against dark background like phantoms and the black blood coming out of the wounds becomes even more noticeable.

Shura is a tale of vengeance than leads all the parties involved into an abyss of some sort. There is no bright light at the end of the tunnel. Because of mere 100 Ryō, these people have turned into "Demons" and they're lives became "Hell". This film isn't disturbing because of its visual content, but because of its emotional impact. Gengobe isn't a typical hero, the reason why one would want to root for him is because he is an agent of justice (like Monte Cristo), but not because he himself is a virtuous hero worth rooting for. It's easy to hate most, if not all of the characters, but at the same time, it's difficult not to feet pity for them. Seldom comes a film that makes one feel this way.

This film is not for everyone, it's extremely pessimistic, it doesn't offer glimmers of hope. It's not an easy watch, but it's worth it. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in film as an art form.