Goyokin: La terreur des sabaï

Goyokin is a hauntingly beautiful story of a Magobei Wakazaka a samurai turned to a drunk guilt ridden ronin after taking part in the slaughter of some innocent people because he was following orders from his brother in law in a plot to steal some official gold (Goyokin). When his brother in law decides to steal more gold and kill more people some assassins come for Magobei to silence him forever. This causes Magobei to throw down the bottle of sake and take up the sword once again. He decides to journey back to stop the slaughter and seek redemption.Gosha tells the classic story of a samurai and his giri-ninjo conflict, that is his struggle against following orders which is the way of the samurai, or doing what he believes is right. He uses his trademark crows as symbolic supernatural supervisors of karma and in such a way it eerily beautiful and unforgettable.

A remorseful samurai struggles to reconcile clan loyalty with honourable behaviour after turning a blind eye to the massacre of innocent villagers to cover up the theft of gold intended for the Tokugawa shogunate. Thematically similar to director Hideo Gosha's other chanbara, this film takes a hard look at the unquestioning obedience demanded of underlings in feudal societies and how the honour and fidelity can be manipulated to dishonorable and wicked ends. The three leads, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kinnosuke Nakamura, and Tetsuro Tamba, all well-established actors in Japanese cinema (both in jidaigeki and other genres), are excellent. The cinematography, which includes some fanciful imagery is great, the story interesting, and the 'action sequences' well-done and entertaining. All in all, a great entry in the popular genre from a top Japanese director.

From the truly creepy opening to the climax, this movie holds your attention, both with its cinematography and (more preciously) a gripping and coherent storyline.

Excellent filming techniques in this film hold your attention, when the suspense (yes! actual suspense!) doesn't. The acting (by Nakadai Tatsuya, one of Japan's greatest actors -- far better than Mifune Toshiro, IMHO) is top notch. Finally, the violence (though there's plenty) never degenerates into splatter. The violence appears much more disturbing (intentionally so) and much less titillating than in many "chambara" movies.

Also noteworthy, this movie plays on the "loyalty vs. morality" theme that Gosha seems so fond of hammering. In this particular movie, however, he really pulls it off with some intelligence. Though I'm a big fan of Gosha, I have to admit that not everything he touches turns to "gold" (Get it? You will...).

Even so, if you're going to sample from the "chambara" genre, this is among the best (my other nominee would be "Hitokiri/Tenchu" (1969). Frankly, I think it's among the best Japanese films, period.

I just had to write something when I saw that the current spotlighted user's comment calls this movie merely "decent." I just got back from seeing it on the big screen, and believe me, it's WAY more than "decent." More like amazing. I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to see it. I'll be the first to admit that it's at times narratively challenging, and that the main character is fairly one-note. But it really compares in many respects with classic westerns like The Searchers. Plus a truly inventive, exciting, and striking climax. Full of visual poetry. Ten lines really does seem like a bit much to require people to write. Would six be so awful? All I really wanted to do was provide some balance to the "decent" comment. Wow. I'm still just at nine lines. Okay. See this on the big screen if you have a chance. It's truly a widescreen picture that uses the frame quite inventively at times. And that's eleven lines, so I'm done.

I saw this film in the late 1970s. It was called "Goyekin - The Emperor's Gold". As I watched our guilt-ridden hero return to fulfill his promise, really a threat, to punish his family if they repeated their crime. I still see the image of him striding along the beach with a conical hat pulled low. The shadow on his face made his eyes glow under the hat and the shot was taken with a telephoto through wispy beach grass. Completely memorable. Then the scene in the forest with the horsemen riding through. It looked like an ancient Japanese painting with hazy colors and an other-worldliness that was amazing. Then the concluding duel in the snow. Two brilliantly attired samurai dueling in a pure white, glistening environment. So many great images from one film!

The film itself is a pretty typical revenge film with some twists. When Tom Laughlin tried to redo it as a Mexican western,"The Master Gunfighter", it just fell flat. But the samurai movie has an entertaining plot and good action characters with beautiful settings. I think this film is a special case of cinematographic excellence. See it and enjoy the beauty.