Gitaa o motta wataridori

Viewed as a singular film, and not as the debut in a nine-part series, The Rambling Guitarist is basic, entertaining, late-50s pulp schmaltz. There aren't any standout performances and the story isn't particularly engaging, but the sets are cool and so is some of the choreography. The most interesting aspect of the whole film is simply how pervasive US culture was, with guys like Brandon and Elvis being overwhelmingly emulated in the overall motif.

Shinji (Akira Kobayashi), a wandering street musician, gets involved with a mob boss, Akitsu (Nobuo Kaneko), after saving one of his henchmen in a bar fight. Akitsu gives Shinji a job to evict an offshore fishery, but things take an unexpected twist when Shinji finds out the owner's wife is Akitsu's actual sister.

Director Buichi Saitô is largely unknown in America, despite an impressive output. Besides a trilogy of "Rambler" movies, he may be best known for "Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril" (1972). But he seems to have the gangster film down. This film opens with a bar brawl and before long we get a burlesque night club, perhaps more what you might expect in Cuba at the time (1959).

Somehow, this film is almost completely unheard of (I am the first to review it on IMDb), but hopefully that will change now that Arrow Films has put out a great-looking blu-ray set.

Akira Kobayashi is a drifter, 'carrying his guitar with no destination in mind' as the opening song proclaims. He ends up in Hakodate where his brawling skills get him the attention of local mob boss Ruriko Asaoka, who hires him as an enforcer. Asaoka wants to build an amusement park, but the house of his sister stands in the way, and she refuses to sell. Her no-good husband has a big debt with Asaoka however, and Kobayashi is tasked with getting them to sell the house to even the debt. But when Jô Shisido, henchman of a competitor, comes into town asking Asaoka for a favor that requires him to use the boat of Asaoka's sister, and recalls seeing Kobayashi somewhere, he has to tread carefully.

This was the first of 9 movies about the 'wandering guitarist', all starring Kobayashi, and it's a good start (I've yet to see any of the others tho). The opening scene, as well as several others, has a distinct western feel to them (including a couple of pistol drawing duels between Kobayashi and Jo 'chipmunk' Shisido) even if it's taking place in late 50s Japan, and Kobayashi looking like a 50s rocker among the otherwise sharp-dressed men. It's always fun to see the charismatic Shisido in a villain-like role and while Kobayashi starts out fairly non-descript, he matches him in every respect as the movie progresses, creating an interesting character. The theme song, which was also sung by Kobayashi, is played throughout the movie and ends up sticking in your mind, I wonder if they used it in subsequent movies.

This isn't a masterpiece in any way, but director Buichi Satô and DoP Kuratarô Takamura keep things quite interesting. There are a lot of colorful outdoor scenes with wide angles, which look pretty good, and there's rarely a dull moment (altho the romantic angle between Kobayashi and Asaoka's daughter is rather lifeless). Quite enjoyable, enough so that I will try and find the rest of the series.