Golgo 13: The Professional (Japan, 1983)

Indestructible to his enemies and irrestible to women, the professional assassin codenamed GOLGO 13 is shrouded in mystery and anonymity. If you're on his hit list your already dead. Always hired on his reputation alone, GOLGO 13 never breaks a contract. But can he survive the combine forces of the FBI, CIA, The Pentagon and the U.S. Army? Has the nameless agent finally met his match against the superhuman powers of the Snake and the twin evils of the psychopathic mercenaries, Gold and Silver?

Golgo 13 is an insane, ultra-violent ride. It oozes with so much style, and even though the film wears its Western influences on its sleeves every ounce of them has been filtered through a Japanese over-the-top mentality and turned up to 11. It takes the notion of a silent assassin and turns it into a killing spree that would make Léon blush.

Genre: Animation/Action/Crime. 1h 31min

13 Assassins (Japan, 1963)

A sadistic daimyo rapes a woman and murders both her and her husband, but even when one of his own vassals commits suicide to bring attention to the crime, the matter is quickly hushed up. Not only will there be no punishment, but because the daimyo is the Shogun's younger brother, he will soon be appointed to a high political position from which he could wreak even more havoc. Convinced that the fate of the Shogunate hangs in the balance, a plot is hatched to assassinate the daimyo. 

Having seen Takashi Miike's amazing remake from 2010, I was very excited to jump into the original. It did not disappoint one bit. It has a very accessible, straightforward plot with 13 men wanting vengeance, and the first half of the film builds up the story while the second delivers the blow against the evildoers. In lack of better words, the film felt very modern and I could definitely see this being made today. It struck me how faithfully Miike adapted the film, nothing needed to be changed. He added a lot of gore, but the original excels in beautiful cinematography. 

Genre: Adventure/Action. 2h5min

The Ballad of Narayama (Japan, 1958)

In Kabuki style, the film tells the story of a remote mountain village where the scarcity of food leads to a voluntary but socially-enforced policy in which relatives carry 70-year-old family members up Narayama mountain to die. Granny Orin is approaching 70, content to embrace her fate. Her widowed son Tatsuhei cannot bear losing his mother, even as she arranges his marriage to a widow his age. Her grandson Kesakichi, who's girlfriend is pregnant, is selfishly happy to see Orin die.

I've written about the 1983 version with the same title, and while both films are based on the same book they really have a personality of their own. This one was directed by Keisuke Kinoshita (Twenty-Four Eyes) and is such a beautiful, fascinating film. The story revolves around a real-life practice called ubasute, senicide, where an elderly relative was carried off into the mountains and left there to die. 

The whole film is also, as stated above, shot in the style of a Kabuki play with the accompanying narrator (benchi) and it gives the film a mythical feel, while also giving you the sense that you're at the theatre. It's done pretty much perfectly, and for its time the film is a wonder to behold. I'm always big on colors and Narayama constantly gives you that wonderful, grainy aesthetic with very warm colors not unlike Kwaidan (1964). I'm praising the look of the film but the story is equally good with a thought-provoking narrative full of shocking family morals being laid bare. An instant classic, in my opinion. 

Genre: Drama. 1h 38m

Samurai Saga (Japan, 1959)

A poet-warrior with an oversized nose (matched only by his great heart) loves a lady. But she sees him only as a friend, so he helps another man to woo her by giving him the poetry of his own heart.

You'd be forgiven if you've only seen Toshiro Mifune in Akira Kurosawa films, but Samurai Saga is directed by Hiroshi Inagaki and while it doesn't boast the same top quality as Kurosawa it certainly does serve as a good little samurai film. As always he carries the film but the story, while being much smaller scaled than we're used to see him in, is also interesting and engaging. 

I guess the next goal is to see Mifune in roles where he didn't play a samurai.

Genre: Action/Drama