 |
| Images courtesy of Arrow Video |
Renowned Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada best known for The
Twilight Samurai, Ringu, John Wick: Chapter 4 and Danny Boyle’s
Sunshine is one of the great multitalented and faceted character actors
of our time. In pretty much every major
Hollywood film and show now in between working in television programs, Sanada
eventually won two Primetime Emmies for his work in ShÅgun. Which is an interesting place to achieve
career success given the actor’s very first movie is today’s Arrow Video
release of Wandering Ginza Butterfly director Norifumi Suzuki’s 1980 Chanbara
film Shogun’s Ninja.
Co-starring Sonny Chiba as the villain of the piece, this
funky, anachronistic, often playful jidaigeki romp makes its US Blu-ray
premiere via Arrow Video in a new digital restoration. Though the disc itself, presented in scope
2.35:1 widescreen with original Japanese or English dubbed mono sound, is a bit
light on extras, the firepower contained therein this wild and occasionally
wacky flick featuring a twenty-something Sanada onscreen (mostly shirtless for
the ladies) is so strong it makes this one of the boutique label’s most
confident Asian releases in some time.
Amid the Sengoku period in medieval Japan, a young well-dressed
and mannered loner named Takamaru Momochi (Hiroyuki Sanada) in a small boat
sails ashore. Unbeknownst to his arch
nemesis ninja Shiranui (Sonny Chiba) who years prior betrayed and murdered his
father, Takamura has been in hiding as a karate master who gradually makes his
way back to Japan to face his enemy.
However, Shiranui maintains a firm iron grip over the village including
access to firearms which prove quick and effective in quelling dissent. Takamaru must not only gather back together
the last vestiges of his clan to fend off Shiranui’s armada, but he must begin training
in the illicit art of ninjutsu if he has any hope of overthrowing Shiranui and
restoring honor to the Iga.
The first thing one notices right away is the soundtrack by
Masakatsu Suzuki which is totally anachronistic in every conceivable way,
ranging from jazz to progressive rock to electronica, all culminating in a
funky vibe which tells you however violent and gory things get in this saga,
you shouldn’t take it too seriously. The
action fighting choreography and acrobatics by Sonny Chiba’s Japan Action Club
team, supporting performances by Sister Street Fighter actress Etsuko
Shihomi and G.I. Samurai costar Asao Koike and offbeat mixture of period
photography with present soundscapes all build towards an unlikely if not somewhat
sour fruity cocktail that you just want seconds of after an initial
helping. Seeing Sanada so young figuring
out his star powers in this jidaigeki with Sonny Chiba deliciously hamming it
up as the villain is a rare screen delight of classical ‘good guys vs bad guys’
melodrama.
An inspired and hyperkinetic entry in the Japanese
action-comedy mixed with the ultraviolent jidaigeki and the karate film, Shogun’s
Ninja arrives on Blu-ray disc via Arrow Films on the cusp of another Suzuki/Sanada/Chiba
collaboration with their impending Toy Robot release of 1981’s Roaring Fire. The Arrow disc comes with a new commentary by
Asian cinema expert Chris Poggiali, a video interview with Japanese film expert
Clement Rauger and a collector’s booklet featuring new essay writing by Earl
Jackson.
As a newcomer to this, Shogun’s
Ninja was a carefully constructed and perfected explosion of sheer creative
adrenaline as pop entertainment. Sure we’ve
seen this kind of story before but it comes together so well with such a, dare
I say it, tongue-in-cheek playful attitude about itself we’re just eating it up
in massive helpings. Quite an incredible
start to an already legendary Japanese actor’s career in the film and
television omniverse.
--Andrew Kotwicki
