Onimasa: A Japanese Godfather

	Rating: 3 out of 5 Original Title: Kiryûin Hanako no shôgai Japanese: 鬼龍院花子の生涯 Release Date: 1982 Director: Hideo Gosha Netflix Link IMDb Link

Tatsuya Nakadai is the best thing about Onimasa. His character is relatively despicable, yet he still manages to convey qualities of humanity, no matter how fleeting. In fact, Nakadai carries this film trailing along behind him as it kicks and screams like a stubborn five year old child. That is not to say that the rest of the cast isn’t excellent, because it is, but it takes more than a good cast to make the nearly 2.5 hour run time of this film go faster than it does. Hideo Gosha is a capable director, but he is in dire need of a good editor. This is not the first Gosha film where I checked to see how much time was left and groaned when I discovered that I was barely halfway through. Onimasa is definitely not a bad film. It has moments of levity, real emotional depth and even some swordplay scattered throughout, but it’s not enough. It’s like a big, chewy, chocolate chip cookie with only a few chocolate chips. Onimasa is worth watching if you’re a fan of the Yakuza films or Tatsuya Nakadai, but others need not bother.

The Human Condition Trilogy

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Original Title: Ningen no joken Release Date: 1959 Director: Masaki Kobayashi Netflix Link IMDb Link

At nearly 10 hours, not including the 4th special features disc, The Human Condition Trilogy is a big commitment and I wouldn’t recommend it for casual viewers of Japanese cinema. That being said, this trilogy is spectacular. It’s beautifully shot and incredibly heartfelt. It is a tad melodramatic at times, but if you put it in context (it was made when Japan was just coming out of the post-war era), it’s completely understandable. The films definitely have an anti-war slant, particularly anti-Japanese military, and they put a rather harsh light on Japan’s involvement in WW2. Strangely, the Soviets end up looking mildly better than the Japanese, but no one is spared the impact of its message. These films were not made for western audiences in the sense that the statement is directed at Japanese viewers, yet there’s enough universal human appeal to make it worthwhile viewing. Set in Manchuria, The Human Condition Trilogy presents a poignant viewpoint on a little known Japanese battlefield in WW2. It is masterfully filmed, well-acted and Tatsuya Nakadai can do no wrong. 4.5 stars.

Harakiri

	Rating: 5 out of 5 Original Title: Seppuku Release Date: 1962 Director: Masaki Kobayashi Netflix Link IMDb Link

Harakiri is a masterpiece of the samurai genre and quite possibly the best film Shochiku ever produced. Not only is its setting historically accurate, but the story that is told here is nothing short of badass. The tragic tale takes place during a time of peace when the noble warrior class of samurai was becoming extinct. It is yet another stellar role for Tatsuya Nakadai, cementing him as one of the greatest samurai actors of all time. There’s just so much that’s right about this film that it doesn’t bear going into other than to say that Harakiri stands along with Sword of Doom and Seven Samurai as essential, must-see samurai film recommendations.

Kwaidan

	Rating: 5 out of 5 Original Title: Kaidan Release Date: 1964 Director: Masaki Kobayashi Netflix Link IMDb Link

I do love a good ghost story. Especially the folkloric Japanese variety that are less about thrills and scares than they are portending woe as a result of human foibles. They don’t necessarily preach morality, but they make it very clear as to what the spirit world is willing to forgive and what it is not. The four stories in this film all share the same theme of mending your ways before it’s too late. There is a price to be paid for vanity, greed and excess. This movie is easily one of the more beautiful classic Japanese films around. Right up there with Mizoguchi’s Ugetsu, it is beautifully composed and a necessary watch for any Japanese cinephile.

Battle of Okinawa

	Rating: 3 out of 5 Original Title: Gekido No Showashi: Okinawa Kessen Release Date: 1971 Director: Kihachi Okamoto Netflix Link IMDb Link

Battle of Okinawa, why are you so long? Had this film been shorter, it would have been a brutally naturalistic glimpse at what went on inside those hollowed out caves on Okinawa. But as it is, it’s just too much. And I don’t mean that the editing was shoddy. I mean that there are too much guts, trauma and visceral emotion thrown at the screen for that period of time. And when you add in actual newsreel footage, it takes the atrocities to a whole different level. Anyone watching this already knows how it’s going to end, so, the tension that is there is all the more painful to watch. If you are curious to see the Japanese perspective on this WW2 Pacific theater battle, there is no better exemplar than Battle of Okinawa, but be prepared for a poignant viewing experience.

Kagemusha

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Release Date: 1980 Director: Akira Kurosawa Netflix Link IMDb Link

Epic is a word that comes to mind. Epic in scope, timeline, scenery, costumes, cinematography and certainly in length, Kagemusha is a must-see for fans of historical(ish) Japanese dramas. Because of its grand scale, Toho Studios ran out of money to fund it. So, George Lucas and Francis Ford Copolla stepped in to arrange financing which is why you’ll see their names incongruously appear in the credits. While the Takeda/Kagemusha plotline is fiction, the backdrop of pre-Tokugawa era Japan is nearly perfectly historic. Typical of Kurosawa, Kagemusha, while telling a tale of intrigue and warfare, is also a philosophical treatise on Japan’s class system and traditional way of life. If you aren’t a Tatsuya Nakadai fan to begin with, you will be after seeing Kagemusha.

The Wolves

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Original Title: Shussho Iwai Release Date: 1971 Director: Hideo Gosha Netflix Link IMDb Link

Tatsuya Nakadai, Noboro Ando, gang wars, trickery, betrayal, violence, female assassins, swordplay, gushing blood, doomed love affairs, tattoos, sex, traditional Japanese drumming and even a puppy; Yay! The Wolves has it all. Every contrived and cliched yakuza and samurai theme is used in this movie, and yet, it all works beautifully. Tatsuya Nakadai with his brooding, sad eyes and Noboro Ando, who really was yakuza before becoming an actor, square off magnificently as the 2nd lieutenants of two corrupt gang bosses who have come to a temporary peace. Each gang is vying for total control and, ultimately, they will screw anyone in their way to the top with disastrous results. If you are a fan of the samurai and/or yakuza genres, you will find sheer entertainment in all its trite glory with The Wolves.

Portrait of Hell

	Rating: 3 out of 5 Original Title: Jigokuhen Release Date: 1968 Director: Shirô Toyoda Netflix Link IMDb Link

The Japanese love working their superstitions involving ghosts and karmic retribution into films as often as possible. Portrait of Hell is another folkloric Japanese story brought to life with some pretty unconvincing special effects and a plot that requires total suspension of disbelief. Personally, I love this superstitious quality of the Japanese culture. I find it fascinating that an advanced society could really believe the things they do. Portrait of Hell is not the best of these types of films but, it’s story is almost interesting enough to overcome the visuals. In my opinion, with Tatsuya Nakadai as the lead, you really can’t go entirely wrong. If this film had had a lesser star at the helm, I wouldn’t have liked it at all.

Goyôkin

	Rating: 5 out of 5 Release Date: 1969 Director: Hideo Gosha Netflix Link IMDb Link

Goyôkin is a near-perfect samurai film. Tatsuya Nakadai plays Magobei Wakizaka, a samurai who leaves his clan, including his wife, because he disagrees with the corruption spearheaded by his best friend and brother in law. In order to spare himself from killing his friend and destroying his clan in the process, Magobei chooses to exile himself. But the accord is broken and he returns to his clan in the name of honor. This is a dream part for Tatsuya Nakadai. Nobody could have done it better. I suppose it’s only natural to compare Goyôkin with The Sword of Doom and, while there are similarities, the character Nakadai plays in Goyôkin is more nuanced and has much more depth. Both the story and the execution of it are gripping, suspenseful and hauntingly beautiful. I debated whether to give this film 4 or 5 stars, but honestly, I can’t think of any reason why it doesn’t deserve 5.

Kill!

	Rating: 5 out of 5 Original Title: Kiru! Release Date: 1968 Director: Kihachi Okamoto Netflix Link IMDb Link

Kill! is a parody of the samurai genre. Don’t worry, it was intended as such. Kill! incorporates all of the most commonly used devices in samurai films. It has down and out ronin, trickery, betrayal, corruption of power and, of course, swordplay. Tatsuya Nakadai and Etsushi Takahashi are brilliant as they bounce back and forth off of each other. I found myself laughing out loud at the subtle humor, clever dialog and physicality of Nakadai in this film. It’s quite a switch from his typically brutal, brooding type of role. If you haven’t seen a samurai film before, Kill! would not be the place to start. It takes a base-level knowledge of the genre to be in on the joke. But, if you are a fan of samurai movies, I highly recommend this film. Just don’t take it too seriously.