Goyokin. by Hideo Gosha (1969). Review from Media Blasters R1 USA DVD.

Fine, I quite like the odd bit of slightly older cinema. 1969 may not be that long ago, but it is in comparison to most of what I watch and I tend to steer well clear as I find the atmosphere of older films to really make a dent in my head for the remainder of the day. Still, I take my chances and sometimes pop one on pre-order in hope of finding something that's a little classy. Generally, I find this period of Samurai Cinema to be very much on a par with American Westerns in many departments - they hold a lot of similar elements and play out in similar ways, are often shot and told as sparingly as one another. What does really get to me, though, is that the balance in Samurai movies often shifts to almost static cinematography with huge amounts of complicated plotting and almost impenetrable plots. Here comes Hideo Gosha then, one of the genuine masters of the genre to set my preconceptions a little differently.

Goyokin refers to shipments of Gold and Silver, mined in various areas of Japan, and the basis for financial support for all those in control and below. If that's the Gold and Silver itself or the act of shipment I am not entirely sure. Anyway, the point is we're talking struggles over money. Tatsuya Nakadai gains the main role as Magobei, a man who works as a Samurai in the Sabai Domain, who discovers his colleagues are using myths of dangerous forces to cover their tracks as they wreak havoc on the lower ends of their population and steal the Goyokin they have rescued from the rocks below their immediate coastline. In disgust Magobei walks away from his job and survives a lowly existence in Edo for three years, until his Sabai colleagues are in dire need to cover-up more Goyokin theft.

Magobei returns then to Sabai, and the majority of the film is the careful correction and atonement for the sins of those he once worked alongside. Romance and friendship all balance out the story nicely, with very few key characters and no intent to misdirect the audience with anyone scripted unintentionally in order to deceive you as to the motives, intentions and those who are responsible for the huge loss of life in the name of honor. Nakadai is the gem in the movie, with a great ability to remain largely silent, still and menacing - the odd whipping out of his sword a deadly and brief warning to anyone getting in his way - and the gradual determination to correct the negatives of his life grab you and draw you in with great effect.

The benefit of this particular film is how sparsely it is told, how carefully it unfolds in glorious details, the splashes of frenetic action and subtle camera work. It has no obvious stylings beyond the typically broad landscapes, forests, coastlines that create a dramatic and baron feel to add to the simple stuggles of the lives of those involved. Political plotting is at a minimum, but the situations and emotions are incredibly complex and deep. Its full 124 minute play-out time is used in a mostly slow pace, and the moments of drama, the sword fights and dialogue sections carefully considered and timed, building to a more and more dramatic story. Completely engrossing like no other Samurai movie I've seen, it's a good halfway point between the usually over-complicated layers of other movies and the more pop end of the scale. A really masterfully judged piece of cinema in almost every respect, I can't recommend it enough to fans of any element you might pick up on from what I've briefly written here. Great drama, great action, stunning solid acting, clever and deep script. A very powerful piece of film making from an amazing director.

There are always things to pick up, new films appearing, and the Samurai Movie is something of which there were clearly many made over decades of Cinema History in Japan. Goyokin, intentional masterpiece or happy accident is certainly something I recommend tracking down, it's an easy find now thanks to Media Blasters disc, and it's unlikely that it will be that easy beyond it's initial release to find regular discussion of, it will probably get lost within the genre. Shame the disc is at fault for a slightly patchy transfer, some print damage and flickering visible at some points, but largely it's not at all distracting and the colors, although muted because of the style Gosha puts on the film, are nicely represented for the very large majority of the time. Don't let it pass by then, very much worth seeing.