We here at SciFiHistory.Net – well, I here at SciFiHistory.Net, anyway – have a fondness for samurai films.
Frankly, I shouldn’t have to explain why, but for those of you who may have missed it the wider universe of Star Wars films, books, and television shows owe a debt to samurai stories, a genre that even creator George Lucas has credited as a major inspiration. I’ll admit that – to a degree – such association may not be apparent with the Original Trilogy, what with the Jedi Order having been desecrated and heroes being in short supply, but this was often the typical framework of the samurai feature as well: a lone warrior – characteristically one without a master or a legion of resources – would take a fateful stand against an overwhelming enemy. Defying the odds, the hero would triumph but not without a great deal of fisticuffs, steely-eyed glares, and dynamic swordplay thrown in between the opening and the closing credits.
So … from time-to-time, I take a gander into the unique subset of action films, especially when they’re being newly released in the U.S. and I can get my hands on a copy reasonably priced or via a distributor relationship. I’ve found a great many of them wildly entertaining for a whole host of different reasons, but, chiefly, it’s grand to see how these thrilling stories of yesteryear continue to resonate in Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, and beyond. While they’re in a class all of their own, I’d argue that anyone watching closely can still see the bits and pieces of their formula still put to great use across multiple genres today.
Today’s inspiration?
1969’s Killer’s Mission (aka Shokin kasegi) was produced by the Toei Company, a name recognized for its contributions to both anime and live-action productions. (In fact, Britannica Online boasts that the company’s subsidiary – Toei Animation – is the largest distributor of anime in the world.) Based on what I’ve read, the movers and shakers at Toei saw in the late 1960’s the emergence of the popular trend of spy pictures on the international scene. As an article on Japan On Film states, the Japanese really had no foothold with which to weave such stories in the present, but they could make use of such elements in the past: the Shogunate was the military establishment of Japan from 1192 through 1867 (per Google.com), so storytellers sought to go back in time with thrillers featuring samurai warriors with gadgetry, dangerous women, and the requisite male-focused hedonism.
Move over, James Bond. Make way for Shikoro Ichibei!
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
Frankly, I shouldn’t have to explain why, but for those of you who may have missed it the wider universe of Star Wars films, books, and television shows owe a debt to samurai stories, a genre that even creator George Lucas has credited as a major inspiration. I’ll admit that – to a degree – such association may not be apparent with the Original Trilogy, what with the Jedi Order having been desecrated and heroes being in short supply, but this was often the typical framework of the samurai feature as well: a lone warrior – characteristically one without a master or a legion of resources – would take a fateful stand against an overwhelming enemy. Defying the odds, the hero would triumph but not without a great deal of fisticuffs, steely-eyed glares, and dynamic swordplay thrown in between the opening and the closing credits.
So … from time-to-time, I take a gander into the unique subset of action films, especially when they’re being newly released in the U.S. and I can get my hands on a copy reasonably priced or via a distributor relationship. I’ve found a great many of them wildly entertaining for a whole host of different reasons, but, chiefly, it’s grand to see how these thrilling stories of yesteryear continue to resonate in Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, and beyond. While they’re in a class all of their own, I’d argue that anyone watching closely can still see the bits and pieces of their formula still put to great use across multiple genres today.
Today’s inspiration?
1969’s Killer’s Mission (aka Shokin kasegi) was produced by the Toei Company, a name recognized for its contributions to both anime and live-action productions. (In fact, Britannica Online boasts that the company’s subsidiary – Toei Animation – is the largest distributor of anime in the world.) Based on what I’ve read, the movers and shakers at Toei saw in the late 1960’s the emergence of the popular trend of spy pictures on the international scene. As an article on Japan On Film states, the Japanese really had no foothold with which to weave such stories in the present, but they could make use of such elements in the past: the Shogunate was the military establishment of Japan from 1192 through 1867 (per Google.com), so storytellers sought to go back in time with thrillers featuring samurai warriors with gadgetry, dangerous women, and the requisite male-focused hedonism.
Move over, James Bond. Make way for Shikoro Ichibei!
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“A shogunate secret agent is sent to investigate a secret deal with a Dutch warship involving repeating rifles to be used in an uprising against the Shogun, but he finds there’s more going on than previously suspected.”
When learning about samurai films, there’s this weird confluence that gets discussed again and again by film historians.
From what we know, these chanbara flicks – as they’ve been called – served chiefly as stimulus for Italian cinema when that nation’s visual storytellers got into the business of using them as inspiration for what ultimately became the Spaghetti Westerns. Then – as fate would have it – these Spaghetti Westerns and their associated tropes (which, incidentally, included greater and greater uses of technology according to pop culture researcher Christopher Frayling) eventually made their way back to Japan. Once there, these films began influencing the contemporary Japanese filmmakers to stir the pot up a little more, as they drew upon their Italian counterparts for equal inspiration in twisting the samurai formula when box office receipts began to dip. The result was the ‘Samurai Spy’ story, a development that might be aptly brought to the screen with The Bounty Hunter Trilogy, a series that included 1969’s Killer’s Mission, 1969’s The Fort Of Death (aka Gonin no Shôkin Kasegi), and 1972’s Bounty Hunter 3: Eight Men To Kill (aka Shôkin kubi: Isshun hachi-nin giri).
As the debut theatrical outing for Shikoro Ichibei (as played by Tomisaburô Wakayama), Killer’s Mission is a bit uneven. Audiences tuning in for a traditional samurai story were likely a bit confused with the warrior/spy’s arsenal of lethal goodies, but thankfully none of the devices ever really overshadows the plot to the point of being incredulous, though some might’ve asked why Ichibei didn’t make more use of such concealed weapons with greater frequency. The truth there would probably be that the emphasis on action was always intended to revolve around crossed swords and not, say, ‘pistols at dawn’ as that’s what put ‘butts in the seats.’ In this respect, Ichibei is no slouch, and he makes the best of a quick blade especially when his adversaries needed to take extra time to reload.
As for the story? Ichibei gets dispatched by the shogunate to a province that has curried favor with a Dutch seafaring captain who has promised to supply the Satsuma clan with rifles they can use to overthrow the ruling Tokugawa clan, a fact that the film claims is pulled from history (though they state the records have been destroyed). On his journey – much like James Bond – Ichibei joins forces with men and women alike, including another ronin masquerading as a simpleton and a female assassin named Kagero (Yumiko Nogawa) who’s equally adept at killing and outfitted with spy devices all of her own. Ultimately, the good guys have to work together to overcome those villainous Dutch, and even Ichibei and Kagero are allowed to find love in the final reel.
“A shogunate secret agent is sent to investigate a secret deal with a Dutch warship involving repeating rifles to be used in an uprising against the Shogun, but he finds there’s more going on than previously suspected.”
When learning about samurai films, there’s this weird confluence that gets discussed again and again by film historians.
From what we know, these chanbara flicks – as they’ve been called – served chiefly as stimulus for Italian cinema when that nation’s visual storytellers got into the business of using them as inspiration for what ultimately became the Spaghetti Westerns. Then – as fate would have it – these Spaghetti Westerns and their associated tropes (which, incidentally, included greater and greater uses of technology according to pop culture researcher Christopher Frayling) eventually made their way back to Japan. Once there, these films began influencing the contemporary Japanese filmmakers to stir the pot up a little more, as they drew upon their Italian counterparts for equal inspiration in twisting the samurai formula when box office receipts began to dip. The result was the ‘Samurai Spy’ story, a development that might be aptly brought to the screen with The Bounty Hunter Trilogy, a series that included 1969’s Killer’s Mission, 1969’s The Fort Of Death (aka Gonin no Shôkin Kasegi), and 1972’s Bounty Hunter 3: Eight Men To Kill (aka Shôkin kubi: Isshun hachi-nin giri).
As the debut theatrical outing for Shikoro Ichibei (as played by Tomisaburô Wakayama), Killer’s Mission is a bit uneven. Audiences tuning in for a traditional samurai story were likely a bit confused with the warrior/spy’s arsenal of lethal goodies, but thankfully none of the devices ever really overshadows the plot to the point of being incredulous, though some might’ve asked why Ichibei didn’t make more use of such concealed weapons with greater frequency. The truth there would probably be that the emphasis on action was always intended to revolve around crossed swords and not, say, ‘pistols at dawn’ as that’s what put ‘butts in the seats.’ In this respect, Ichibei is no slouch, and he makes the best of a quick blade especially when his adversaries needed to take extra time to reload.
As for the story? Ichibei gets dispatched by the shogunate to a province that has curried favor with a Dutch seafaring captain who has promised to supply the Satsuma clan with rifles they can use to overthrow the ruling Tokugawa clan, a fact that the film claims is pulled from history (though they state the records have been destroyed). On his journey – much like James Bond – Ichibei joins forces with men and women alike, including another ronin masquerading as a simpleton and a female assassin named Kagero (Yumiko Nogawa) who’s equally adept at killing and outfitted with spy devices all of her own. Ultimately, the good guys have to work together to overcome those villainous Dutch, and even Ichibei and Kagero are allowed to find love in the final reel.
For what it’s worth, Wakayama clearly never won any awards for being a kinda/sorta stand-in for James Bond. In fact, one might make the case that he looks more like a Bond villain or certainly one of the villain’s many henchmen than he does the commanding lead. Despite operating under the cover of disguise or secret identity here and there, he’s a rather dour if not downright plump figure, hardly imposing except when characteristically crossing swords with a rival who isn’t about to last long. While some could argue that he’s miscast as the lead, I can say having met two legitimate spies in my lifetime that he does possess that reasonably average appearance which might get overlooked in the whole ‘vetting one’s enemies’ process. The script does grant him the – ahem – typical sexual prowess afforded only the world’s most deadly agents, so there’s once again something to be said for participating with any career perks. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em, ladies. It’ll likely be the best you’ve ever had.
Still, I’ll admit to occasionally feeling disjointed in my enjoyment of Killer’s Mission. The story never quite makes perfect sense, and I never quite got all that comfortable with samurais exchanging blades for bullets even when it happens sparingly. Thankfully, there’s a hip coolness to the whole affair – one that benefits from Ichibei’s brute force when required – so it still manages to feel like a welcome trip home for those of us showing up and expecting more of the same. It both is and isn’t a traditional samurai flick, and I suspect this is the greatest reason to invest the time to endure this mission. It’s definitely something different.
Killer’s Mission (1969) was produced by Toei Company. DVD distribution (for this particular release) is being handled by the good people at Radiance Films as part of their The Bounty Hunter Trilogy Collection. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I found the sights-and-sounds to this all-new Blu-ray release – FYI: the first time anywhere in the world – to be good but imperfect: while the sound works just fine, I thought the colors were a bit muted here and there, giving the film a darkness at times that seemed a bit harsh. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? As I’m provided only screener/copy discs, I can’t speak for the efficacy of all the materials, but the collection does boast an audio commentary by film historian Tom Mes (I found it a bit dry) along with a few other shorts and/or interviews.
Recommended.
As I stated above, I think the biggest and best reason to visit Killer’s Mission (1969) is the fact that it both is and isn’t a samurai flick. The narrative takes something old and finds a way to make it damn near entirely new but only in places. History buffs might be able to poke holes in what was available in the time and place, but – like any spy yarn – the fantastic elements can be easily reconciled for entertainment value. Wakayama doesn’t emerge as any Sean Connery, but he isn’t any Roger Moore (in the actor’s later efforts, anyway); instead, he bridges the divide between samurai and spy quite nicely, even aping it up for laughs when the script calls for it. Nicely done.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Radiance Films provided me with a complimentary screener of 1969’s Killer’s Moon – as part of their The Bounty Hunter Trilogy – by request for the expressed purpose of creating this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Still, I’ll admit to occasionally feeling disjointed in my enjoyment of Killer’s Mission. The story never quite makes perfect sense, and I never quite got all that comfortable with samurais exchanging blades for bullets even when it happens sparingly. Thankfully, there’s a hip coolness to the whole affair – one that benefits from Ichibei’s brute force when required – so it still manages to feel like a welcome trip home for those of us showing up and expecting more of the same. It both is and isn’t a traditional samurai flick, and I suspect this is the greatest reason to invest the time to endure this mission. It’s definitely something different.
Killer’s Mission (1969) was produced by Toei Company. DVD distribution (for this particular release) is being handled by the good people at Radiance Films as part of their The Bounty Hunter Trilogy Collection. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I found the sights-and-sounds to this all-new Blu-ray release – FYI: the first time anywhere in the world – to be good but imperfect: while the sound works just fine, I thought the colors were a bit muted here and there, giving the film a darkness at times that seemed a bit harsh. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? As I’m provided only screener/copy discs, I can’t speak for the efficacy of all the materials, but the collection does boast an audio commentary by film historian Tom Mes (I found it a bit dry) along with a few other shorts and/or interviews.
Recommended.
As I stated above, I think the biggest and best reason to visit Killer’s Mission (1969) is the fact that it both is and isn’t a samurai flick. The narrative takes something old and finds a way to make it damn near entirely new but only in places. History buffs might be able to poke holes in what was available in the time and place, but – like any spy yarn – the fantastic elements can be easily reconciled for entertainment value. Wakayama doesn’t emerge as any Sean Connery, but he isn’t any Roger Moore (in the actor’s later efforts, anyway); instead, he bridges the divide between samurai and spy quite nicely, even aping it up for laughs when the script calls for it. Nicely done.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Radiance Films provided me with a complimentary screener of 1969’s Killer’s Moon – as part of their The Bounty Hunter Trilogy – by request for the expressed purpose of creating this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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