Kakunoshin Yanagida is cursed with a dishonorable nemesis. He unwaveringly abides
by the Bushido code, but Hyogo Shibata does not. For most of his film, Yanagida
must settle for his dignity but there comes a point when it is time for revenge
in Kazuya Shiraishi’s Bushido, which releases today in theaters.
Yanagida
and his long-suffering daughter Kinu eke a subsistence living. She takes in laundry.
He engraves seals. His only indulgence is the occasional game of go, but, as in
all things, he plays with an almost perverse sense of honor. However, that makes
quite an impression on go-obsessed pawn broker Genbei Yorozuya, who also
recognizes Yanagida’s superior knack for strategy. Soon, they become unlikely
friends, but Yanagida faces potential ruin as result of Yorozuya’s own
negligence.
Just
when Yanagida’s reputation in the provincial town craters, his old samurai
comrade arrives with news. His former clan wishes to welcome Yanagida back to
the domain. His duplicitous rival Shibata has been exposed as the real thief of
the lord’s precious scroll. That was the same crime Yanagida was scapegoated
and banished for. True to form, Shibata fled like the dishonorable coward he
has always been, so Yanagida intends to extract the justice demanded by the
Bushido code. However, he needs time, so Kinu buys him a year, by essentially mortgaging
herself.
Bushido
is aptly titled,
because it is as much about the rigorous ethical framework of the Bushido Code,
as the swordplay necessary to complete Yanagida’s mission. In fact, Shiraishi
holds back the Chanbara hack-and-slash action until late in the third act—but it
is worth the wait. Instead, he invests the time establishing Yanagida, Kinu,
Yorozuya, and the merchant’s adopted heir, Yakichi, which makes the potential
tragedy they each face hit with powerful force.
They were
like an early Meiji Era Dirty Dozen except there were only eleven of them. In
fact, the so-called “Suicide Squad” were initially only ten condemned prisoners
who agreed to fight for the Shibata Domain, but somehow, they will add one more.
They will need the reinforcements to hold the fort (literally) in Kazuya Shiraishi’s
11 Rebels, which releases today on DVD and VOD.
Masa
was condemned for killing the Shibata samurai who attacked his wife, so as far
as he is concerned, the rest of the clan can go die a fiery death. Nevertheless,
Natsu the lady arsonist (who is stuck with all their domestic chores),
convinces him to join the others “rebels,” to gain his freedom and provide for
his wife.
It will
be a motley crew, including the hulking serial killer, a defrocked priest, a
village madman, and Koshiba, an old man, who, ironically happens to be the best
swordsman of the lot. Ostensibly, they fall under the command of a handful of
Shibata samurai, including the young and honorable Washio Heishiro and duplicitous
Irie Kazuma. However, the Rebels take command of themselves once they discover
Kazuma and Mizoguchi Takumi, the chief retainer, intend to betray them after the
battle. That definitely prompts an “I told you so” moment from Masa, but the rebellious
Rebels are still the only protection their village has from the approaching
Imperial army.
The
mayhem of 11 Rebels is not quite as spectacular as that of Miike’s 13 Assassins, but it is still pretty impressive. (To be fair, they also have
two fewer rebels than assassins.) Jun’ya Ikegami’s screenplay was inspired by
an unproduced and now lost screenplay written by Kazuo Kasahara way back in the
1960s. It is definitely dark, but its tragic heroism nicely taps into the concept
of the “Nobility of Failure” popularized in academic circles by Ivan Morris. If
you don’t really care about that, rest assured there are plenty of cool martial
arts battles.
