Reviewed as part of the 27th Leeds International Film Festival (6-21 Nov, 2013)
rating: 3
Dir: Takanori Tsujimoto, 2013
Weary samurai Toramaru (Mitsuki Koga) has returned from his year-long pilgrimage, having travelled across Japan and fought against seven formidable foes. Now, kneeling before his sensei Gensai (Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi), he relates the challenges through flashback, with each of his enemies representing a different martial art and, crucially, a telltale dish. Toramaru begins every account with a description of his preparatory meal, with Gensai excitedly trying to piece together the clues like a culinary Clouseau. Welcome to the Cosmic Way, where honour and enlightenment can be achieved through one sacred tenet: know your opponent through what he eats.
It may be a gimmick, but then the martial arts/cuisine comedy crossover is hardly a crowded field. Although the film's low budget is plain to see, such financial restraints have doubtless forced an off-the-wall spontaneity into the script, which, for the most part, work entirely in its favour. For example we discover that, following a series of devastating earthquakes, Osaka has been transformed into a toxic wastleland- hence Toramaru casually entering the scene wearing a gas mask. We accept it without question- just as we do the introduction of a character whose leg is revealed to be, in fact, a shotgun.
But for all its inspired non-sequiturs, Bushido Man nevertheless tries to ground itself to the conventions of the genre; with Gensai reminding his pupil that each fight has taught him a life lesson. And so the reason why Toramaru felt a lack of confidence in one bout, his master explains, is due to the fact that, for the preceding meal, he failed to clear his plate: a silly message but spoken with all the solemnity that the Cosmic Way demands.
Indeed, the film's humour is to be commended; just when it begins to feel like a one-note joke that has dragged on for too long, Tsujimoto (or, rather, Gensai) will be the first to recognise the strange mix of the serious and self-effacing. One early, anticlimactic scene is given a pass simply because Gensai looks as disappointed as we do to have arrived at such a result. His incredulous expression mirrors our own; perhaps pre-emptively saving the film from ridicule, earnestly asking us to just let this one slide. Which, of course, we do. For example, after Toramaru guides his audience through a particularly tenuous spot of wordplay, all Gensai has to do is bark ''Poor pun!'' and, immediately, all is forgiven. However, there is a limit to this self-referential streak and the film ultimately falls apart in the final act. We can overlook the fact that a 'twist' ending, of sorts, had been signposted from almost the very first frame- but it's resolution is less easy to forgive. A clever subversion of the closing credits aside, it does feel like a bit of a cheat in a similar vein to the much-maligned 'remote control' scene from Funny Games. Now, for the first time, the fusion of food and kung-fu really does feel like a gimmick, its USP all but ignored. But don't let a weak finish deter you. Tense and incredibly well-choreographed, the fight sequences make up a considerable bulk of the film's running time, with each opponent practically pulling the film in a different direction - in fact, with seven different characters in seven different locations it's not impossible to imagine the movie as, effectively, seven short films. This near-constant change of scenery not only holds the audience's attention but it also allows Tsujimoto more scope to pay homage to the genre: fans may recognise the reference to the renowned Heroes of the East (1978), as well as actors from such lesser-known films as Alien vs Ninja (Masanori Mimoto) and Hard Revenge Milly (Kensuke Sonomura). Bushido Man belies its meagre budget to produce one of the most original and memorable action films you'll see this year. It's an ambitious, amusing genre movie that, despite a strong start, falls prey to that same cardinal sin of spoofs; namely, that of having your cake and eating it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgRTi0VlaLs