A dodgy swordmaster, a psychic and an army of monkeys -- to name a few -- face off against a shadowy religious organization that has started riots. This is the story of "Punk Zamurai Kiraretesoro" (Punksamurai Slash Down), a movie adaptation of the surreal period novel of the same title by Ko Machida.
The film is set in the Edo period (1603-1867). Masterless samurai Kake Junoshin sees two pilgrims, an old man and his daughter, resting by the roadside, and suddenly kills the old man. Kake claims that the man was a member of the religious group Harafurito and says he can eliminate the harmful organization, in a bid to ingratiate himself with the Kuroae domain.
Naito (played by Etsushi Toyokawa), the seasoned chief retainer of the domain, plots to use the incident to oust rival retainer Oura (Jun Kunimura). Harafurito has actually been dissolved, but Naito sweet-talks Kake while egging on a former senior member of the group (Tadanobu Asano) to revive Harafurito. The situation snowballs, and Kake and Naito's bluff plunges the domain into crisis.
Kake, a "punk samurai," is played by Go Ayano. Kankuro Kudo wrote the script, and the film was directed by Gakuryu Ishii, who is known for speedy, dynamic scenes. Keiko Kitagawa appears as the mysterious beauty Kake falls in love with. The film's theme song is "Anarchy in the U.K." by Sex Pistols.
Three "very punk" artists -- Ayano, Kudo and Ishii -- gathered to talk about the film ahead of its release late last month.
The Yomiuri Shimbun: How did this film adaptation come about?
Ishii: I've always loved Machida's novels and wanted to make them into films someday. This one is particularly difficult to adapt. It's like Mt. Everest. The plot is outrageous, and there's even a monkey who speaks human words. I thought if I was going to work with his novels, I should climb the highest peak.
Ayano: It's taken you 13 years, right?
Kudo: It's about a "punk samurai." People who like punk [culture] think they know best. The same goes for fans of Ishii films; every one of them proudly thinks, "I'm the one who loves them best." Well, I'm one of them. But it was scary. I was so happy to receive the offer to write the script that I almost jumped at the offer, but I tried not to go overboard.
Yomiuri: Why did you cast Mr. Ayano as the protagonist, the super-sloppy samurai Kake Junoshin?
Ishii: He was the perfect match when I thought of an actor who can play a wide range of roles, who has the physical ability to do an action film, who's sexy and looks superhuman, and has the charm of a bad boy. He's also good-looking.
Ayano: I'm more of an actor with a strong character than a good-looking guy.
Ishii: Like a hybrid of a mad dog and a stray dog?
Ayano: I'm honored. This was the first time I'd read a script by Mr. Kudo. I was really impressed. It's filled with jokes, and I thought: "Mr. Kudo was going bonkers." There are many surprising tricks, like puzzle boxes.
Kudo: You're talking about the one that doesn't open easily. As the film begins, Kake suddenly kills an old man with his sword. From then on, he only does outrageous things, doesn't he? It's a story about him, a ronin masterless samurai who tries to get hired by a feudal domain and meets various people. But what he does and says are totally incoherent. That's why it's funny. I guess that's what makes him a punk samurai. He can contradict himself in his speech and his actions, so it was fun writing his lines.
Ayano: At first, I went to the film set very seriously, with a solid acting plan. But midway through the shooting, I came to think, "Whatever."
Kudo: I see. Maybe you wouldn't have been able to play Kake if you didn't think "Whatever" somewhere in your mind.
Ishii: It's all good. Films are like a dream. They can be absurd. But the feelings must be real.
Yomiuri: Mr. Kudo is a fan of Mr. Ishii, right? What was the first film of his that you saw?
Kudo: "Bakuretsu Toshi: Burst City." I saw it on video when I was a teenager. It blew me away. I thought it was great.
Ishii: Both "Baku-retsu Toshi" and "Kuruizaki Thunder Road" (Crazy Thunder Road) were like documentaries about my friends, who said they wanted to see my films with them just as they were at that time [in the 1980s]. We were all filled with anger that we couldn't express in words, and I couldn't help but explode that anger into films.
Kudo: I think Mr. Ishii taught me the spirit of rock 'n' roll and punk. But when I got involved in film production, I found myself unable to present the kind of speedy dynamism [that his films have], no matter how much I tried. I like making films about interesting situations or ill-advised things.
Ishii: Films are produced by people who live their lives in the present, so whether they're serious or funny, they reflect the reality of today. By becoming a film, the time now becomes an "eternal now." I think that's the beauty of films. But in those days, I wasn't thinking at all about what lay ahead.
Yomiuri: Doesn't that ring a bell, Mr. Ayano ... ?
Ayano: Yes. The day after graduating from high school, I saw the famous crossing in Shibuya on TV and thought I had to go there. It was stupid thinking. I hitchhiked to Tokyo from Gifu Prefecture, where I was born and raised.
Ishii and Kudo: Really?!
Ayano: Unlike the countryside, all the people I passed by in the crossing were strangers! I felt completely liberated. Well, after a while, I began realizing that's pretty risky.
Yomiuri: How punk.
Ishii: That's funny.
Visit www.punksamurai.jp for more information.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
