Demons, 1971
Gengobei (Katsuo Nakamura) is a samurai who needs money to buy himself back into good standing. While his loyal servant, Hachiemon (Masao Imafuku) manages to raise the money for his master, Gengobei becomes conflicted when he learns that the woman he loves, Koman (Yasuko Sanjo) needs a debt paid before she can marry. Against his much better judgment (and the very vocal protests of Hachiemon!), he pays the money. Soon, though, he learns the whole situation was a scam masterminded by Koman and her husband, Sangoro (Juro Kawa). Out his 100 ryo and his lover, Gengobei sets out on a path of bloody revenge.
Absolutely loved this one.
Whoever said "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" needs to sit down and have a hot sake with Gengobei. As the film goes on---and more and more bodies pile up, some of them innocent---Gengobei just keeps digging himself deeper and deeper. His sense of self-righteousness fuels him past the point where the original crime bears any resemblance to the horror show he rains down on anyone he deems responsible for it.
From a filmmaking point of view, my favorite aspect was definitely the way that the film creates a highly subjective experience, usually from Gengobei's point of view. The tone is set for this in the very first sequence, which turns out to be a dream. From there, scenes play out only to cut back and for us to realize that they are scenarios that Gengobei is playing out in his head. Through these visions we get a glimpse of who Gengobei wants to be, as well as his initial impulses. Most often these sequences are fantasies, such as imagining the bloody outcome of poisoning his scammers, or earlier when he imagines heroically bursting into the room to pay Koman's debts. Other times, a moment will play over and over again. Are these moments that are being seared into Gengobei's memory? Moments that he is having trouble processing? Even when I didn't 100% understand the intention behind some of these shots, I loved the dreamy element that they added to the film. I often will imagine conversations or replay interactions in my head, and it was really cool seeing that mental process portrayed so well on screen.
Much like how I felt about
Magical Girl, it's interesting to see the way that something that begins feeling like a drama or thriller morphs into the horror realm. Slowly but surely, the movie just keeps crossing boundaries. This is not just true of the film itself in terms of gore, but also in terms of the characters. It's like everyone's morality just cuts loose, and people who have only showed one kind of deception or aggression will suddenly really cross a line that you didn't see coming.
The only downside for me was that everyone, well, kind of is awful in their own ways. Awful or annoying. Sometimes both. Now, the story is so compelling that this doesn't derail the movie at all. But it was hard not having anyone to really root for. There's a short stretch where it appears that
WARNING: spoilers below
aside from their scamming, Koman and Gengobei might just be this nice young couple who had to do one unscrupulous thing to get out from under some debt. Instead we go from that impression to them offing Koman's brother because they accidentally poisoned him.
aside from their scamming, Koman and Gengobei might just be this nice young couple who had to do one unscrupulous thing to get out from under some debt. Instead we go from that impression to them offing Koman's brother because they accidentally poisoned him.
. I would have almost preferred that they stay in that former mode, because I think it would have added more horror to what was happening. As the film stands, there's kind of a
Bay of Blood thing happening. Everyone is so awful that it diminishes your investment in their ultimate fates.
That said, the film has an incredible, unrelenting pace. It's the kind of movie where I thought I was like 20 minutes in and instead it was 50---it just flies by. It all builds to a conclusion that might feel a bit contrived if it weren't for the fact that it's such a perfect gut-punch that all you can do is give the whole thing a slow clap.
It also looks AMAZING, with great use of black and white and the contrast between light and shadow. The use of overhead shots, multiple layers of depth to shots, and the liberal use of dramatic sprays of blood make for a movie that looks great from the first shot to the last.