Legend of the Eight Samurai – Eureka

Director: Kinji Fukasaku
Screenplay: Kinji Fukasaku, Toshio Kamata
Based on Novels by: Kyokutei Bakin, Toshio Kamata
Starring: Hiroko Yakushimaru, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shin’ichi Chiba, Mari Natsuki, Yūki Meguro, Etsuko Shihomi, Minori Terada, Masaki Kyômoto, Shunsuke Kariya, Takuya Fukuhara
Country: Japan
Running Time: 136 min
Year: 1983
BBFC Certificate: 15

With the numerous re-releases of Kinji Fukasaku’s crime and Yakuza films on Blu-ray over the past decade or so, as well as his swansong, Battle Royale, it’s easy to think those are the only kinds of films the director made. However, he enjoyed quite a varied career, overall, particularly after giving up on Yakuza films in 1977 (though he would go on to make The Triple Cross in 1992). On top of the genre falling out of favour, he and the studio heads decided to stop making them after a copycat murder took place, based on one from one of Fukasaku’s films.

A couple of Fukasaku’s jidaigeki have been released in the West on disc, such as Samurai Reincarnation and The Fall of Ako Castle, courtesy of Eureka. Now they’re turning their attention to the director’s more fantastical spin on that genre, with Legend of the Eight Samurai. I got hold of a copy to share my thoughts.

Legend of the Eight Samurai is based on a dense, multi-volume novel called ‘The Eight Dog Chronicles’ (a.k.a. ‘Nanso Satomi Hakkenden’), written in the 1800s by Kyokutei Bakin. The author’s work has inspired countless films, TV shows, plays, manga etc. In fact, Fukasaku himself had already directed a loose adaptation of the story with his 1978 film, Message From Space (also released by Eureka). To run alongside the release of Legend of the 8 Samurai, writer Toshio Kamata worked with Fukasaku to update the story and also release his own new novel adaptation for publishers Kadokawa Shoten.

Haruki Kadokawa, son of publisher Genyoshi Kadokawa, took over his family company, Kadokawa Shoten, in 1976 and began to pump out numerous loose adaptations of the company’s work, aggressively advertising them to make a wider impact and further promote the source material. Between 1976 and 1993 he produced nearly 60 films, many of which were big hits, before he was arrested for cocaine smuggling and embezzlement.

Legend of the Eight Samurai was one of these big hits, making quite a splash at the Japanese box office. It didn’t do as much business overseas as Kadokawa likely wanted though, judging by the English language pop songs that feature in the opening and closing credits, as well as in a key love scene.

I’m jumping ahead of myself though, as I haven’t explained what the film is about.

Legend of the Eight Samurai tells the story of Princess Shizu (Hiroko Yakushimaru), the last survivor of the Satomi clan, who is on the run from the evil Hikita clan. The Hikitas, now led by the evil queen Tamazusa (Mari Natsuki) and her son Gonnokami Motofuji (Yūki Meguro), have cursed the Satomi family, vowing to wipe them off the face of the planet. Not only that but they use the skin of the Satomi princesses to restore their own damaged features.

There is hope though, as Shizu learns of the legend of the eight Hakkenden – or “Dog Warriors”. These are gifted fighters who are believed to be the ones to break the curse and are chosen by having a magic bead/crystal bestowed upon them.

After meeting a pair of these warriors (including Dōsetsu, played by Shin’ichi “Sonny” Chiba), Shizu goes on a quest to find the rest of them and bring an end to the evil reign of the Hikitas.

Along the way, she falls foul of the wannabe samurai Shinbei (Hiroyuki Sanada), who kidnaps her in the hope of finding fame and a reward. However, this young man might not be as villainous as he likes to make out.

Those who know Fukasaku best as a director of tough, gritty Yakuza films might be quite shocked by Legend of the Eight Samurai and possibly a little disappointed. Whereas his more famous work uses freezeframes and captions to suggest authenticity, this period fantasy is as ludicrously outlandish as possible.

Not only do we get feats of magic, including villains turning into snakes and centipede-like creatures, but we get some wildly over-the-top performances, particularly from our two main antagonists.

The cast is strong though, at least on paper, with plenty of stars on screen. Hiroko Yakushimaru was a big pop idol at the time, coming off the success of Sailor Suit and Machine Gun, and she makes a decent enough lead. Sonny Chiba is always a big draw, though he isn’t given much to do here. His protégé Hiroyuki Sanada is given the film’s most interesting role, due to his character’s shifting allegiances (though these transitions can be rather clunky). Sanada, of course, would later go on to find worldwide fame, appearing in numerous Hollywood blockbusters and recently winning several awards for his work on the new Shōgun series.

Whilst the production design might look rather gaudy by today’s standards, the film is a feast for the eyes, with colourful and lavish sets and costumes , as well as some handsome photography.

Where the film struggles is in how many characters and background plot elements they squeeze in. It all feels a little rushed, with half of the Dog Warriors feeling fairly redundant. Having so much going on means the film drags as it goes on too. Thankfully, a bonkers, epic, action-packed finale kicks things up a gear before it ends.

Those who expect something classier from a Masters of Cinema release might baulk and Legend of the Eight Samurai is certainly not without its flaws but the over-the-top, wacky, samurai-meets-sword-and-sorcery vibe of it all is hard to resist if you have a taste for that kind of thing.

Film:

Disc/Package: