Of the several hundred Asian martial arts films I’ve seen, LONE SAMURAI may be the oddest. Even when the Samurai of the title is ethnically unlikely – such leads ranged from Richard Chamberlain to Tom Cruise, among others – one expects the script to lean heavily into swordplay and other action. This one spends most of its time in moody silences before cranking things up to a long, rousing fightfest.
It’s set in 13th Century Japan. Kublai Khan had just been rebuffed in his second naval assault on the country, by a combination of defending warriors and a typhoon that wrecked much of both fleets. We learn that from the opening narration. Our nameless titular samurai (Shogen Ito) washes ashore on some remote island, presumably the only survivor of his vessel’s complement. He sees a few natives, but makes no attempt to engage, possibly because they aren’t really there. He decides to commit ritual suicide – first on the beach, then after schlepping logs and ropes to the top of a mountain to erect a torii – gateway to the afterlife. Just before he plunges his sword into his abdomen for the act of seppuku, he’s kayoed and snatched by a tribe of primitive folk who turn out to be sadistic cannibals. They take him to their own nearby island. The locals like playing with their food, maiming the menu and killing them slowly… but far from softly. Pain on the platter presumably puts pleasure on the palate.
There’s little dialog in the first 90 minutes. We learn mostly from flashbacks that our guy yearns to return to his wife and sons, but despairs of ever doing so. He’s taken to a cave with other future snacks and entrees, some of whom have already had body parts removed – presumably for appetizers. As they’re preparing to start dismantling the star’s anatomy, he manages to kill a couple of guards, escape, and grab a dugout to return to the first place he landed. Thus, he dares them to come and get him.
And that’s when the good times roll for fans of on-screen mayhem. A whole scheisseload of loinclcoth-clad, handmade weapon-wielding dudes frantically row their fleet of canoes in pursuit. Our samurai lays in wait as 50, or so, man-munchers comb the jungle for him. He picks off a bunch of them, one by one. Then the horde assembles back on the beach.
That’s when the one-man army thing really takes over. It’s all swords, spears, clubs and hatchets, with a few arrows in the mix. There’s a generous amount of splatter with some beheadings, though the cannibal catering sequence is generally more gruesome than the later killings.
Writer/director Josh C. Walter made good use of his Indonesia locations. And why not? The country has over 17,000 to choose from. But his script lingered too long on moody silences and time alone with Shogen before getting to the adrenalin stuff. That part is decently staged, with a handful of unique methods of offing his foes.
So, if one has the patience for the dry slog with periodic wistful musings, there is a payoff. Whether one concludes it was worth the time could go either way.
From Well Go USA Entertainment, LONE SAMURAI debuts on Digital, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray™ & DVD March 17.
1 1/2 Stars Out Of 4
https://wellgousa.com/films/lone-samurai
LONE SAMURAI has a runtime of approximately 95 minutes and is rated R for strong bloody violence and gore.
