This has been a weekend for unexpected film treats- next up Bunraku. Before I go on, take a look at the reviews on IMDB- yeah, its split between people who love it and have a set of well explained reasons and people who've decided to hate it and can't tell anyone why. What does that tell you?
Anyhow, the film's plot, such as it is, is largely dispensed with in a stylised (its done almost like a child's pop-up book) animated introduction where it is explained that humanity has had a sort of epiphany; if they carry on inventing new ways to kill eventually there wont be anyone left to press the big red buttons. All weapons above and including firearms are banned outright and sealed away, leaving mankind to revert to a weird, neo-feudal, mildly steam punk vision of the world where martial arts meet pre-gunpowder arms like bows, sword and, well, bits of wood. Official government collapses as territory is carved out by the most vicious and powerful. Perversely, changes in leadership are not decided by gang warfare, but rather by prearranged gang combat- the winner gets to take control of the territory, the loser gets to have a long dirt nap.
The area the film focuses on is under the rule of a hulking enigma known as Nicola The Woodcutter (Ron Perlman); so named for his official costume with which he hides his identity and for his predilection for murder by axe. He has never lost a battle and such is his arrogance that he occasionally delegates the chore to one of his nine ranked henchmen or "Killers".
Into this paper and pugilism nightmare step our first two protagonists; a cowboy in a world where guns are non-existent and a youthful, swordless Bushido master (Yoshi, played by Gackt Camui) whose obsession with honour despite the degeneration of the world leaves him at almost as much of a disadvantage as his western counterpart. The Drifter (A living Man With No Name cliche played by Josh Hartnett) has learned to brawl with punches as fast as gunshots and Yoshi doesn't necessarily need a sword to hold his own.
Each of them are looking for information that will lead them to the city's arch bastard ruler Nicola, whereupon they find their way to a seedy rundown bar full of generic punks, who they proceed to batter individually. Once they meet up and realise their paths are similar, they goad each other into combat, ostensibly unwilling to let a weaker person slow them down, but in reality because they each want Nicola's head themselves.
At this point we meet another protagonist- The Bartender (Woody Harrelson). This gentleman serves as a tempering force for the two youngsters, having tangled with Nicola in the past and paid heavily for it. He now secretly foments rebellion and aids the pair, all the while nursing a secret hatred of Nicola and thirsting for his downfall and the return of what was taken from him...
Stylistically this is a very difficult film to pin down- a blizzard of influences, homages and formatting tricks are thrown at you, its almost a mercy (possibly by design as the title refers to a Japanese form of puppetry that deals often with tragic story cycles- the tale isn't as important as the delivery, I feel) that the actual plot is such a cliche. I'm convinced I've spotted homages to 8-bit era video games such as Kung Fu Master and Spy Hunter among others, with the soundtrack providing familiar blips and blops. Film references include shades of Clockwork Orange (the outlandish gang costumes, society reverting to atavistic tribal values), Dark City (The setting, characterisation of Killer #2) and maybe even a few slight touches of noir for good measure.
You may be tempted to cry "pretension!" at all of this, but in today's film landscape it's nice to come across something so fresh. Take it for what it is and let yourself have fun, why don't you?
No comments:
Post a Comment