The Homeless (1974) Review

The Homeless 1974

This is another film that has surprisingly never seen a proper Western release, a blockbuster starring Shintaro Katsu (Zatoichi), Ken Takakura (many popular yakuza films), and Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood), directed by veteran Buichi Saito (The Rambling Guitarist), produced by Katsu Productions, and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd. It is a remake of the 1967 French drama Les Aventuriers starring Alain Delon, which was based upon a novel by Jose Giovanni. Even with this amazing star ensemble, it was a failure at the box office and somewhat marked the end of the Japanese mega productions in favor of television. Audiences were choosing to stay at home more in favor of watching their stars on the television set instead of making a trip to the cinema. Hence the move for Katsu and his Zatoichi character over to the small screen for a series that ran from 1974 through 1979 and produced 98 episodes.

Despite its failures theatrically, this deserves some examination for its stunning cinematography and brilliant character performances from the three leads. The story involves two prisoners who get released on the same day, both with their own personal obsessions they seek to achieve. One (Katsu) is hunting for a sunken treaser and the other (Takakura) is seeking vengeance for the death of his sister. They both help a prostitute (Kaji) escape from her Yakuza bosses and the trio’s paths continue to cross during their personal journeys. In the end, all three need each other and the narrative feels as much a vehicle to explore these characters and their relationships than anything else.

The direction and cinematography are striking. Saito displays his abilities to expertly to place and guide the camera, providing some great angles and beautiful scenic shots. He makes excellent use of the environments and traditional Japanese settings and period costumes. It should be noted that this does take place in the early 1900’s, so there are some additional modern elements in it as well. There are superb close up shots of all of the main actors, providing wonderful expressive moments for all three. It contains several memorable scenes, most notably a fantastically filmed duel. It has a nice score that features the same theme song changed up throughout the picture, using a variety of orchestral, electric organ, horns, acoustic guitar, and other instruments.

The performances from the three co-stars are marvelous. Katsu stands out and is absolutely infectious in his portrayal of this jokester conman obsessed with finding treasure, sporting a modern white suit and white straw pork pie hat. He falls somewhere along the lines of his Zatoichi character and a lighthearted version of Eli Wallach’s Tuco, displaying a unique brand of physicality and facial gestures.  His ability to create a persona using every part of his body demonstrates the type of master that he was at his craft, delivering an unforgettable performance. Takakura is good and pretty much plays the straight man or tough guy, similar to his prior yakuza characters. He is more than one dimensional though, developing a friendship and bond with Katsu. Kaji is the most unrecognizable out of the trio, stepping away from her tough girl persona and moving into one that is a prostitute seeking a new life. She is a victim and weak, a polar opposite from her previous roles.

It’s fairly obvious why this didn’t succeed. It lacked the action and exploitative elements that were common threads of most of these stars well known roles. While there is a minimal amount of action and yakuza elements, at the heart of it all this is a period drama. It is missing the wild sword fights, grand gun battles, and the large amount of violence and nudity that the audiences had come to expect. Regardless, it is a picture that ought to be seen by the fans of these actors.

Score 7/10