Rolling Thunder (1977)

This is a motion picture that deals with the effects that war has on a person, here specifically it is focusing on the Vietnam War. William Devane and Tommy Lee Jones star as Vietnam vets that return home to Texas and have things happen to them that require doling out some personal vengeance. It was written by Taxi Driver writer Paul Schrader from an original story, and “this film is more explicit in its post-Vietnam malaise than” his earlier script [1]. There is some very serious subject matter covered here; including the alienation of war vets, PTSD, a violent America, violent revenge, and brotherhood and loyalty.

Devane and Jones are both excellent in their roles, with Devane most likely having the best performance of his career. His character goes through so much and he makes it all so believable. This was one of Jones first major film performances and he delivers, showing subtle pain at moments and making us believe how he feels for his friend played by Devane. The movie was directed by John Flynn, who was a somewhat underrated filmmaker who also directed Defiance, The Outfit, Best Seller, and Lock Up.

It is both powerful and disturbing and features many strong scenes, with some extremely violent moments. The overall final sequence is very intense and one to remember, bearing similarities to a western shoot out. The whole film feels like a modern western tale, it helps that it takes place in dusty Texas.

The shoot took place over 31 days in San Antonio, Texas. The producer told them to go all with certain scenes of violence. When they submitted it to be rated, they expected it to get cut. But instead, the MPAA gave it an R rating and “passed uncut one of the most violent movies in film history” [2]. The picture was owned by Fox and they “wanted to cut out all [of] the violence out, so they got American International Pictures to purchase it and they released it virtually untouched [2].

It didn’t do quite well at the box office because of the dark and violent nature of the story, but it got some positive reviews and became a cult favorite. Quentin Tarantino is a fan of the film, naming his distribution company after it and listing it in his top twenty five films [1]. It has been released on Blu-ray by Shout! Factory in the U.S.

This is a must see for fans of revenge dramas, modern western style tales, or fans of the cast and crew.

 

Works Cited

[1]	M. P. Nochimson, A Companion to Wong Kar-wai, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, 2009.
[2]	"wayback machine," wayback machine, 14 4 2016. [Online]. Available: https://web.archive.org/web/20150216145445/http://www.focorevistadecinema.com.br/FOCO2/chartrand-johneng.htm. [Accessed 4 4 2016].

 

 

 

Kogarashi Monjiro: The Withered Tree (1972) Review

Kogarashi Monjiro: The Withered Tree (1972) Review

It is rather surprising that the 1972 Toei produced jidaigeki Kogarashi Monjiro: The Withered Tree has never received a proper Western release, especially with its similar style to the spaghetti westerns and Clint Eastwood’s “man with no name.” With an interesting story, lead character, and violent sword fights, this is one forgotten gem that deserves some attention. Kogarashi Monjiro is a lone samurai who agrees to take responsibility for a murder that his friend committed so that he can stay with his dying mother, with the expectation that his friend will confess and get him pardoned once she dies. Monjiro is sentenced to an island for prisoners. When he discovers that his friend’s mother has died over a year ago, Monjiro seeks to escape with a group of prisoners in order to get his revenge.

The similarity to Eastwood’s character and the film being influenced by the Italian westerns is obvious with the style in which it is presented. Monjiro’s signature look is the Japanese version of Eastwood. He wears a straw hat, sports a cloak that covers his entire body, and always has a long wooden toothpick in his mouth. His eyes are somewhat squinted like Eastwood’s are in the Italian westerns and his character is rather stoic, usually not speaking very much in order to absorb his surroundings. The music even feels like a hybrid of a more modernized Japanese style infused with the sounds that are familiar in Italian westerns.

The cast and crew contain a core group of Toei veterans. It was directed by Sadao Nakajima, who has 64 film and television credits to his name and has never worked outside of Toei. Lead actor Bunta Sugawara has 171 film and television credits in his long career. During his time at Toei, he appeared in Gendai Yakuza and the popular Kinji Fukasaku yakuza series Battles Without Honor and Humanity. He would appear in one more picture as Monjiro that was also released in 1972. The camera work by Nakajima is done well, with a noticeable preference to using more lengthy sequences as opposed to heavy editing. There are also several scenes in which they incorporate handheld cameras, mostly for certain fight sequences involving people running around in different areas.

The fight sequences are good and match other similar jidaigeki of the time, with loads of blood and extremely violent battles. The overall tone is also bleak, especially for any character other than Monjiro. Besides the sequel, the character was popular enough to produce a television series about him starring Atsuo Nakamura. It began in 1972, but I was unable to obtain any information regarding if it ran longer than that year.

While not the greatest jidaigeki ever produced, it is worthy of taking a look at because of the fascinating lead character and bloody action.

Score 7/10