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7/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Junkyô kesshi nihon nijûroku seijin remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like old, black-and-white epics that feel like they weigh a thousand pounds, then yes. You should watch it today.
History nerds and people who like really intense facial expressions will get a kick out of this. If you want something fast or funny, go watch Beach Nuts instead because this is the opposite of that.
It’s a movie for people who don't mind reading a lot of intertitles and watching people walk through the mud for twenty minutes at a time. I wouldn't show this to a kid unless you wanted them to fall asleep immediately.
I wasn't expecting this movie to be so big. For 1931, the crowd scenes are actually pretty insane.
There are shots where it looks like they hired every single person in the city to stand in the background. It makes it feel more real than those modern movies where they just copy-paste digital people into the back.
The story follows these Jesuit priests and their followers. The Shogunate decides they’ve had enough of this new religion and rounds them up.
It’s basically a road movie, but instead of a fun trip, they are being marched to their deaths. Not exactly a party.
I kept thinking about how cold the actors must have been. You can see the wind whipping around in the outdoor scenes and it looks genuinely miserable.
It reminds me a bit of the scale in The Battle of Trafalgar, though this one feels much more personal and gritty. It's less about the glory and more about the dirt and the blisters.
The movie do be long, though. There are parts in the middle where they are just walking and walking.
I get it, they are traveling a long way. But sometimes I felt like I was traveling with them in real time.
One reaction shot of a woman crying lingers for so long it almost becomes a different movie. It’s like the director forgot to yell cut.
But then something happens, like a soldier being extra mean, and you get sucked back in. The villain characters are very one-note, but they have great hats.
When they finally get to the end, it’s actually quite beautiful in a dark way. The way the crosses are lined up against the sky is a shot I won't forget soon.
It doesn't have the mystery of something like The Peacock Fan. It’s very direct about what it wants you to feel.
The film quality is a bit flickery, which I actually liked. It adds to that haunted feeling, like you are looking at ghosts from a hundred years ago.
I noticed that some of the kids in the group are actually better actors than the grown-ups. One little boy has a face that just looks heartbreaking without him even doing anything.
Its not a perfect film by any means. Its messy and slow and the music (if you have a version with a score) can be a bit much.
But there is a soul in it that you don't see in stuff like The Little Yank. You can tell the people making it really cared about the story.
Even if you aren't religious, the sheer stubbornness of the characters is something to see. They just refuse to give up, even when things are clearly going south.
The intertitles are sometimes a bit flowery. I think they were trying to sound extra important.
I wish we saw more of the internal politics of the Shogun's side. They mostly just show up to be jerks.
Also, the hair! The period-accurate hairstyles are wild. Some of these guys have some very bold choices going on with their heads.
Anyway, if you have a rainy Sunday and a lot of patience, check it out. It’s a piece of history that feels alive, even if it’s a bit dusty. 📽️
IMDb 7.5
1928
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