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Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
Should you watch Tange Sazen - Dai-ippen tonight? If you’re into classic Japanese cinema that actually has a pulse, yes. If you need clean cinematography and a plot that holds your hand, skip it.
Denjirō Ōkōchi is the whole show here. He plays Sazen like he’s constantly annoyed that the rest of the world exists at all. It’s a performance that feels lived-in, like he just rolled out of a gutter and decided to settle a few scores.
The pacing is… well, it’s not exactly a sprint. There are moments where the camera just lingers on a room for way too long, waiting for someone to finish talking. It’s weirdly hypnotic, though. You start noticing the dust motes and the way the wood grain looks on the sliding doors instead of just the plot.
The whole thing about the pot—this mysterious, cursed treasure—is honestly kind of funny. Everyone acts like it’s the most important thing in the world, and then you see it, and it’s just a pot. 🏺 The contrast between the high-stakes sword fighting and this ceramic clutter makes the movie feel delightfully petty.
I found myself thinking about The Eleventh Hour halfway through, mostly because I wondered if the urgency there would have helped here. But actually, Sazen works better when it’s slow. He’s a guy who moves at his own speed, and the camera respects that. Even if that speed is 'take a nap mid-confrontation.'
Some of the sword fights look like they were choreographed by someone who just wanted to get home for dinner. It’s not graceful. It’s messy. It feels like an actual scuffle, which is refreshing compared to the balletic stuff you see nowadays.
There's this one shot where he’s sitting in the rain, just leaning against a wall, looking bored to death. It’s not 'cinematic' in a fancy way. It’s just a guy who is tired. I really dug that.
It’s not perfect. It’s got that old film scratchiness that makes your eyes twitch if you’re not used to it. But it has more grit in its pinky finger than most modern epics. Just don't ask me to explain every twist of the clan politics because, honestly, I stopped tracking halfway through and just enjoyed the vibe.
Also, his scowl is legendary. You could cut glass with that look. ⚔️
