Withered Tree, the Adventures of Monjiro (1972)
Overview
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.
Cast
Bunta Sugawara
Monjiro
Gorō Ibuki
Seigorou
Tsunehiko Watase
Genta
Asao Koike
Samonji
Yukie Kagawa
Ohana
Rinichi Yamamoto
Shukichi
Jūkei Fujioka
Chousaburou
Masaharu Arikawa
Sakichi
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giant13
A great tale of sacrifice, revenge, and the Yakuza code in late Edo period Japan. Bunta shines as the stoic protagonist who is out for vengeance. The fight scenes are action packed and gorey with a tad too much of the Fukasaku shake-cam, but it works a lot better with these sword fights than the infamous gun fights. Monjirō of the Cold Wind was significantly better than I was expecting, a new highlight for me in the jidaigeki/chambara/ninkyo eigas—heck, I may buy it on dvd it’s that worth it.
