Samurai of the Sky (1976) [Film Review]

Samurai of the Sky; or, Divine Winds
     You are not here to die but to fight!
When looking at the legacy of Japanese filmography, it becomes apparent that the industry always had an affinity for making war dramas. From Fires on the Plain (1959) to Yamato (2005), war movies made in Japan communicated distinct themes, such as exploitation of an individual or heroism of soldiers. Albeit forgotten, Seiji Maruyama’s Samurai of the Sky is a perfect exemplification of the latter concept. The movie is an adaptation of memoirs written by Saburo Sakai, a naval aviator of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.

Release Info

Directed by: Seiji Maruyama Starring: Hiroshi Fujioka, Naoko Otani, Tetsuro Tamba

Language: Japanese Original Title: 大空のサムライ Runtime: 102 min

Synopsis
The Solomon Islands, 1943. Saburo Sakai (Hiroshi Fujioka) is the leader of an aerial squadron which takes down enemy planes and protects Japanese bombers. He frequently clashes with basically everybody in his outfit because he wants to get things done and protect his men. Sakai is perfectly aware of the fact that the battle in the sky is the “kill or be killed” kind of situation. During one of the battles, the pilot gets badly injured and he loses his squad. Will he be able to make it back to the base?

The Zero Fighter
Interesting thing about Samurai of the Sky is the fact that it does not try to be a stereotypical tale about Japanese pilots who are only capable of killing themselves while ramming their planes into enemy fighters. In the first act, we see Saburo reprimanding his new commanding officer that the most important thing is to survive and keep on fighting.

Throughout the film we see various subplots concerning the squadron members. How stupidity becomes their damnation or how they can’t handle the pressure. Saburo, on the other hand, behaves like a vicious animal just because he desires to stay alive.

In terms of special effects, the crew clearly  used miniatures of zero aircrafts and a lot of wire work. The fights are done fairly well, but you can see that they are not entirely up to par when compared with Kinji Fukasaku’s segments for Tora Tora Tora (1970), filmed just 6 years before Samurai of the Sky.

With regard to performances, Hiroshi Fujioka is undeniably a perfect choice to play Saburo Sakai. After doing Kamen Rider in 1971, the actor’s career really took off in the 1970s, especially within the Tokusatsu genre. My praise also goes to Naoko Otani who provided a subtle portrayal of Japanese nurse trying to deal with the war turmoil. In addition, Tetsuro Tamba also makes a brief appearance as Captain Saito, the direct superior of Sakai.

Recommendations
If you are in the mood for a film that praises the bravado of Japanese pilots, then I recommend Samurai of the Sky. It is a bit dated, but Hiroshi Fujioka makes it an enjoyable ride with a touch of pathos. Interestingly, it was Seiji Maruyama’s penultimate picture before his retirement. I got it dirt cheap on DVD in my country.Overall score: 7/10

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Jail Breakers (1976) [Film Review]

Jail Breakers; or, Sonny Chiba the Escape Coordinator!

Have you committed a serious offence and landed in a high-security prison? Even though you tried to break free numerous times, it’s still too darn hard? Well, in that case, it’s high time to call the professionals. Special team of the so-called “Escape Coordinators” will get you out in no time, but for substantial remuneration.

Release Info

Directed by: Kôsaku Yamashita Starring: Sonny Chiba, Haruko Wanibuchi, Eitarô Ozawa
Language: Japanese Original Title: Dassou Yuugi Runtime: 93 min

Plot

Kamiki (larger-than-life Sonny Chiba) is a petty criminal and a notorious prison escapee. After his 32nd(!) attempt, fortunate coincidence gives him another opportunity. When one of the prisoners fails to reach the rendezvous point, Kamiki takes his place in spur of the moment. The escape succeeds, but Kamiki’s unexpected presence instead of the other prisoner, greatly angers the gangsters who organised the whole thing. As a result, he becomes entangled in a series of scams and hustles in which he and the gang are constantly trying to deceive each other. In the end, Kamiki joins forces with “the escape coordinators” when they get an assignment worth approximately 3 billion yen. All it takes is to get out of prison a certain young lady and her father…

Feel the might of Chiba!

This forgotten, yet highly enjoyable, film starts right off the bat as our protagonist outruns masses of prison wardens and catches the helicopter ladder just to change his clothes while hanging hundreds of feet above the ground (genius opening sequence!). All in all, we’re talking about Sonny Chiba himself. Things have to be epic!

The title of the film says it all, and the film perfectly delivers it’s topic. Thankfully, the picture does not attempt to fall back on the tone of an exploitation flick (so popular in Japan of the 1970s), but instead, it imitates the style of a heist movie. However, there's still some room for humour. In my opinion, the most hilarious part of the film is when, during a mission at women's prison, female convincts suddenly wake up in their cell and jump with wild lust at one of the gangsters!

Yet, instead of the break-ins, we are served with the break-outs. On top of that, we also get to see gunfights, car chases, and Sonny kicking lots of butts in hand-to-hand combat. What can be considered a letdown are definitely the quarrels between Kamiki and the gang. Firstly, they want him to pay 30 million yen and throw him into the river. Then, Kamiki fools them during the break out job, by stealing the prisoner’s payment. Next, the boss of the gang, Reverend Tadokoro (Eitarô Ozawa), wants him dead, but boss’ girlfriend, Yoko (Haruko Wanibuchi), saves Kamiki just in time and orders him to kill the boss. During a confrontation between Kamiki and Tadokoro, the boss talks about a gig involving diamonds, which ultimately makes them join forces. Unfortunately, all these shifting alliances are very hard to follow.

Nevertheless, where there’s Chiba there’s action. As mentioned previously, the movie offers a great deal of action sequences and every single one was made flawlessly, especially the final escape, which deserves an honourable mention. In terms of acting, Sonny Chiba is basically himself at the top of his prime, which is always a great pleasure to watch, Eitaro Ozawa convincingly portrays a double-faced gang leader, and Haruko Wanibuchi shines with her beauty as Tadokoro’s manipulative girlfriend.

Recommendations

I recommend this film primarily to Sonny Chiba fans. Unfortunately, it’s quite a rare film and it’s not included in The Ten Faces of Sonny Chiba- 10 Movie Pack, but after a careful search on the internet you should be able to find it. In addition, if you want to introduce your child to Sonny Chiba, it’s best to start either with Jail Breakers or The Bullet Train (1975), because, contrary to Street Fighter Trilogy, these do not splash the screen with graphic violence. To sum up, Jail Breakers is a cool and entertaining flick for Saturday afternoon.

Overall score: 7/10