Red Peony Gambler: Execution of Duty
(Hibotan bakuto : Jingi tôshi masu)
Buichi Saitô
- 1972
- Japan
- Yakuza eiga
- 1h35mn
- Original version with French subtitles
- Color
Brand new master
A few months after the end of the war between Russia and Japan, Oryū comes to the bedside of her old dying benefactress. Though her successor has already been chosen, the Kano and Denpo gangs violently oppose each other to take power. Oryū takes things into her own hand…
For some sagas the last installment is often the unnecessary one. With the Red Peony, it’s an apotheosis. Norifumi Suzuki passes the torch to Kōji Takada, a master of the yakuza eiga. Served by a wonderful script, both moving and captivating - maybe more so due to Oryū’s adieu - Execution of Duty - marks a return to the fundamentals that closes the loop by perfectly combining action and emotion. Seeming to whisper at every instant that this is the end, Junko Fuji unleashes all her acting brilliance and emotional range. She is absolutely sublime.
Credits
- With : Junko Fuji, Bunta Sugawara, Chiezō Kataoka, Hiroki Matsukata, Hiroyuki Nagato...
- Screenplay : Kōji Takada
- Photography : Nagaki Yamagishi
- Editing : Kōzō Horiike
- Music by : Taichirō Kosugi
- Production : Gorō Kusakabe, Kōji Shundō
