Goemon (2009)

An unforgettable film.

Goemon is a 2009 Japanese historical fiction film written and directed by Casshern's Kazuaki Kiriya. The film follows Ishikawa Goemon, a Robin Hood-esque figure and his exploits during the end of the Sengoku period. The star-studded cast includes Yosuke Eguchi as the titular Ishikawa Goemon, Aragami and Sky High's Takao Osawa as Kirigakure Saizo, and Ryoko Hirosue as Goemon's love interest Chacha. Film legend Eiji Okuda plays the main villain Hideyoshi Toyotomi, and Kamen Rider Agito's Jun Kaname plays the scheming Ishida Mitsunari.

Oozing with stars!

When the film opens, we find our hero Goemon breaking into the royal vault where he helps himself to Hideyoshi's gold and other treasures. As guards storm the room, Goemon makes a daring escape across the rooftops, charming the people and showering them with gold along the way when he reveals a blue box which appears to be entirely ordinary. It's not gold so he simply throws it away. Unbeknownst to Goemon the box he discarded contains a map which points the way to a hidden scroll that contains highly classified information regarding Toyotomi's rise to power and the conspiracy surrounding the Honnoji Temple incident. Because Goemon is the last person who was in possession of the box, a number of powerful figures want his head including the current daimyo Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Other power-players include Toyotomi's rival Ieyasu Tokugawa, and Toyotomi's traitorous minister of finance Mitsunari Ishida - both of whom send shinobi after Goemon including Goemon's best friend Saizo and Goemon's master the legendary ninja killer Hanzo Hattori. The situation becomes even more complicated when Chacha, Goemon's childhood friend and Toyotomi's concubine gets caught in the middle. What transpires is a long, action-adventure thrill-ride filled with drama, moral dilemmas, and stunning fight sequences.

Saizo vs Goemon

As mentioned above, the film was written and directed by Casshern's Kazuaki Kiriya. He's refined his craft since 2004 and many of the earmarks of Casshern are present here such as a cast of rich characters, an inversion of tropes, and a different take not on the perception of good and evil, but which characters we are prone to seeing in that manner. "Goemon" uses its two hour run-time very effectively which is a must for a film juggling so many plot points. As a work of historical fiction, the film gives a different take on the final events of the Sengoku period i.e. the Battle of Sekigahara, the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate, and the Siege of Osaka. At the same-time it explores the relationships between all the main characters and develops their personalities through major events in the film, playing with the viewer's expectations along the way. For example, in most films of this nature the dichotomy between Goemon and his rival Saizo would be one of good versus evil. However, Saizo is a man who fights for his family while Goemon (at least initially) is a man who fights only for himself. It really changes how we see our characters when Saizo forces our protagonist to reevaluate his life choices and how they affect the people around him.

Oda Nobunaga

The film has a generous amount of character development for nearly everyone not just our lead Goemon. We see what motivates these characters, what drives them to be forces of good or evil, and the toll it takes on them. Hideyoshi Toyotomi was a peasant, but worked to get to the top. His efforts were noticed by Oda Nobunaga who took him under his wing. Whenever Toyotomi couldn't achieve his objective through hard work, murder became a more viable alternative. The poverty he endured manifested as greed and that insatiable appetite for more, or perhaps the fear of having to live without the necessities for survival drove him down a path of evil. What I especially enjoyed was "Goemon's" characterization of Oda Nobunaga. Hashinosuké Nakamura plays Oda Nobunaga, the most famous (or infamous depending on your perception) warlord in Japanese history. However, the film doesn't portray Nobunaga as a ruthless warlord like most other fiction are prone to do, rather we see Nobunaga as a man doing what he feels is best for the future of his people. He doesn't always make the best decisions, but every move he makes is motivated by the need to build a happy future for all. I was really captivated by this approach and Nakamura's performance. Doubly so because Nobunaga made a profound impact on Goemon which the film explores.

Taking a level in BADASS.

The world is gorgeous, wonderfully imaginative and the costume designs are superb, mixing eastern and western styles which adds to the film's swashbuckling feel. Goemon's default attire even has similarities to 1922's "Robin Hood". The film has a powerful orchestrated score which adds weight to every scene. While I'm not normally a fan of a lot of CG, I don't mind it so much here because similar to "Casshern", given the style of world in which this story takes place and the fight scenes it couldn't be filmed in any other way. The fight scenes themselves are a sight to behold with the second to the last battle defining the word epic. We see Goemon dodging bullets from several Gatling canons (yes canons and yes several), wall running, leaping over castles, and fighting hundreds of soldiers. Imagine the opening to Onimusha 3 or Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams but 10x more awesome.

"The sky is crying."

Sure the film isn't perfect. While anyone can enjoy it, it may be difficult for some viewers who aren't familiar with Japanese history or at least the Sengoku Period as there are a lot of historical figures in the movie. While the movie juggles a lot of plots, subplots, and relationships very competently, it may be hard to keep track of for some viewers. As you can see from the trailer there is a lot of CG in this film and if that's not your thing the film may be a turnoff. Those items aside I found "Goemon" to be a very enjoyable film and it really sold me on Kiriya's style of writing and directing.