Here the story follows that familiar protagonist, the lone rebel samurai in this case Magobei Wakisaka (Tatsuya Nakadai), who abandoned his esteemed position as a swordsman with the Sabai clan after abuses to the local fishermen residents disturbed his conscience. An encounter with a lower-class refugee, Oriha (Rurkio Asaoka), alerts him to the mass pillaging and abductions of villages by his brother-in-law and former clan colleague, Rukogo (You Only Live Twice's Tetsuro Tamba). With another samurai waiting in the wings as well, Magobei bides his time and plots the downfall of those who thrive on the misfortunes of the common people.
A solid representation of samurai programmers from the period, Goyokin is anchored by both a flawless lead performance by Nakadai and a strong sense of icy atmosphere from Gosha; in terms of setting and ambiance, the closest cinematic comparison might be the western The Great Silence or the slightly later McCabe and Mrs. Miller. The violence level is still contained to a few brief outbursts here and there, with a showstopper finale offering one of the decade's best samurai showdowns (albeit one that only plays to full strength with the potent emotional buildup before it).
Filmed in 1969, the film arrived just as Japanese cinema would undergo a sea change to the modernized '70s Japanese cinema packed with more graphic yakuza films and outrageous imagery in the Lone Wolf and Cub series. As with many samurai films (and westerns), money plays a pivotal role in the film as the lives of entire townships are bartered over their weight in gold (a meaning carried over to the title itself, which refers to the gold treasure behind the entire plot).
While Gosha is most widely represented on DVD by Criterion's edition of Sword of the Beast, this presentation from Media Blasters offers a welcome albeit imperfect presentation of a film long ignored on western shores. The scope transfer looks fine, with generally satisfying black levels indicating a different transfer than the old, pale one done for Japanese home video. The film still looks its age at times and detail gets soft in some shots, but it's generally pleasing. However, many fans have griped about the optional English subtitle translation, which simplifies and often skims right over some passages of dialogue and introduces numerous anachronisms which contradict the period mood. Not speaking Japanese, it's impossible to attest to the overall accuracy of the translation though something obviously seems to be amiss. Sound quality is fine if a bit bland, though that dynamite music score still comes through loud and clear. The trailer is the only extra unless one also counts the usual handful of other Media Blasters promos.
For more information about Goyokin, visit the Tokyo Shock section of The Media Blasters web site.
by Nathaniel Thompson
