A SAMURAI IN TIME (2023)

A Samurai in Time (2023)
Directed by: Junichi Yasuda
Written by: Junichi Yasuda
Starring: Makiya Yamaguchi, Norimasa Fuke, Yoshiharu Fukuda, Yuno Sakura

Now available on Blu-ray from Third Window Films

The idea of yet another time travel movie with a fish out of water protagonist isn’t exactly the most exciting prospect. Even the electricity which sends the hero from the past to the present is a very familiar visual trope. However, Junichi Yasuda’s A Samurai in Time isn’t another action movie like The Iceman Cometh. The biggest surprise is that it’s not really a straight up comedy either. It’s still a silly premise, and there are indeed sword fight sequences, as well as plenty of laughs. But there’s a subtle touch at work that means that it’s often more of a drama than the synopsis would suggest.

Much like Marty McFly our hero Kosaka (Makiya Yamaguchi) discovers that lightning holds the energy needed for time travel. But rather than any calculated effort this is a supernatural accident. As he fights for the Aizu clan against the enemies of the Shogun a storm brews overhead, and in a flash what might have been a fatal duel is cut short. At first it seems as though he has been knocked unconscious and travelled many miles to a new region. However, as things go on it seems that the feudal town he’s arrived in is not what it appears.

The first act follows most of the expected clichés as Kosaka realises that one hundred and forty years have passed. He’s confused at first because he’s on a studio backlot where a TV show is being made. Swordsmen replay the same lines in different takes, background extras dressed as peasants mime, and he’s quickly yelled at and escorted off the premises. There’s an obligatory montage where he wanders the streets and learns (again thanks to TV) that the system of rule he’s been fighting to protect has ended over a century ago.

Following a bump on the head he’s taken in by the caretakers of a nearby shrine that let the studio use their property. Which is convenient because it also means our hero can stay somewhere that resembles the past. Everyone thinks this injury is the cause of his odd speech and behaviour, blaming amnesia for his lack of identity outside his ‘character’. There are plenty gags as he attempts to use a vacuum cleaner and discovers the food available in modern life. But the strength of the story is the way it shifts gears to become more melancholy when his sense of purpose no longer exists.

Of course soon the TV studio needs to use the shrine for filming, on the very same day that one of the stuntmen has fallen ill. One man has the skills, and he has the hairdo, so he’s called in to be one of the ever important ‘guys that get slashed and die’. An interesting element is how the movie has a reverence for this kind of behind the scenes work, and there are plenty of choreography scenes. One of the funniest moments involves Kosaka returning from a job interview with the stunt co-ordinator. For a while this can be his new duty and he’s happy not to do any acting.

Less interesting is a B-plot about assistant director Yuko (Yuno Sakura) who is trying to become a director herself and write a script. What makes her script special and how this will help her get the job is never really explained. She’s mostly there to get Kosaka on the right path whenever he needs it, and to be a potential, but mostly unfulfilled, romantic interest. A lot of the story revolves around the idea that samurai dramas like this are in decline (which seems about as likely as time travel) but how she can help solve that problem is unclear.

It’s mainly a plot device so that the big film production in the last half hour (and Kosaka’s part in it) holds more weight. The project is even called The Last Real Samurai; which is a nice bit of meta fun about his role and his true nature. Few movies with ‘last’ or ‘final’ in the title ended a franchise, suggesting it will save the day. A lot of the humour is subtle like this, though some is highlighted with comedy editing (particularly when the shrine residents are involved). Generally it’s restrained and even potshots at money obsessed producers are brief; it never veers into pastiche.

As a whole it works because it avoids being wacky and has a heartfelt tone. It asks what it means to be both a star and a simple stunt performer, and it’s sincere instead of stupid – even when late in the day plot twists arrive and the story takes on a new dimension. Makiya Yamaguchi’s engaging performance is both very stoic and very emotional, holding it all together. Through him it manages to explore ideas of duty (to the old ways and the new) and cowardice versus loyalty. Which causes the bigger problem; forgetting the past or trying to relive it? In a well trodden genre it’s an unexpected layer that makes this well worth seeing.

Blu-ray Special Features:

• Director Junichi Yasuda interview
• Deleted Scenes
• Makiya Yamaguchi and Yuno Sakura behind the scenes talk show
• Teaser Trailer
• Trailer
• Slipcase Edition (Limited to 2000 copies)