FANTASIA 2020: Crazy Samurai Musashi
FANTASIAYûji Shimomura's Crazy Samurai Musashi is a feature that is undeniably ambitious. A film that entertains a 77-long-minute single take in an action set-piece is always something to behold. However, it is, in fact, the overall construct of said edit in Shimomura's work that drastically underwhelms.
Orchestrated like a video game of sorts, Shimomura's Crazy Samurai Musashi opens in a quaint prologue to showcase the plot and theme of antagonist and protagonists. It is a small but effective piece to the film in which, through exposition, the audience are showcased the ambivalent nature between roaring factions. From that moment forward however, for the films second, the film ultimately becomes a series of levels or missions.
A 77-minute-long take in the midst of an action set piece sets a precedent for much of the film’s remaining running time. It should be noted, much like Sam Mendes' 1917, this is in fact not a true rendition of a single take like Sebastian Schipper's gloriously produced Victoria, with subtle transitions utilised through weaving camerawork. That being said, it is something to behold even with its issues.
Granted, this technique, when used courageously, is not only immersive and entertaining, but here the effect is stagnant and has a limited execution. It is an issue that ultimately affects the impact of the feature’s intentions ten-fold. Firstly, the camera is utilised continuously behind the main character, played by Tak Sakaguchi, which limits the set-piece to a visually one-note environment that becomes tired before long. Secondly, 90% of the feature has Sakaguchi's titular character, Musashi, use the same technique to slay his victims. Now, while that seems like a small gripe, it echoes the sentiment and comparisons aforementioned regarding a video game with the player only being able to use X to attack. What arises is a proceeding repetition that not only becomes incredibly frustrating to watch but sad to see, especially as it is an element which had potential to be effective but in fact underwhelms.
The lack of fluidity and movement ultimately stops the film from being expressive and enjoyable to watch. There are moments in which the takes pause contextually for Sakaguchi's Musashi to rest with seconds to spare, but even then there are what appears to be small inclinations in which he breaks the fourth wall. Moments of which do not feel both contextually appropriate or natural. What is even stranger is that, after an overly gargantuan and gruelling 77-minute set-piece, the film changes entirely for its epilogue.
Now, when describing the prologue as changing ‘completely’, that is not an understatement. The aesthetic, tone, colour grading, cinematography and performances are nothing of what the viewer has seen before. Its gutsy, intimate, fast paced and violent. It is the antithesis of what the audience has been put through, and to make matters worse, it lasts for less than a couple of minutes. Even when it stands as a refreshing reminder of what could have been with enormous potential, it is ultimately a souring and disappointing notion to have to swallow.
If anything, Yûji Shimomura's Crazy Samurai Musashi has become somewhat of a cult status before audiences have even had the opportunity to see it due to the now-infamous seventy-seven-minute-long take action sequence. However, to justify watching what is essentially a gimmick with an empty well of depth for its anti-hero and an incredibly subpar execution of its main draw, Crazy Samurai Musashi may not live very long with its current status.
