cast :
crew :
release date :
Gojoe (2000), if one is to whore it to a genre, is a Samurai film, specifically belonging to the revenge category. Fortunately, Gojoe is so much more. Rather than straying outside of its Samurai’s revenge story conventions, it prefers to lure more global motifs and themes into it. Consequently, Gojoe does not hop over to Crime, nor glance over at Romance, but more looks up into a sky of common themes; nature, philosophy, omnipotence, and something closer to its national identity, Ying/Yang.
The film begins with Japanese intertitles explaining the history behind the Heike and Genji clans. In between these titles the film cuts to the very piece of architecture which lends its name to the film, Gojoe Bridge, and a misfortunate Samurai guard (the film is set in 13th century Japan). Misfortunate because his head is sliced clean off by an unseen entity. This part of the film can be looked upon as the prologue, the actual film opening as it closes; a tracking shot of two parallel asteroids soaring through space. From here the film follows the return of Benkei (Daisuke Ryu), a ‘demon’-Samurai-turned-Buddhist-monk, and his quest to rid the Gojoe Bridge of the ‘demon’ which decapitates those there at night. Due to Benkei’s reformed nature he goes about this without using deadly violence, only disabling the people who stand in his way – in contrast to the many headless Samurai which litter the ground after a contest with the Gojoe ‘demon’. In time it is revealed that the Gojoe ‘demon’ is merely a young man, Prince Shanao (Tadanobu Asano) to be precise, there to seek out his large-scale revenge against the Heike clan who killed his family. At this point (about the 1/3 mark) the story becomes more about character-based exposition (Benkei’s transformation from infamous ‘demon’ to holy man) and the exploration of metaphysical themes.
As Benkei gets pushed further and further towards his holy limits by Prince Shanao, in the direction of the ‘demon’, Prince Shanao himself becomes increasingly god-like in his possession of power. This is the clearest of allusions towards the Ying/Yang balance in Gojoe. By the climax of the film on Gojoe Bridge, Benkei has fully reverted into his ‘demon’ persona’, whereas Prince Shanao has modelled himself into a mortal God. They are both destroyed together when struck by lightning forcing the bridge to burst into flames. The final shot is of the two asteroids sweeping through space as though to conclude their most recent battle in an eternal struggle between good and evil.
A strong part of both the characters introductions is that they are immediately polar opposites; Prince Shanao’s demon to Benkei’s holy monk. After the lengthy and somewhat cluttered introduction sequence/s, Benkei is the first character introduced. Preceding his first appearance on screen is a series of still and sweeping shots of the beautifully calm landscape surrounding Kyoto. Before Benkei is even revealed there is a pre-established mindset making his character synonymous with nature. Interrupting the tranquillity, possibly a foreshadowing of character progressions to come, is a brief chase in pursuit of Benkei. When they stop to fight it is important that Benkei never attacks, he only defends his position, and even then, with minimal force. His attire and steadiness communicate this is no demon Samurai, but a holy man.
Prince Shanao, however, is introduced in the superstitions of the holy men in Kyoto, and in the graphic beheadings of the Heike clan’s guards. Before Shanao’s true identity is revealed he is referred to as the ‘Gojoe demon’ by the Heike elders and Samurai. Prince Shanao never claims to be a demon himself; it is a title put upon him due to his incredible fighting skill. Prince Shanao, in truth, has no disillusions over his supernatural status. He is a God and vengeful one.
Benkei occupies a contrasting indecisiveness to Shanao’s asserted self-belief, caught between his inner demon and the holy life he has been shocked into. Benkei has always been a demon, but an incident involving him murdering a child horrified him into thinking otherwise. None of these men have any real power above the reach of mortals; they have simply been convinced otherwise by the religious and superstitious society they reside in. A demon should be able to kill a child without remorse or guilt, but Benkei is human. This is why the killing affects him to such an extent that he goes against everything that had previously made him a demon. There is always a rage behind his eyes and disgust at others underneath the mask of Buddhism he wears. He is a coward, afraid to stand up to the Gojoe demon, afraid to confront what he, himself, has done.
As Benkei begins to make the transition from holy man to demon, Prince Shanao is shown as mortal by his Gojoe bridge appearance, then proclaiming himself a God. Benkei and Shanao’s paths are inversely proportional, parallel lines, just like those two asteroids hurtling through space side by side.
During Benkei’s trip to the seaside to finally decide upon a holy or demonic path, Prince Shanao confronts the monk who saved Benkei’s soul after the hideous killing. This scene, in its restraint and power, portrays how mighty Prince Shanao has become. Unlike the unsubtle clash between God and Demon at the film’s climax, this scene is layered with subtext and religion. The direction is like an enraged dog on a leash, lashing and snarling at its tormentor, each shot is held just a little bit longer than it should, composed with simultaneous discipline and fury. Shanao’s transformation from demon to man to God is fully confirmed here: “The gods of today are but fictions in form. Only a true god can save these desperate times - a true god with true power. And I am the only true power.” This Shanao has been heaped with praise for his divinity, enough to convince him that he is a God. In Shanao’s mind, God is equal to power; and as he embodies power, he is therefore equal to God. He goes on to say “the only god that I worship is power itself” before slaying the Buddhist monk; a man whose belief conflicts with Shanao’s. Shanao was made a God by the people around him, just as he was vilified a demon before.
Benkei returns to a village of cinders, burned to the ground by the Heike. Benkei’s sword maker, Tetsukichi (Masatoshi Nagase), and the baby of a possessed woman are the only survivors. Seeing the horror, Benkei appears hollow to emotion, but resuscitates the baby as a final act of good. Benkei has now released the last part of his fake persona and can fully embrace his inner demon. But again, this demon has arisen from the talk of other men, convincing Benkei he is a supernatural force. He is no more a demon than Shanao is a God, yet here the film ends, a battle on Gojoe bridge between the opposing Ying/Yang forces. To end the feud, Benkei takes hold of Shanao whilst a bolt of lightning strikes his sword. This kills them both and ignites Gojoe bridge. They return to those two lonely asteroids hurtling through space, always side by side, but never any closer.
The direction of Gojoe fully embodies the sense of the supernatural through adopting a very detached and floaty camera style. The camera’s movement is so perverse and noticeable, it almost serves as an extra spectator. The audience is no longer watching the characters on screen, but watching a camera watching the characters. As the camera is denying the classical rules of being invisible in its function, there becomes an additional separation between character and audience spectator. This adds to the already other-worldly atmosphere of the film and unsettles the audience further. The audience are now voyeurs. Of course, they already were voyeurs, but it would not have dawned on them unless the camera had not been so noticeable.
The camera additionally adds to the paranoia present through the entire film. A Samurai has to be slightly paranoid in order to stay alert, but this is communicated strongly by manipulating the camera to be not only an extra member of the audience, but an extra, unseen member of the story on screen. With the camera sneaking around trees, a fair distance away from our characters, one gets the feeling that there is another diegetic presence to be wary of.
Editing also contributes greatly to this feeling of paranoia, disjointedness and the supernatural. A reoccurring technique in Gojoe is to begin with a still CU of an object, only to reframe wider and taller in the consecutive few shots. Similar to the comic book art of Alan Moore, uneasiness and fear are evoked.
But who are these men to be given almighty power? And who are those to give it to them? The Ying/Yang balance is too obvious to be considered subtext, the depth and intelligence here lie in the proclamation of false Gods and witches. The blame is not on those who take the titles, but on those who dish them out, most characters dying a gruesome death at the hands of the supernatural’s they label. 13th Century Japan is thus an allegory for any time where power is abused and thrown upon unworthy leaders. God is on no-one’s side in war, only the demon that is masked by it.
Country: Japan
Budget: £
Length: 137mins
Pub/2008
More like this:
'Shimotsuma Monogatari (Kamikaze Girls)', 2004, directed by Tetsuya Nakashima
'Battle Royale II: Revenge (Batoru Rowaiaru II: Chinkonka)', 2003, directed by Kenta Fukasaku, Kinju Fukasaku
'Burnt by the Sun', 1994, directed by Nikita Mikhalkov