 |
 |
watch...
Sabu
Directed By Miike Takashi
Japan, 2002
Starring
Tatsuya Fujiwara ... Eiji
Satoshi Tsumabuki ... Sabu
Tomoko Tabata ... Onobu
Kazue Fukiishi ... Osue
Writers:
Hiroshi Takeyama (screenplay)
Shugoro Yamamoto (novel)
Since the 1999 horror shocker Audition was released internationally, Miike Takashi has made a name for himself in the horror genre. Outside of Japan he is probably best known for graphic horror and shock films, but back home he does everything from quirky comedies (with a gruesome underbelly) such as The Happiness of the Katakuris
, TV dramas and idol movies. He’s one of the most prolific directors in Japan now. His filmography looks like that of a schizophrenic or maybe just a person who can’t say “no” to anything. But is he actually a good director? Not everyone would agree.
Sabu was a project that Miike took on for Nagoya TV in 2002. It’s a period piece – edo Japan – the last days of the Samurai class. But this film isn’t about Samurai. It features Tsumabuki Satoshi (Sabu) and Fujiwara Tatsuya (Eiji) as two orphans who grow up in poverty as apprentices learning a trade. Eiji, the more attractive and more rebellious of the two gets incarcerated for a crime for which he has been framed. Throughout his incarceration he considers revenge on his supposed framers and attempts to separate himself from his dearest friend Sabu. Sabu, eternally loyal, will not allow Eiji to alienate himself from his friends or previous life. The two struggle with each other and with themselves to do what they believe to be right.
The film ends with a nice twist, and the story is quite clever and engaging. It comes originally from a novel by Yamamoto Shugoro, and while I’ve not read the novel I can say already that this is a case of “the book was better than the movie”. Sure screenwriter Takeyama Hiroshi left giant holes in the characters, and forgot to elaborate on crucial motivations. But it’s worse than that. The film rolls along like it has a flat tire. The rhythm is choppy one minute and lethargic the next. Miike seems anxious – like he can’t settle down into the genre or into this story. It’s almost as if he doesn’t quite know himself what story he is trying to tell. I have no idea if this book is available in English, but if it is, it’s probably a pretty good read.
