LFF 2012 - The Samurai That Night

The word 'samurai' may be the most notable word in the title of this particular Japanese film but an appearance from one is about as likely as not seeing the signature dish of noodles featured at some point throughout the duration. Instead, The Samurai That Night provides a dark, depressing and dreary tale in which we follow Kenichi Nakamura (Masato Sakai) as the repercussions of his wife's death affect him both physically and physically.

Five years after she was run over and left for dead by Kijima (Takayuki Yamada), Ken remains jaunted in life, seeking solace only through the last voicemail message he received from his loved one and a seemingly endless supply of cigarettes. His iron works business merely a chance to exit his slumber, Ken rebuffs the attempts of his brother-in-law Aoki (Hirofumi Arai) to pair him with a new partner as he continues to plummet emotionally.

Despite Kijima paying for his crime with a stint in prison, Ken is intent on redemption and sends a daily letter warning of both his impending sucide and the death of Kijima himself. As the days tick down, the emotional states of all involved are tested to the limit when it becomes clear that Ken is ready to avenge the death of his wife.

The Samurai At Night is by no means an easy watch to say the least. Despite its occasional moments of subtle humour, the film remains an ultimately downbeat and depressing encounter. Its focus character is a broken man who is minimal on dialogue and plentiful in emotional angst, proving a very hard character for the audience to invest much support in and the support roles are far from effective.

Whilst Masato Sakai's Ken conveys the continuous sorrow and difficulty of losing a loved one reasonably well, his act grows tiresome and repetitive as the film trudges along, and in the remainder of the cast come an array of characters who almost seem to have been thrown into the events without full development. The only redeeming factor of the cast comes through Takayuki Yamada; his villain of the piece is one you will grit your teeth at and wish for his timely demise. Neither over-the-top nor understated in his performance, Yamada proves an utterly spiteful and sadistic villain worthy of audience opposition.

Acting aside, the film never quite fulfills its promise of a tense and thrilling lead-up to its finale and instead continues to underwhelm with each scene produced upon the screen. As the days slowly pass to which we expect a showdown between our main character and the man he wants to gain revenge on, the events in between are discombobulated, the characters a messy conundrum and progression seemingly at a stand-still.

With no truly engaging characters, Kijima aside, Samurai suffers greatly, and in failing to produce a worthy main lead to root for, never drives forward into anything more than a dull and drab film with little to savour for those watching. The imagery depressing and a real lack of ambition in the filming of the piece, director Masaaki Akahori's potential revenge flick results in something rather removed from its initial subject matter and proves a flat affair.

Huge pauses in dialogue that are seemingly gaping mistakes, unintentional humour at perplexing moments and a distinct lack of heart, The Samurai That Night outstays its welcome with a unnecessary duration and clunky filmmaking throughout. Those looking for an upbeat film need not apply and even viewers seeking a rather heartfelt tale of loss and tragedy are best steering well clear of what is almost a monstrosity of a film.