DESCRIPTION

CAST

MOVIE ActionLUPIN THE IIIRD: Jigen Daisuke no Bohyou
ANIME AdventureLupin III
MOVIE ActionLUPIN THE IIIRD: Mine Fujiko no Uso

REVIEWS

• 

  skyebadoo

  90/100
  Brutal Samurai action, held back only by poor pacing in some areas.

  

  Goemon Ishikawa's Spray of Blood is the final movie in the Fujiko Mine series, though poses itself as a solid stand-alone film. This is my rewatch of the movie, having watched through the Fujiko Mine series, so my expectations were obviously already high considering I knew what I was walking into.

  It comes as no surprise that the production quality of the movie was incredibly high, arguably higher than the previous film, Jigen's Gravestone. Since there was a focus on samurai, an incredibly amount of focus was put into the fight choreography and the cinematography generally stuck out and helped to how casual everyone in comparison to Goemon in their attitude towards everything. The OST was quite different from the Fujiko series and the Jigen movie, it was still a little jazzy, but largely it leaned on a more traditional Japanese soundtrack which fit the Samurai theme well.

  Goemon is contracted to protect the boss of the Yakuza, but due to the incredibly strength of the assassin he faces, he fails. As an honour bound Samurai, Goemon vows to defeat 'The Hawk' in vengeance for the death of his employer and to gain redemption for his failure. Being that this is a Lupin III movie, The Hawk is also contracted to kill Lupin and the gang too though this doesn't feel entirely unnatural as, well he's the worlds most wanted thief, so it's expected that he would have a price on his head. We follow Goemon through his failures and subsequent training, to come to an incredibly satisfying and, shockingly brutal conclusion. There is a minor complaint to be made about the pacing of the story however, as Goemon's training overstays its welcome somewhat, and borders on absurd at times. This doesn't become too much of a distraction but was still frustrating in breaking the pacing.

  The pacing issues only hold back Goemon Ishikawa's Spray of Blood form becoming a masterpiece, it still holds up strongly as an epic action-samurai flick. Being backed up by exceptional production qualities, Goemon's movie serves as the perfect fanservice for fans of Goemon giving him long needed focus on his personal Samurai Code.

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• 

  saulgoodman

  80/100
  Goemon Ishikawa XIII is badass. That is all.

  #__Spoilers ahead. Skip to the end for a short, spoiler free review.__

  ---

  The One Man Army

  I assume that the Koike Lupin film trilogy is subject to Tarantino cross-comparisons frequently, so let's be a bit contrarian with discussing the jidaigeki genre. Perhaps the genre has been dumbed down to the delayed causality trope due to the likes of anime sword fights and fedora and katana-donning weeaboo meme, but their presences are monumental. The crossroad in this discussion lies at the duel samurai finale sequences. Nothing better encapsulates build-up, tension, pay-off and base violence more often than these jidaigeki staples. Of course, subtexts enrich these fights, speaking in place of the silent tension, clashing of steel or savage screaming. However, I don't believe that subtexts necessitate complexity or provoking commentary, such as Hara-Kiri's anti-samurai sentiment. My overall point being that Goemon's Blood Spray doesn't possess profound subtext, and it's great.

  Accompanied by Jigen's Gravestone and Fujiko's Lie/A Woman Called Mine Fujiko, Goemon's Bloodspray is intended as a peek into the titular character's past, and excitedly so considering the samurai's usual silent demeanor. Retaining the jazzy, noir stylistic sense of its other peers, the film's aesthetic is slick. Slick with blood and vengeance no strange to classic samurai films, as this aesthetic is overshadowed by Goemon's persistence in the Bushido's Code. The film sheds no greater light on Goemon's past than what we already know for, his cool, silent character. However, perhaps this is as much as we need to know.

  ---

  ___ #__Silent Violence__

  Stacked with consistently fluid, bold action sequences headed by Takeshi Koike, the eye-candy of violence validates Goemon's character. Not subject to whim or calculation like his future partner-in=crimes, Goemon is as linear as 180. His honor comes before his life, even before the expected fleshing of his past in this film. Even for an unnamed crime boss with less than 20 minutes of screen-time before his death, Goemon unhesitatingly follows bloody vengeance in stride. Really, nothing else or no one else actually matters in this film, not Lupin's shenanigans, Zenigata's hunt or the aftermath of the crime organizations. These 53 minutes are dedicated purely to Goemon fulfilling a samurai's loyalty.

  And as I've said, this subtext isn't profound, yet this simplicity echoes loudly with Goemon's actions. Vengeance and spirit broken once upon defeat, paid back twofold in the rematch finale. Mixed in-between, it's criminal not to mention unarguably the apex of the film. A classic One Man Army sequence of Goemon silently slicing dozens of criminal clan members, after honing his senses in training, with tranquil music trailing by indicating the divine state-of-mind he's reached. Although not the finale fight, it checks off every classic jidaigeki finale fight condition; build-up, tension, pay-off and an adrenaline overdose of violence and gore. Although, this hype does impede the actual finale fight with Hawk a bit, but is nonetheless a great finish to this tale. The key-animation finishing Goemon's tale of vengeance and honor on a dramatic, high-note. Indeed, plot points are left unanswered, but that matters none in the face of the path of honor and violence that Goemon treads in this film.

  ---

  ___ #__Conclusion__

  The Lupin III franchise has become my favorite in recent years. Usually slick with episodic gags and amusement, Goemon's Bloodspray is a thrilling deter with its stone, bloody demeanor befitting of its archaic protagonist. Fans and first-time watchers are equally welcomed, as this film doesn't possess any relevant plot context with the main story, besides character dynamics. Directed by RED-LINE's Takeshii Koike, an abundance of eyegasms is assured with frequent action and fight sequences and phenomenal effects design.

  While being extremely entertaining and exciting, Goemon's Bloodspray does a better job at characterizing Goemon than what normal character past exploration could offer. A tale of vendetta and blood suits the quiet, archaic and deadly man that Goemon Ishikawa XIII is. Oh, and this is where the gif of Fujiko taking a bong hit originates from.

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