Inn of Evil

Shintaro Katsu and Tatsuya Nakadai are without a doubt two of my favourite Japanese actors, to the point where I'm often happy to watch either of them in anything, so to see them both in the same movie, and have that movie be directed by Kobayashi, was a treat.

That being said: this is pretty mid-tier Kobayashi, so it never quite reaches the heights of Harakiri, The Human Condition, Kwaidan, or even Samurai Rebellion. He was at his best in the late 50s and 60s, and Inn of Evil definitely feels like it was made about a decade before its actual year of release.

But mid-tier Kobayashi still makes for a good watch, and while the plot is slow when it is there and for some stretches of the movie isn't really there, the visuals, acting, and overall tense atmosphere do a lot to make up for that, making this a film that's easy to recommend to Kobayashi fans already familiar with the aforementioned films.

The film begins in feudal Japan with a new police officer by the name of "Kaneko" (Shigeru Koyama) discussing the smuggling trade with another police official named "Okajima" (Ichiro Nakatani) with one particular operation at the forefront of their concern--an inhospitable inn located on a small island in a river which can only be accessed by small boats or a rickety old bridge connecting it to the mainland. But it's the clientele which makes this inn so dangerous as its regular patrons are an odd assortment of cutthroats, thieves and murderers who are extremely hostile to visitors. To that effect, the police want to close it down. The problem, however, is that this inn is protected by a rich and powerful government official and, as a result, they have to be extremely careful. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that I enjoyed this movie due to its in-depth plot, good acting and solid character development. Admittedly, I would have preferred a bit more action or suspense here and there, but even so, I thought this was an entertaining film and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.

A gang of misfits, the innkeeper and his daughter, a drunk and a wounded young man find themselves holed up inside an inn called the Easy Tavern as they wait to transport smuggled goods from a Dutch ship. It sounds like the beginning of a joke but it's anything but. It's another opportunity for Masaki Kobayashi to probe the depths of the human spirit in this period drama set in Feudal Japan.

I won't go into plot specifics because part of what makes Kobayashi's movies so powerful is the experience of letting all the details slowly sink in until the final catharsis hits you like a ten ton hammer. If you've ever been left dumbfounded by the sheer emotional power of his movies, Inn of Evil will not disappoint. All his stylistic hallmarks are present. The plights of ordinary men forced to extreme measures by the corruption and oppression of the rich and powerful. Character flaws rooted in the past blocking their inner need. Emotionally scarred people in search of redemption. Long narrations that reveal character and motive. The final catharsis of people overcoming their flaws by sacrificing a part of themselves. If Kobayashi is among the most powerful film-makers in the history of movies, it's because he so perfectly understands tragedy. His movies are essentially ancient Greek tragedies with the characters themselves acting as the "deus ex machina". And it takes divine strength for them to sacrifice themselves with such selflessness.

The characters and their choices and motivation follow Kobayashi's personal style. Like the drunkard (played by the great Shintaro Katsu) redeeming himself for his past foolish ambitions and greed, by giving up his savings to a young man who needs to buy his wife back from the brothel her father sold her. Were it not for the slight ending Inn of Evil would have ranked up there with Seppuku or Samurai Rebellion. The idea behind the final cathartic showdown is great (a large number of enemy soldiers with lanterns in their hands chasing the heroes in a dark field) but the realization suffers a bit. Maybe for lack of budget or shooting time, it's not as stylish or well choreographed as one would expect. The only swordfighting takes place in these final 10 minutes and it's again not very impressive, so chambara fans might wanna look elsewhere for their slice and dice fix. The print I saw was a bit too dark and muddled so it didn't help things much either. Criterion need to get their hands on this one pronto.

The acting is as good as one would expect from a cast spearheaded by the brilliant Tatsuya Nakadai and Shintaro Katsu and the photography is in beautiful black and white with very nice exterior shots. The heart of the movie is what matters though and Inn of Evil comes with a great story about man's need for redemption. Strongly recommended.

I've liked all the other Kobayashi films I've seen before - Harakiri, Kwaidan, Samurai Rebellion and the Human Condition trilogy - but this one just never seemed to take off. A bunch of uninteresting and unlikeable lowlifes sit around a dimly lit tavern and steadfastly do all they can to not make us care for any of them. One gets the feeling the film could have turned out a lot more like, say, Reservoir Dogs, if only the dialogue was at all entertaining or thought-provoking. But it's not. The one glimmer of interest occurs with the attempted murder of the bar drunk, but not even that adds up to all that much, and the only even vaguely memorable moment visually is the bit where people with lanterns charge around in the dark at the end. A real disappointment all round.

A black and white film from a time when most Japanese productions were color although it would be very hard to imagine this film in color. An obscure offering from a director who is known for two of the best samurai films ever, Seppuku and Samurai Rebellion. He also made the seminal Japanese ghost film, Kwaidan.

Set in feudal Japan, a new police officer and his assistant are planning to take down a smuggling ring operated out of an inn on an island in a city criss-crossed with moats. No one dares enter the inn as only certain criminals are allowed in. Inside the the inn isn't a raucous non-stop party you might expect but a quiet, moody place inhabited by a small band of cynical criminals. The leader/owner of the inn is an older man assisted by his 18 year old daughter. Enter two of the criminals, one nick-named the "Disinterested" is played by Tatsuya Nakadai. The other, named the "Living Buddha", has brought in a badly beaten young man he just rescued from an inn on the mainland. The fellow gangsters are unsure of bringing in the unconscious man but the leader accepts the Living Buddha's act of mercy. Suddenly a decrepit drunk, played by Shintaro Katsu, shambles in demanding saké. They throw him out but the drunk is persistent and returns. The leader also allows him to stay. Cared for by the innkeeper's daughter and the "Living Buddha", the young man recovers and they learn that he stole money to buy back his girlfriend who was kidnapped into prostitution. Unfortunately he lost the money to a pickpocket while in an inn hence the beating. Meanwhile a representative for a rich family in the city arrives and tempts the gang with a job smuggling forbidden Dutch goods into the city. The gang has had bad experiences with this family before and they refuse. As time goes by the presence of the earnest young man starts to unravel the tough exteriors of the gang and they begin to want to help him rescue his girlfriend. And so the story unfolds.

A tour-de-force of lighting and black and white cinematography. The pacing is deliberate and the story revolves around the characters instead of action. The movie leaves the confines of the inn only a few times. The ensemble cast is superb with the lead Tatsuya Nakadai delivering his usual tormented soul. The going is a little slow during the second half-hour but it picks up and holds for the rest of the film. The action finally arrives at the end and it's well done.

Recommended.