Genre: Historical/Drama
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Writer: Dwight Gallo
Based on the novel by James Clavell
Cast: Brad Pitt, Tadanobu Asano, Rinko Kikuchi, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tohoru Masamune, James Saito, Vincent Perez, Brian Tee, Joaquim de Almeida
Plot: Paul Blackthorne (Brad Pitt), is aboard the Dutch trading ship Erasmus, when a violent storm causes the ship to crash along the eastern shore of Japan in Anjiro. Blackthorne, the ship's navigator and one of the few survivors of the crew, is taken prisoner by samurai warriors led by Kasigi Omi (James Saito), the local feudal lord. Omi's uncle, Lord Kasigi Yabu (Tohoru Masamune) arrives and puts Blackthorne and his crew on trial as pirates, utilizing a local low-level Jesuit priest to interpret for Blackthorne. After losing the trial, Blackthorne attacks the Jesuit, ripping off his crucifix and snapping it in half. Lord Yabu and the other Japanese present are shocked by the gesture, as they assumed Blackthorne was Catholic like the other Europeans in the area. Lord Yabu sentences Blackthorne and his crew to death, but Omi convinces him to spare them so that they may learn more about European ways from someone who isn't a Catholic missionary.
Omi throws the Erasmus crew into a pit to tame them, and tells them Lord Yabu has ordered Blackthorne to pick one amongst them to die, so that the others may live. Blackthorne leads his crew in a futile resistance, but they are intimidated by Omi. One of them is taken and is boiled alive, to satisfy Lord Yabu, who cruelly enjoys such spectacles. To save the rest of his crew from such savagery, Blackthorne agrees to submit to Japanese authority. Lord Yabu has Blackthorne placed in a household, with his crew continuing to be held hostage to ensure his obedience. Omi suggests to Yabu that they confiscate the guns and money recovered from the wreckage of the Erasmus, but word of this reaches Lord Toranaga, the powerfil president of the Council of Regents. Toranaga sends General Hiro-matsu (Brian Tee) to take Erasmus and the crew to gain an advantage over Toranaga's main rival on the council, Lord Ishido (Hiroyuki Sanada).
Because the Japanese cannot pronounce his name, they call Blackthorne Anjin (Japanese for navigator). After confiscating Erasmus, Hiro-matsu takes Blackthorne and Yabu back to Osaka, where the Council is meeting at Osaka Castle, Ishido's stronghold. They travel on one of Toranaga's boats, piloted by the Portugese pilot Rodrigues (Joaquim de Almeida). Rodrigues tries to kill Blackthorne during a storm by trying to get him to fall overboard when a wave breaks over the deck, but he is swept over himself by the next wave. Blackthorne saves Rodrigues from drowning and safely navigates to ship to Osaka.
At Osaka Castle, Blackthorne is interviewed by Toranage through the translation of Jesuit priest Martin Alvito (Vincent Perez), a sophisitated priest high up in the Jesuit hierarchy. Blackthorne, as an English Protestant, tries to turn Toranaga against the Jesuits, and tells him that the Christian faith is divided and that other European countries intend to sail the Asian waters now that England has defeated the Spanish Armada. Alvito begrudgingly translates this information. Ishido enters the chambers, ending the interview. He is curious about Blackthorne, but Toranaga quickly has Blackthorne thrown into prison to keep him from Ishido.
At Blackthorne's suggestion, a nearby Portuguese ship is asked to lend cannon to blast the boats clear but, in return, the Portugese will only offer aid to Toranaga in exchange for physical custody of Blackthorne. Toranaga agrees and the ship clears the coast. The Portuguese pilot, Rodrigues, repays his debt to Blackthorne by having him thrown overboard to swim back to Toranaga's ship. Toranaga's ship escapes by staying alongside the Portuguese ship as both pass through the gap left between the opposing boats. Toranaga and his party return to his ship, which then goes back to Anjiro.
Blackthorne slowly learns the Japanese language from Lady Mariko and gains an understanding of the Japanese people and their culture. The Japanese, in turn, are torn over Blackthorne's presence, but a turning point is Blackthorne's attempt at seppuku upon finding out that Yabu has threatened the peasants with death if Blackthorne does not learn Japanese within six months. In so doing, he shows his willingness to give up his life in payment for theirs, despite the Christian injunction against suicide. The Japanese prevent this attempt, but they also come to respect him for his knowledge and attempts to assimilate to their culture. During an earthquake, Blackthorne rescues Toranaga from a falling building. In return, Toranaga grants Blackthorne the status of "samurai". During this time Blackthorne also begins to fall in love with Mariko, even though she is married. Blackthorne becomes torn between his love of Mariko, his increasing loyalty to Toranaga, and his desire to return to the seas.
Lord Ishido has Lady Mariko kidnapped and taken to Osaka Castle. He hopes to lure Toranaga into the castle and have the council force him to commit seppuku. At the castle, Mariko defies Ishido and forces him to either dishonor himself or to back down and let her leave. A group of ninja hired by Ishido, aided by Yabu, prepare to kill her, but Blackthorne arrives to try to rescue her. They escape the main area of the castle and into a locked room just before the ninja attack. The ninja prepare to blow the door open with explosives. Blackthorne and Mariko share a kiss as the door explodes open. Mariko is killed by the blast, while Blackthorne is injured and temporarily loses his hearing. Blackthorne manages to escape and reports back to Toranaga that Yabu was involved. Toranaga forces Yabu to commit seppuku for his treachery.
Toranaga has his men help Blackthorne build a new ship so that he may take back to the seas. As Blackthorne and the men put the finishing touches on the ship, Toranaga sets fire to it. He tells Blackthorne that it is his destiny to never leave Japan, Mariko's to die for her lord, and Toranaga's own to eventually become Shogun.
No comments:
Post a Comment