Punk Samurai (2018) Samurai Comedy Anarchy that we’ve never seen the likes of before (Review)

Punk Samurai, also known as Punk Samurai Slash Down (a title still retained on the main menu screen of this Blu-Ray release), is a title that evokes mental images of Jidaigeki or Chanbara epics, but with a modern twist, and in many ways that is exactly what it is… and yet it really, REALLY isn’t those things at all.

The story, on paper at least, reads like so many films we’ve seen before. A ronin (Gô Ayano) looks to be in the steady employment of the local lord (Masahiro Higashida). However, this turns out to be a ploy by Naito (Etsushi Toyokawa) to get rid of his nemesis Oura (Jun Kunimura)… then things get a little out of hand. Honestly, that description does not do this film justice, because there is so much more to Punk Samurai than could ever be summed up in just a few words.

Based on Kou Machida’s “unfilmable” novel of the same name, Punk Samurai is a movie that doesn’t look to emulate great Chanbara/Samurai films of the past, instead, it is reminiscent of such great Hong Kong comedies by long-time Stephen Chow collaborator Jeffrey Lau Chun-Wai, in particular films like The Eagle Shooting Heroes and A Chinese Odyssey parts 1 & 2. It’s an absurd rollercoaster of laughs and anarchy, out-of-the-box humour and a cast that is all in on each and every line of this story.

Speaking of the cast, whilst there are characters a-plenty, not once did it ever feel overwhelming. Everyone was given time to breathe and have their own stand-out moment. Of course, this is assisted by a much-needed narration in the form of a voiceover, who later becomes a character in the film itself, but is introduced in such a way that it could never be pre-empted.

That’s it with Punk Samurai, no matter how many Chanbara action films you’ve seen, or how many times two sword-wielding warriors face death on the cinematic battlefield, very few films could ever prepare you for this. It weaves in and out of bizarre set pieces into moments of sheer lunacy, and yet, despite its off-kilter presence, it works a treat. Several times throughout I found myself holding my sides with laughter, revelling in over-the-top reactions to the ludicrous ideas and not once ever knowing where this journey would take me next, a rarity in this day and age.

This isn’t to say that Punk Samurai doesn’t have a message. Whether it be a commentary on society and its willingness to believe some of the most outrageous lies if it suits their own narrative and benefits them, or how leaders delude themselves with the notion of power and how they play their little games in what they consider oh so important, there is a lot going on, but above all of this, all the subversive humour and social observations, Punk Samurai is a melting pot of originality that only comes around every once in a while and should be embraced for just how daring it is.

Third Window Films have long been an essential label for East Asian cinema over the years, often going outside the norm to give us original ideas and unique perspectives on cinema, whether that be stoic dramas (Lee Chang-song’s Oasis) or over-the-top zaniness (Satoshi Miki’s Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers) via heartfelt moments that live a lifetime in the soul (Shinichirou Ueda’s One Cut Of The Dead), their contribution to our cinematic lives should never be overlooked, because if it wasn’t for the tireless work of (label boss) Adam Torel, films such as Punk Samurai wouldn’t see the light of day here in the west. That thought alone brings darkness to my heart because films like these enrich our lives and help us see beyond the usual “by the numbers” releases by other distributors.

Punk Samurai is quite like nothing else, but could stand alongside films like John Dies At The End (2012), Detention (2011), hell, even this year’s award season darling Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022), as a film so fiercely unique that it defies comparison and yet wraps its audience in an absurd familiarity. Gakuryû Ishii is fast becoming a favourite director of mine, and if Punk Samurai is anything to go by, it’s easy to see why.

Ben’s Archive: Punk Samurai