The Bounty Hunter Trilogy (1969/72) Samurai Western Trilogy by way of James Bond? (Review)

Shogun Assassin gained infamy on the midnight cinema circuit, yet its leading man didn’t enjoy fame comparable to Ogami Ittō’s hellish saga. Tomisaburo Wakayama, although prolific and renowned in his own right, is nought but a footnote for World Cinema fans next to the likes of Tetsuya Watari, Joe Shishido, Meiko Kaji, Sonny Chiba, and (Zatoichi) Shintaro Katsu. All of these men (and one woman) starred in countless releases across the style spectrum during the peak decades for the Japanese studio system – with some also having notable music careers. The difference is their work is readily available outside of Japan. Now, thanks to the combined efforts of 88 Films, Eureka and Radiance, Wakayama’s glow-up begins with the (Radiance Films) release of The Bounty Hunter trilogy. 

Wakayama debuted as the former doctor turned Bounty Hunting Samurai Spy, Shikori Ichibei, for Killer’s Mission (1969) by The Street Fighter (1972) director Shigehiro Ozawa. And there was another in 1969, the Fort of Death. Returning in 1972 for Eight Men to Kill, the same year he began as Ogami Itto in the Lone Wolf and Cub movies. The character returned in 1975 for a 22-episode TV show, Shokin Kasegi. Killer’s Mission sees Ichibei charged with preventing the politically hostile prefecture, the Satsuma, from buying powerful military arms from the Dutch as a coup against the Shogunate. Fort of Death saw Ozawa replaced by Eiichi Kudo (13 Assassins & The Great Killing) for a farmer’s occupation of a fort in defiance of the local Daimyo running a campaign of aggressive expansion, ridiculous taxes and the wanton murdering of any critics. After a 3 year hiatus, Ozawa returned for Eight Men to Kill where Ichibei is employed to recover stolen gold for the government in his closest dalliance as a Bounty Hunter.

Comparing Ogami Itto to Shikori Ichibei is a fascinating exercise in studying the range of Tomisaburo Wakayama. On the one hand, we have a largely mute, stoic man who cuts everyone down to size on his path to hell. On the other, we have something comparable to a kid on a playground saying the other kids can’t beat them because they are XYZ, the likes of which I’ve not seen since Mario Bava’s Danger: Diabolik (1969). Ichibei is a very charismatic man to the point that every woman falls in love with him. He also has an array of killer gadgets – hence the comparisons to James Bond. He’s also a prodigiously talented Swordsman, a military strategist, a spy and a doctor. He also throws acting into this character mix in a segment during Fort of Death where he poses as a blind swordsman in homage to his brother’s legendary Zatoichi run. If you discount his repeated success with the ladies, this role exudes energy comparable to Prime years Sammo Hung. 

Tonally, The Bounty Hunter is consistent with many studio pictures of the late 60s and 70s as part of Toei’s attempts to get younger viewers into cinemas. There is intrigue, sex scenes and historical action that inserts a character utterly anachronistic to the Chambara movies (sword fighting) made at the time. He uses guns, including a rotary machine gun, and multiple tricks and strategic swerves. Ichibei has all the potential in the world, especially when you add the distinct (spaghetti) Western flavouring these movies consistently employ. This concoction also incorporates an anti-government/shogunate stance – especially in Eight to Kill and Fort of Death. He takes particular objections to protecting governmental assets at the cost of the working man’s peace and livelihood. Ichibei is motivated by the idea that the poor need not die so the rich can cling to power. Being more than a little bit of a socialist myself, this is a character I grew very fond of.

I realise the connotations of this statement I am about to make, but here I go – The Bounty Hunter Trilogy is most appreciated by genre completionists. I am not diminishing this breezy 3 movie run, on the contrary – it is only after watching the standard samurai movie (Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Gosha & Kihachi Okamoto) that you can appreciate how enjoyable the left turns Tomisaburo Wakayama takes are. We are talking about a trilogy where an overweight samurai doctor is a ladies’ man, and a super spy with a belt of killer tools. As a collective, we are looking at one of the boldest divergences of classic-era samurai cinema. Yet it also works as a straight-genre movie with set pieces being simutaenously chaotic yet controlled enough to feature pleasing wide-angle cinematography especially in the 2nd movie that adds siege warfare to the mix. It really is a shame that these movies weren’t commerical successful in their native Japan. 

Radiance Films boxset is light on extras, but you would struggle to find any release of a Japanese movie from the 1960s or 70s that is any different. But what this Radiance release does boast is an audio commentary on Killer’s Mission by Tom Mes, an interview with film historian and Shigehiro Ozawa expert Akihito Ito about the filmmaker and a Visual essay on Eiichi Kudo by Japanese cinema expert Robin Gatto. The booklet is the extra that matters, the Bounty Hunter features new writing by samurai film expert Alain Silver, an obituary of Eiichi Kudo by Kinji Fukasaku and an interview piece on Shigehiro Ozawa after he retired from filmmaking. 

Rob’s Archive – The Bounty Hunter Trilogy