I was kind of disappointed with this. I guess I should have realized that with a film shot in Iran, it was going to be more conservative, but it felt more like a film from 1963 than 1973.
I also didn't realize that Ken Takakura is the only Japanese actor in the film. Everyone else appears to be Iranian, speaking lines in Persian (I think) and then dubbed over into Japanese. This gives the film a spaghetti western quality, particularly as Takakura has very little dialogue. For me, the dubbing had the usual effect of putting distance between me and the film, making it more artificial to me. Even the violence, which is about the only objectionable content in the film, is more reserved than I was expecting, which made me feel like I was almost watching a TV movie at times.
That said, it's fascinating to see Iran here, a place that seems perfect for spaghetti westerns, with its earthy, desert tones and wide open spaces. Obviously, the film is worth watching just to see this country as it was in a vastly different era. Takakura's performance is solid, although the Golgo 13 character doesn't seem test his abilities at all, except perhaps with some decent gun fighting at the end of the film. And I don't get why
[Show spoiler]the parrot
had to die.
Discotek's Blu-ray is very good, with their usual excellent English subtitles. The only extra is the film's Japanese trailer, which is similarly well-subtitled. I would not watch it until after you've seen the film as it spoils a great deal of the plot.
[Show spoiler]just frustrated at that point. A lot of good people had died in order for him to kill Max Boa and I think he really detested his target. Max really loved that bird, so by blowing up the bird he probably felt a sense of equilibrium justice.
[Show spoiler]just frustrated at that point. A lot of good people had died in order for him to kill Max Boa and I think he really detested his target. Max really loved that bird, so by blowing up the bird he probably felt a sense of equilibrium justice.
. That's my take.
Yes, I suppose that's the best explanation and the only one that makes any sense. It seemed fairly callous to me and savage in a way that was out of character up to that point.
In any event, I am now very interested to see the Sonny Chiba film from 1977, to see how Chiba's take on Golgo 13 differs from Takakura's.
I was kind of disappointed with this. I guess I should have realized that with a film shot in Iran, it was going to be more conservative, but it felt more like a film from 1963 than 1973.
I also didn't realize that Ken Takakura is the only Japanese actor in the film. Everyone else appears to be Iranian, speaking lines in Persian (I think) and then dubbed over into Japanese. This gives the film a spaghetti western quality, particularly as Takakura has very little dialogue. For me, the dubbing had the usual effect of putting distance between me and the film, making it more artificial to me. Even the violence, which is about the only objectionable content in the film, is more reserved than I was expecting, which made me feel like I was almost watching a TV movie at times.
That said, it's fascinating to see Iran here, a place that seems perfect for spaghetti westerns, with its earthy, desert tones and wide open spaces. Obviously, the film is worth watching just to see this country as it was in a vastly different era. Takakura's performance is solid, although the Golgo 13 character doesn't seem test his abilities at all, except perhaps with some decent gun fighting at the end of the film. And I don't get why
[Show spoiler]the parrot
had to die.
Discotek's Blu-ray is very good, with their usual excellent English subtitles. The only extra is the film's Japanese trailer, which is similarly well-subtitled. I would not watch it until after you've seen the film as it spoils a great deal of the plot.
I purchased 3 Discotek blu-rays and watched them all over the last 4 days. Golgo 13 was the one I liked least. Honestly I found it pretty boring. I was unfamiliar with this character other than having heard the name before. Having the film shot in Iran and everyone speaks Japanese didn't work for me at all. Perhaps this was the best way to present the film back in 73 but it didn't feel right.
As mentioned this was very nice PQ and I only noticed one mistake in the subtitles. It's another barebones release but it's also a relatively inexpensive disc. Bohachi Bushido is the only film I really enjoyed.
[Show spoiler]just frustrated at that point. A lot of good people had died in order for him to kill Max Boa and I think he really detested his target. Max really loved that bird, so by blowing up the bird he probably felt a sense of equilibrium justice.
. That's my take.
My take on this scene was
[Show spoiler]that he felt sorry for the bird. When he first saw it the bird gets knocked off a table and runs along the ground jumping over several people to get back to Boa. The bird obviously had a strong connection to him so Golgo 13 decided to send the bird along with his owner.
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Golgo 13 (1973)
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