Please don't spend money on this.

Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Toshiro Mifune's turn as the stuttering Gonzo in RED LION is so out of character for the actor that his performance here really stands out. The gullible Gonzo (who fell out of a tree as a kid and presumably did some serious damage to his noggin) returns to his village, Sawando, wearing the mane of The Red Lion as a representative of The Imperial Army (which is on its way to facilitate what they refer to as "the world renewal," during which all taxes will be waived and all wrongs set right). Gonzo meets the pickpocket Sanji "The Wallet Collector," Hanzo, a "lai" (quick-draw swordsman), and is reunited with his long-lost love, Otomi (who was forced into prostitution when Gonzo was believed killed and tossed into a river). Says the naive Gonzo: "There's really gonna be a world renewal! It's gonna be a peasant's world!" (The Occupy Movement, anyone...?) "Those with money really DO have money," marvels one young woman sold into prostitution when she sees the loot hoarded by the corrupt town officials. But all is not well. "You're doomed," Gonzo's mother tells him: "No matter how many lives you've got!" The zaibatsu (plutocrats) won't allow the peasants to rise up. (The Occupy Movement, anyone...?) "Theory and real life can sometimes come into conflict," the old village sensei observes at one point. There are some interesting characters throughout RED LION and, as stated, Mifune takes a turn for the funny throughout- but his humorous antics give way late in the movie to some serious drama. RED LION is not to be missed.

I can't believe that I've never seen this before, because it ranks with the finest in Japanese cinema. The ensemble cast of crazy, frequently snaggle-toothed actors is superb. These people steal scenes from Mifune Toshiro! That takes talent. Mifune is stellar as always, but the sassy pie-faced hooker, the oily existentialist assassin and the smarmy anxious deputy are amazing as well. Although the film is mostly played for comedy, the ending is as moving as anything that cinema has to offer. A film about very particular people in a claustrophobic little village suddenly becomes an epic metaphor for sweeping political and economic change in Japan. Oh, and I'll be singing that song for a month.The DVD is also stellar. The subtitles are color coded by character to keep you from getting confused, and you have a choice between full titles and stripped down ones. The liner notes even include a bibliography! Plus the animeigo website has additional liner notes for the film. That's love.

This superb movie was my first political science training experience in my youth. I rank it in my top 10 favorite movies. I first saw it (English subtitle was "Red Lion")in its first showing (it was 35 years ago in L.A. or was it S.F.?)as a guest of the local distributer. I'm still affected by it's message of political betrayal. As a fan of T. Mifune, I was already conditioned by his superman samurai image. I kept expecting and then praying that his main character would toss aside his weaknesses and become the champion of justice and vanquish all evil. But, gasp, he doesn't and he is cut down. I still feel the blades in my own body as he is penetrated and dies. There is a lot in this movie but it was this aspect that grabbed me. What a fantastic gift of life instruction from Japan, to be on guard against betrayals in life. I recommend this film to everyone.

Check out the previous comment for more complete information on the historical aspects of Red Lion - he obviously knows a lot about it, and I found it very useful to read that right after I finished watching the film.All I can say for sure about this film, though, is that I loved it. It's enormously entertaining! First off, it's hilarious. One doesn't generally think of Toshiro Mifune as a comic actor (although there are comic elements in his characters in Rashomon and The Seven Samurai), but he's quite funny here. It's not a humor that many Americans could appreciate, though. It's very Japanese. If you're a fan of anime or video games, the humor will be recognizable. Second, it's exciting. I love Okamoto's Sword of Doom, and the action sequences in Red Lion are equal. It's actually a little more action-oriented than that film, which is more suspense-oriented. And, third, it's dramatically effective. Gonzo (Toshiro Mifune) starts off the film as a comic character, but by the end he grows into a hero of great stature. The color cinematography of Red Lion is also very beautiful. 10/10.