Synopsis
An old swordsman, his former comrade and a young braggart are hired by prostitutes to track down bandits who mutilated one of the women.
2013 ‘許されざる者’ Directed by Lee Sang-il
An old swordsman, his former comrade and a young braggart are hired by prostitutes to track down bandits who mutilated one of the women.
Yurusarezaru Mono, 大和殺無赦, 許されざる者, The Unforgiven, 不可饶恕, Os Imperdoáveis, Непрощённый, Impitoyable, בלתי נסלח, Непростимо, Unforgiven (Yurusarezaru Mono), 용서받지 못한 자
Kill and kill and kill, then be killed in return. That's all I thought my life was.
-Jubei Kamata
How appropriate is this? Clint Eastwood's first starring role, and arguably where he announced to the world that he's much more then a TV star, was a Western (A Fistful of Dollars) remake of a critically acclaimed samurai film (Yojimbo). Here we get Eastwood's last Western (Unforgiven), a materpiece in it's own rights, being remade into a samurai film.
These are the kind of remakes I can get behind. Change something in the storytelling and transporting the story to Japan's Hokkaido frontier during the early Meiji Period does the trick quite nicely. Sure the story might be almost identical, but the…
I know there is a brand of Unforgiven fans who believe that it is a masterpiece that shouldn't be remade. I know this because I was one of them. How can you possibly improve upon the iconic characters, the incredible dialogue, the gorgeous photography, and the emotional performances? Best case scenario you are still going to get diminished returns from the original, or so I thought.
The Japanese Unforgiven is one of the best reboots I have ever seen. The only area that it didn't hold up to the original was the dialogue and even that might have just been a translation issue. In every other regard it holds it's own or even improves upon the classic. It even touches…
"I don't want to die." That's the cry of pure instinct.
You would think that remaking a movie as iconic as Unforgiven would constitute outright sacrilege punishable by being blacklisted from ever making movies again. So, the fact that this remake is not really bad and just mediocre is a sigh of relief. To state something meant fondly towards this film in particular, though I felt like this even before pressing play, if there is one Japanese actor who could work as an equivalent to Clint Eastwood with the same amount of gravitas, it's absolutely Ken Watanabe. I didn't think he's great here, but he's certainly still giving a performance, and if there would be anyone I trust to be…
pretty literal remake without Eastwood's 35 years of mythological genre baggage. engaging but not much more than a novelty.
Wichtelclub - Runde 4 | 28.06.21-11.07.21 | Unforgiven - Wichtelvermutung Der Lindi
Twenty years after one of the greatest westerns of all time the Japanese western from sang-il could strike with a great score and a solid cast but I clearly have to say that in every little aspect the original is far greater.
Really liked it but the tension the original gave me this didn’t had because it was nearly a 1:1 remake which kinda bored me in its happenings. The fact that this has an even longer runtime doesn’t make it better because no hate but I rather watch a dialogue between Eastwood and freeman than watanabe (who I also really love) and emoto.
Short said I couldn’t get into the film totally. Really liked the little samurai story/style in it which was the only special and surprising thing. Nevertheless much thanks for the Pick and the experience!
Given the cinematic symbiosis between the samurai and western genres, Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven being remade as a jidaigeki seems almost fated, like some long-gestating response to the Yojimbo/Fistful link. Starring Ken Watanabe in the lead role, Lee Sang-il’s Unforgiven transplants the story of a feared man, past in his prime and drawn back into cruel bloodshed, from the West to the East.
In a vacuum, this jidaigeki Unforgiven is competent and well-made. The palette is rich, the violence suitably unromanticized, its performances all solid. The finale is an impressively grueling, brutal, and intense action sequence. This Unforgiven is essentially a beat-for-beat remake, with only minor adjustments. Every major and minor character, every moment, even most of the dialogue is replicated.…
Japanese Samurai-Western and Remake of Clint Eastwood's Masterpiece of the same Name.
Wonderful Landscape shots, a beautiful Music-Score and with Ken Watanabe a
Charismatic leading Actor.
The Movie doesn't manage to live up to the Original, but it's still a good Film worth seeing.
Ken Watanabe portrays Jubei Katama, a former samurai afflicted by his past, in Lee Sang-il's japanese western remake of Eastwood's homonymous masterpiece. Unforgiven is a masterfully shot character study set on Hokkaidō, a region of utmost beauty and intrigue. Lee Sang-il manages to blend the breathtaking scenery of Japan during the Meiji age with the slow, insightful, yet merciless journey of a character whose intricacy is just as remarkable as those of his companions. The mostly reposeful story accounts for an almost spiritual touch as we are granted to be a part of Jubei's journey. His arc is shaped by events which eventually force him to break the vow he made to his wife and hence change him as well…
It is a good thing to see an American classic remade with such artistry and love for the original. In Sang-il Lee's remake of the Clint Eastwood classic film we are transported to 1880 Japan and the remote village of Hakkaido a hamlet full of vermin and whores. The film is very faithful to the original in story and with Ken Watanabe in the Eastwood role we have a great film to relish in.
The film has some of the most brilliant cinematography you will see of Japan and it all the more makes for a beautiful film. It is sad this film did not get much attention here in the States, because it is a fine stand alone film from the Eastwood classic and in some aspects slightly better. If you want something familiar and yet a little different I will say this is a film to look out for.
Watched on Amazon Video
Western remakes of Japanese films have a long tradition. The genre of samurai films in particular has always provided a suitable basis for great westerns, as the stories of lone warriors roaming the land in search of revenge are a welcome element in both genres. Films like "A Fistful of Dollars" or "The Magnificent Seven" rarely reach the genius of the original, but they can at least call themselves a successful remake that has succeeded perfectly in transferring the basic structure of the story from Japanese to American culture. In 2013, the Korean-Japanese director Sang-il Lee wanted to prove that the whole thing also works the other way round with a remake of the Clint Eastwood…
No doubt about it, Ken Watanabe is one of my favorite actors. Great performance by him and the rest of the cast.
This remake of Eastwood's classic is a faithful rendition, but changes things up enough to give it it's own due. It may not hold quite the strong message of the consequences of killing that the classic western did, but almost as every bit the gripping tale, and I actually preferred the difference in the ending here. A beautifully shot samurai/western, as well as great score by Taro Iwashiro, one of Asia's best composers.