Mifune: The Last Samurai (2015)

I had seen Toshirō Mifune in a dozen films, only one of them not directed by Akira Kurosawa. Even when he's not the main character, he has a habit of capturing our attention. So I accepted the Meetup invitation to a documentary about him, tho my dad declined.

Actually, this isn't entirely about Mifune. Before getting into even his parentage and infancy (with cute photos care of his professional photographer dad), the doc presents the earliest history of motion pictures in Japan, with a focus on silent, Noh-inspired samurai shorts. I'm somewhat impressed that clips survive in any capacity. Late in the doc, we learn a little about the career of Kurosawa in the absence of Mifune.

I'm not the only viewer who got the impression that either (A) the makers wanted a broader cinematic study but had to cut it short or (B) what they had on Mifune needed padding to reach 80 minutes. Given how little is said about some of his significant roles, I'd rule out B. Perhaps they had a bit of bias in what they found interesting enough to cover.

I'll tell you what's not interesting: the narration delivery. It sounds dry, maybe half asleep. Only at the start of the credits did I -- and, from the sound of it, many others in the theater -- realize why: It's Keanu Reeves. What was his big credential, 47 Ronin? Well, at least he taught me an alternate pronunciation of "Rashômon."

Fortunately, as usual, Reeves doesn't drag the rest of the movie down to his level. I did learn a fair deal of interesting trivia along the way and got a clearer picture of the often scenery-chewing (or scenery-slashing) man seen typically in feudal Japanese garb. Perhaps it's a bit one-sided, but it increased my admiration for Mifune. I almost want to watch that dud 1941 just to know what he laughed at so much. (While the doc admits to the low popularity of many works, it says nothing about 1941's, possibly because Steven Spielberg appears for some of the monologues. As does Martin Scorsese, FWIW.)

Most of the speakers have their monologues in Japanese. For once, the subtitles appear in a refreshing orange rather than white or yellow, apart from the original subtitles on old movie clips. The most interesting speakers IMO are the late Haruo Nakajima, who had played Godzilla and a Seven Samurai bandit in the same year; and the late Takeshi Kato, who I believe was the one Mifune had "killed" hundreds of times. We also hear from the sons of Mifune and Kurosawa (Shiro and Hisao, respectively).

It's OK for reminding us of a lot of what we liked about Mifune and Kurosawa, perhaps especially when they worked together. But part of me wonders whether I would've gotten more out of The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise. More in entertainment, anyway.