The Neomerous Eight I decided to watch Ambush in the Gorge of Death only because of the similarity with the eighth film of Quentin Tarantino, of which I am a fan. If it weren’t for that, I’d never heard of this movie. It was from this film, I'm sure, that the author of Fiction took the idea of a prisoner and a gang trying to get him out. Quentin skillfully took the idea and developed it in a completely different way, adjusting to his unique style and making the main theme of the film. The motives for the release of the criminal, by the way, in both films are completely different. Here it is worth drawing parallels, as Tarantino at one time skillfully used the plot of the film City on Fire to create his debut Mad Dogs.
Now about the movie. I really liked the movie and was surprised by its low popularity. A very worthy film. It is worth noting that the main role is played at that time by the main star of Japanese cinema Toshiro Mifune, whom I had previously seen only at Kurosawa. In the film, I decided by analogy to highlight the eight main characters. The degree of disgust among them is certainly much lower:
1) A samurai going to the fatal gorge to perform some secret task, which even he does not know;
(2) A girl whom a samurai saved from a rapist husband and who now accompanies ronin, gradually falling in love with him;
(3) An enterprising old man running the shop where the main action of the film will take place;
(4) His brave and cheerful granddaughter;
(5) A poor and bewildering player who accidentally wanders into a shop;
(6) A mysterious doctor who cooks a forbidden medicine behind a bench with an old man;
7) Suspicious police officer who is not on ceremony with anyone;
(8) A petty criminal caught by a police officer.
As in Tarantino's film, some of them are not who they say they are, hidden connections are opened between the characters, someone about something is not said, conflicts arise, new faces gradually appear, the situation becomes confused. In the film, like a first-class detective, there are a lot of plot twists and even at the end, when it seems that everything is already clear, a sudden discovery turns everything upside down. And of course, it’s a pretty sad and unconventional ending (oh, those samurai!). To all this, it is worth adding the beautiful landscapes of winter Japan, giving the film a special atmosphere and magnificent performance of all actors (Mifune, of course, out of competition).
In general, I recommend to watch, but fans of Quentin Tarantino must watch.
8 out of 10