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Kill!

{{Infobox film

| name = Kill!

| image = Kill-1968-poster.jpg

| alt =

| caption =

| native_name =

| director = Kihachi Okamoto

| producer = Tomoyuki Tanaka{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=250}}

| writer =

| screenplay = {{plainlist|*Akira Murao

| story =

| based_on = {{Based on|Torideyama no jushichinichi|Shūgorō Yamamoto}}

| starring = {{plainlist|*Tatsuya Nakadai

| music = Masaru Sato{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=250}}

| cinematography = Rokuro Nishigaki{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=250}}

| editing = {{plainlist|*Kihachi Okamoto

  • Yoshitami Kuroiawa{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=250}}}}

| studio = Tokyo Eiga{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=250}}

| distributor = Toho

| released = {{Film date|df=yes|1968|6|8|Japan}}

| runtime = 130 minutes{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=250}}

| country = Japan

| language =

| budget =

| gross =

}}

{{nihongo|Kill!|斬る|Kiru}} is a 1968 Japanese comedy-chambara film directed by Kihachi Okamoto.{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=250}} The film had a screenplay written by Akira Murao and Okamoto, and is based on the story Torideyama no jushichinichi ({{literal translation|17 Days at Fort Mountain}}) in Yamamoto Shugoro zenshu (1964) by Shūgorō Yamamoto.{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=250}}

Plot

Tatsuya Nakadai stars as Genta, a former samurai who became disillusioned with the samurai lifestyle and left it behind to become a wandering yakuza gang member. He meets Hanjirō Tabata (Etsushi Takahashi) a farmer who wants to become a samurai to escape his powerless existence. Genta and Tabata wind up on opposite sides of clan intrigue when seven members of a local clan assassinate their chancellor. Although the seven, led by Tetsutarō Oikawa (Naoko Kubo) rebelled with the support of their superior, Ayuzawa (Shigeru Kōyama), he turns on them and sends members of the clan to kill them as outlaws.

Style

The film is a comically exaggerated exploration of what it is to be a samurai. The characters either give up samurai status or fight to attain it, and samurai are seen behaving both honorably and very badly. The film has a parodic tone, with numerous references to earlier samurai films.{{cite web|url=http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=313&eid=440§ion=essay|title=Kill!|website=Criterion.com}}

Cast

Release

Kill! was released theatrically in Japan on 22 June 1968 where it was distributed by Toho.{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=250}} It was released in the United States by Frank lee International with English subtitles in August 1968.{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=250}}

Reception

Along with Human Bullet and Judge and Jeopardy, Kill! gave art director Iwao Akune the award for Best Art Direction at the Mainichi Film Concours.{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=250}}

References

{{reflist}}

=Sources=

{{Refbegin}}

  • {{cite book |last=Galbraith IV |first=Stuart |title=The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f7o8pq6G_dYC |access-date=October 29, 2013 |year=2008 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-1461673743}}

{{Refend}}

External links

  • {{IMDb title|0063186}}
  • {{cite web |url=http://www.jmdb.ne.jp/1968/cr001540.htm|title=斬る (Kiru)|access-date=2007-07-18|language=ja|publisher=Japanese Movie Database}}
  • [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/390-kill-pardon-my-dust Kill!: Pardon My Dust] an essay by Howard Hampton at the Criterion Collection
  • [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/397-kill-rebel-samurai-cinema Kill!: Rebel Samurai Cinema] an essay by Chris D. at the Criterion Collection

{{Kihachi Okamoto}}

Category:1968 films

Category:Films based on Japanese novels

Category:Films directed by Kihachi Okamoto

Category:1960s Japanese-language films

Category:1960s samurai films

Category:Films produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka

Category:Films scored by Masaru Sato

Category:Toho films

Category:1960s Japanese films

Category:Films based on works by Shūgorō Yamamoto

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