Sleepy Eyes of Death 9:
Trail of Traps
Director: Kazuo Ikehiro
Year:
1967
Rating: 7.0
This
is the ninth in the Sleepy Eyes of Death film series relaying the adventures
of ronin Nemuri Kyoshiro and his killing sword. This one is both plot-heavy
and somewhat episodic with his first kill not occurring till the 50th minute.
He is usually well-past that by then. It is a good plot though in which nothing
is what it seems as Kyoshiro wades his way through traps, betrayals and a
maniacal religious cult. It is directed by Kazuo Ikehiro who helmed many
of the action genre films in the 1960s- a few of the Sleepy Eyes, a few Zatoichi's,
a few of the Shinobi No Mono series and many others. This film has a nice
clean look to it with long alley ways and winding country roads. Lots of
close-ups and sudden violence. Kyoshiro continues to be a bit of a prick
- in particular to women - but he is honest when he tells one "I see women
as sexual objects". There is always an element of misogyny in these films
- women are almost always weapons of seduction and betrayal. The occasional
virgin gets a passing grade but she often ends up dead.
Kyoshiro is in the mood for some afternoon
nookie and so wanders down to the friendly neighborhood brothel and drinking
parlor where Oen greets him with glee. She is played by Naoko Kubo whose
face has become familiar to me as she shows up in a lot of these genre films
- in a number of the Sleepy Eyes as different characters. Kyoshiro doesn't
waste time as he barks out - "Take off your clothes". Not really a mood setter.
Later he is asked by a government official to help him. He has to transport
a gold statuette of Mary to Kyoto as an offering. But a Christian cult called
the Black Fingers (because they paint the pinky fingernail black) is determined
to get it at all costs. Even praying to Giabo, the God of Hell. That seems
a little odd for a Christian group but they do worse. Kyoshiro due to his
foreign priest father and practitioner of the Black Mass isn't too fond of
Christianity nor any religion really.
But then a woman finds him - after being
stripped nude by other female shamisen players - and tells him that he has
a sister in Kyoto who wants to see him before she dies. She had the same
mother before the mother converted to Christianity. He decides to go and
help protect the statuette. His price. The chastity of the man's daughter
Chisa (Haruko Wanibuchi) who has eyes so sad that you want to tell her a
joke. Is there a laugh in there anywhere? The road to Kyoto is a long one
on foot and the Black Hand sets traps for Kyoshiro all along the way - poison
tea, a poisoned hot spring, rolling logs, a seducer, a couple of nuns with
guns and Oen tags along with him giving him some sexual comfort. Other events
pop up such as the man telling him about the fixed dice he made - even, odd,
even, even - and Kyoshiro wins a woman in the play - having nothing to do
with the story but just a tale on the road to Kyoto.
