BUNRAKU Blu-ray Review

An old tale is told in a visually bold manner in Guy Moshe's Bunraku.  Revenge is always a good starting point for any story, and in this case, it helps the odds as two men, a drifter played by Josh Hartnett, and a young Japanese played by pop star Gackt, seek vengeance from The Woodcutter, played by Ron Perlman.  Bunraku takes a lot of chances, the film is staged in such a way that the viewer will either jump on board or become disillusioned very quickly.  I found myself in the former camp, after aligning myself with the illusion.  ARC Entertainment bring Bunraku to Blu-ray and DVD in a very capable digital presentation with the stylized visuals holding their own and the sound keeping up quite nicely.  A film like this was begging for more background bonus material, but unfortunately, we come up a little bit short on that end. However, as a home presentation of the film, I can give this one a solid recommendation.

A mysterious drifter (Josh Hartnett) and an ardent young Japanese warrior Yoshi (Gackt) both arrive in a town that has been terrorized by outrageous and virulent criminals. Each is obsessed with his separate mission, and guided by the wisdom of The Bartender (Woody Harrelson) at the Horseless Horseman Saloon, the two eventually join forces to bring down the corrupt and contemptuous reign of Nicola (Ron Perlman), the awesomely evil "woodcutter" and his lady Alexandra (Demi Moore), a femme fatale with a secret past. This classic tale is re-vitalized and re-imagined in an entirely fresh visual context, set in a unique world that mixes skewed reality with shadow-play fantasy, a place where even the landscape can betray you. Heroes triumph here only because the force of their will transforms and transcends both space and time. The world of BUNRAKU is past and present, fantasy and reality, Samurai and Western all combined. Like SIN CITY and 300, it gives classic conflict a whole new graphically supercharged dynamic. Resonating through a wide range of cultures and showcasing a mind-blowing array of martial arts disciplines, BUNRAKU is a fresh arena for breathtaking fight action.

Bunraku opens with a prologue giving the basic rules of the post-apocalyptic landscape in which we find ourselves. A pan-cultural oasis ruled by gangsters and warlords, and without firearms of any kind. Blades, on the other hand, are plentiful, as we are reminded throughout the film.  There are more slashing, chopping, and stabbing implements in this film than you could shake a stick at, a very sharp stick. Into town wander two strangers, Josh Hartnett's Drifter, and Gackt's young Samurai.  They are both in search of The Woodcutter, a ridiculously costumed Ron Perlman as brutal, axe-wielding warlord. To get to him, they must go through a gauntlet of puzzles, underground secret societies, and numerous ill-fated henchmen.

The story is lifted from any number of 1940's samurai and film noir setups, and in fact, even the style of the film is largely derived from those tropes.  The way it is arranged is even very reminiscent of the classic films of that era, but it is the presentation that sets it apart from any simple tribute.  Bunraku is bathed in evocative lighting from beginning to end.  The stylized nature of the film becomes a part of the narrative, so much so that it is impossible to forget at any point that this is a film. What saves the film from being a college art project on a big budget is the acting and the very impressive transitions, which I found to be very engaging, even as they seem to shout, "look at me!".

The visual style of Bunraku is derived not only from the above mentioned classic genres, but also many other sources.  The title comes from a Japanese style of puppetry in which men in black operate puppets on stage, and in fact the opening of the film uses this style to great effect.  There are also nods to classic musicals in the way that many of the fight sequences are staged, as well as the sort of avant garde work done by someone like Kenneth Anger in the '60s.  It's an odd mish-mash, and honestly, it's probably a love or hate kind of thing.  Around the twenty minute mark I was beginning to wonder if this would get tedious, but shortly there after I became sold. It wasn't only the look that did it for me, though, the acting is also engaging and fun to watch.

Bunraku's cast isn't necessarily known for their subtlety on screen, but this hyper-stylized world encourages stylized acting, and the cast delivers on the demands of the script admirably.  Hartnett's Drifter is the lowest-key character in the film, and honestly, probably the most boring.  He brings a small amount of charisma with him, but no real pizazz, even when he's supposed to be a fighting champ, you are never really wowed.  Gackt, on the other hand, is able to act in a subtle manner and still bring the thunder when the film calls for it.  The supporting cast is also solid, with special recognition going to Shun Sugata, who takes a relatively minor role and breathes life into it. I wish he had more screen time. The other big surprise for me was Kevin McKidd as Perlman's #2. McKidd is left to take on most of the evil doings as The Woodcutter spends most of the film in a room by himself, away from the real action. #2 is a clever and graceful character that I really enjoyed more as the film went on. Overall, the cast, which also includes a great performance from Woody Harrelson and a nothing performance from Demi Moore, acquits themselves well in this world.

The combination of the action, stylized setpieces, and a number of characters all fighting for screentime could have meant disaster, however, Bunraku makes it work.  It isn't as great a success as it could have been, at over two hours the film needs a bit of trimming to tighten up the pace, but I enjoyed myself. Tonally, Bunraku does suffer a bit from the transitions. As much as I enjoyed them, those transitions take the film from very dark spaces to flights of fancy at some times that are somewhat inappropriate. However, on the whole, Bunraku is a really fun experience, and while it doesn't hold up to similar stylistic experiments like Sin City, it seems to have achieved its own goals.

The Disc:

ARC Entertainment's Blu-ray disc of Bunraku is a solid replication of the film on home video.  There is a very filmic feel to the image, with a healthy amount of grain, which is important since to much of the film is shot in semi-darkness. I'm sure there was early consideration given to shooting on digital, which would have rendered the issue of color grading a much simpler one to conquer, but the decision to shoot on film helps Bunraku's noir/samurai/western aesthetics considerably.  The acute lighting scheme is well represented here, with pink and blue lights competing for frame space in a way that is both dramatic and interesting. Detail is very present in the image, especially in facial closeups, and it also helps to define the digital compositing of the backgrounds, which are a huge part of the look of the film. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio track is effective, but not flashy.  With a lack of guns, we don't really hear much whizzing around, but there are several chase and fight sequences in which the sound field is utilized nicely.

The extras department is where this disc comes up a little short in my opinion.  We get the theatrical trailer for Bunraku, which is nice.  However, the only other extra is a feature commentary with director Moshe and co-star, Kevin McKidd.  While the commentary is interesting and shares a lot of anecdotal fun about the making of the film, this film would benefit from further background material.  All of that digital compositing, animation, stylized lighting, action choreography, and set design and not a single video extra? No behind-the-scenes?  No "making of"? A huge missed opportunity there.  However, this Bli-ray disc does a good job with the film, and ultimately, that is the most important part.