Review - Red Sun

 
June 19, 2021
 
Red Sun – U.S., 1971
 
Quick: Which movie am I describing? A rather pleasant, almost gentlemanly bandit and his gang of much less chiseled henchmen have just held up a passenger train when the leader of the gang comes across a group of Asian men on a mission. One of these men ends up dead at the hands of bandit’s cohort, prompting another to vow vengeance. The nice bandit is soon betrayed, and eventually he and one of the Asian men team up to find the man who wronged them. They are unwilling partners at first, but eventually they form a formidable – sometimes comic - team. Now, if you are of a particular age, namely under 50, the aforementioned description might make you recall the fun pairing of Jackie Chan and Own Wilson in the 2000 film Shanghai Noon; however, for older viewers, another film may come to mind – Terence Young’s 1972 Western Red Sun.
 
The difference between these two associations illustrates one of the challenges that order can present for moviegoers, mainly that our perception of one cinematic experience will always be influenced by what we have already seen, even if we acknowledge we did not see them in true chronological order. Just imagine seeing Play It Again, Sam before watching Casablanca or Hot Shots before Top Gun. Without the proper context, the viewing experience would certainly be diminished. It would be like getting the punchline before the set-up.
 
Right now, my mind is being inundated by phrases such as stepping into the Owen Wilson role and remarks about how much the film holds its own, neither of which are appropriate, given that Wilson stepped into Charles Bronson’s role and Shanghai Noon is a parody of Red Sun, and not the other way around. And then there’s the impulse to compare, or even worse, speak of variations between the two narratives as being indicative of quality and preference. However, to deny the presence of Shanghai Noon in my consciousness would be a deception. It was there, and yes, I did my fair share of comparing.
 
Red Sun begins with one of those beautiful Western images of a man emerging from a misty desert plain. It’s the kind of sight than never gets old; the only question is just what kind of person has emerged. This is soon answered by the man’s simple act of releasing his horse back into the wild. Soon he’s announcing to the good people on a train his intention to rob them, and wouldn’t you know it, he makes the experience sound downright romantic.  
 
After robbing the requisite safe containing a fortune, the sweet, comical ruffian, inexplicably named Link and played by Charles Bronson, stumble upon a car which is occupied by the first Japanese ambassador to the United States, and while Link is content with the occupants’ money, his partner Gauche (Alain Delon) insists on taking a jewel-encrusted sword intended as a gift for the U.S. President. The ensuing resistance results in one Samurai being shot dead and another, Toshiro Mifune in one of his few English-speaking roles, vowing both to retrieve the sword and avenge his fallen comrade. Oh, and Gauche makes a further enemy by trying to blow up Link and absconding with all the loot. Hence, the eventual team-up.
 
What follows is a rather fun adventure featuring two great performances. In truth, Link and Mifune’s character, Kuroda, makes a rather odd couple. Link is calm and smooth-talking, while Kuroda probably couldn’t tell a joke if his life depended on it. The first half of the film is primarily devoted to establishing their characters’ respect for the other, an endeavor that it has more success with than many other films of this sort. There are no heartfelt conversations or scenes in which one of them teaches the other an important phrase in his language. Rather, the bond comes as a result of a growing respect for the man each one is. Neither compromises, and while Link eventually gets the upper hand, he shows no great pleasure in doing so.
 
Their journey takes them across Texas to a bordello where Gauche’s lady-friend, Cristina (Ursula Andress), works. To give you a sense of this character’s personality, let me give you a sample of her sentiments. Early on, she says to Link, You know what I like about you? The older you get, the sweeter you get. However, before you get the wrong impression, I should add that she delivers those sentiments in the same tone as the one she uses when she calls him “a lousy broken down gunfighter.” It’s quite fun to watch, and Andress shows great comic timing.
 
Eventually, Gauche and his men come for Cristina, an act that would normally lead to a great confrontation replete with bullets flying and one-on-one clashes. Well, it does, and it doesn’t. Sure, we get the climactic clash, but it involves a third party, and it is here that the film feels dated. The attackers are nameless Comanche Indians whose only purpose for being in the film is to look bloodthirsty and lustful. More to the point, they disrupt a perfectly reasonable scene. You have the good guys squaring off against the bad guys; the viewer’s mind is scrambling with anticipation: How will our heroes get out of this? Will Cristina betray Gauche? Will we finally get to see what happens when Samurai sword meets gun? And then: “Comanche!” Thankfully, the film recovers, and its ending is quite touching.
 
Throughout the film, Bronson and Mifune are a marvel to behold, and their characters’ bonding feels natural and earned. If the film feels disjointed at time, it is because it never fully commits to its more dramatic elements, preferring instead an unnatural rhythm that I’d describe as joke, joke, drama. Cristina and Link fluctuate between comedy and seriousness, which seems appropriate, but Gauche never comes across as being as ruthless as he should until the very end. Mifune is masterful as usual, and the film benefits by allowing his character to maintain his rather serious demeanor throughout. However, it also allows him a few moments of unexpected tenderness. I won’t spoil the scene, but it involves a young woman who recognizes in Mifune a kinship and expresses it in the only way she knows how. It is a special moment in a mostly likeable film. (on DVD from Warner Bros. Archive Collection)
 
3 stars