Big Man Japan (Hitoshi Matsumoto, 2007): Japan

Reviewed by William Barton.Viewed on Netflix Stream Instantly.

For the SBCC film reviews website, June 2011 is a month dedicated to focusing on Japanese films. Now, one would think that an obvious choice would be to review a film by the Japanese film-making legend Akira Kurosawa. A lesser known Japanese genius is Hitoshi Matsumoto. His film Big Man Japan is the single greatest thing to happen to Japanese film since Yojimbo.

Patience is certainly a virtue and if you practice patience when watching Big Man Japan, it’s as if the gods bless you with infinite cinematic joy. Admittedly, the film starts off a tad slow, but it more than makes up for that once the film gets going. The film begins with the introduction of Masaru Daisato; once a great Japanese super star now fallen from prime time television into the annals of late night/ early morning television. Daisato, played by Hitoshi Matsumoto himself, gears up for a final comeback to try and bust his way back into the limelight and he even receives help from formerly famous relatives. While I can not tell more for fear that I will give away the plot, I will say this: do not look at any pictures or even read anything other than this review before you watch this film. It’s gold, I tell you, gold!

This film is certainly for those with eccentric tastes and while it may not agree with everyone, it is still an incredible watch. I promise that you have not seen another film like this. This is much less a review than it is a plea. Invite all of your friends over and try and figure out what’s going on in the movie. I dare you.