Product Description

Mifune Toshiro (Shogun, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo) and Iwashita Shima (Harakiri, An Autumn Afternoon) star in this hilarious epic of a man, a plan, and a large red wig!

Directed by Okamoto Kihachi (Samurai Assassin, Sword of Doom)

When winds of change sweep Japan, overthrowing three centuries of Shogunate Rule, Gonzo, a peasant, enlists in the Imperial Restoration Force, which promises to abolish the oppressive practices of the past. When the advance guard approaches his old hometown, he convinces his commander to let him ride ahead and prepare the locals for the advent of the New World Order.

When he triumphantly rides into town wearing the Red Lion Mane of Office he borrowed from his commander, he expects a warm welcome, but gets far more than he bargained for. His friends think he's going to save them, the incompetent local officials think he's after their heads, a secret band of Shogunate fanatics want him dead, and he can't even read his own proclamations!

DVD Features:
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen
Japanese with English Subtitles

Bonus Material Includes:
Original Theatrical Trailer
Image Gallery
Character Biographies
Interactive Program Notes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #105301 in DVD
• Brand: Animeigo
• Released on: 2005-09-06
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: Japanese
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 117 minutes

Customer Reviews

Quirky interesting flick at the dawn of the Meiji Era
Set around the time of the end of the Shogun era and the end of the samurai, Red Lion shows a turbulent world in the midst of change. But instead of Yojimbo style with gritty violence and grim amorality, Red Lion is farcical and Mifune Toshiro is a comical character not the brooding cold calculating character he was in Yojimbo.

Mifune plays a soldier in the new imperial army. He asks permission from his commander to ride ahead to his hometown to announce their arrival. He also begs to borrow the red mane headdress from which the title comes from. Red mane headdress is symbol of an officer in the Imperial Army and Mifune wants this so he can look like a big shot when he comes riding in. His arrival sets off a chain of reaction as various factions in the town are scheming against each other in the wake of the changes going on in the country. The old order are afraid of Mifune and some want him dead while progressives hope he will lead them in vanquishing the old order in the town who are officials and supporters of the ailing Shogun government.

If you are interested in Japanese history, Red Lion won't exactly give you an historical account of the end of samurai period of Japan but it will give you the essence of chaos of that time period. Overall it's a quirky movie with some funny moments that's worth a watch.

DVD review
This is a bit different for T. Mifune but he always does what the diredctor expects of him. Good story line.