Here's a lost review from Fantasia 2013.
Number 10 Blues is a film shot in the war-torn Vietnam of 1975, but it was only completed in 2013 by the National Film Center of Japan, after which it was featured at the Rotterdam Film Festival.
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This rather
conventional Japanese gangster drama from the 1970s scores big point for
showcasing footage shot in war-torn Vietnam. With actual army trucks and foot
soldiers parading in the background, the feeling of authenticity inherent to
this piece of fiction skyrockets, despite some obviously fictitious characters
and situations. Hence, the trials and tribulations of a crooked Japanese
businessman, his Vietnamese mistress and the local mob boss will appear trivial in
comparison with the real-life drama unfolding all around them. This greatly impairs the
narrative insofar as it undermines the importance of the main storyline, but it
also provides the film with some invaluable lasting power as an exclusive document into the heart of a famous
civil war.
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| The protagonist's importance is relative to the breadth of the conflict in the background. |
Toshio is a
Japanese businessman working in Saigon without a care in the world. Business is
good, living is easy, and he’s got a gorgeous local girlfriend to complement
the wife waiting for him at home. Everything is rosy as can be in his war-free
haven until he finds a disgruntled former employee rummaging through his
luxurious home. The two men duke it out and Toshio’s assailant is inadvertedly
killed by a stray bullet. Skeptic about his chances with the local police after he has killed one of their own, the protagonist then hides the corpse, and wishes for the
best. But he is soon found out by the departed’s young bride, who challenges
him along with a crowd of locals, one of whom is brutally gunned down by Toshio
to cover his escape. The last part of the film depicts the protagonist’s run
from the law and mingling with the mob in the process. Most importantly, it
takes the narrative out of Saigon, and on the way to Hue by means of infantry-ridden
back roads. It is also time to expand on Toshio’s love story with cabaret singer Lan Sing, which will have exactly the dire results one would expect.
With a
limited budget to spend on such generic genre fare, Number 10 Blues is somewhat
of a desperate production, shot under any conditions, no matter the
results on the quality of the photography. Whether it’s in total darkness, crowded alleyways, the
rural countryside, occupied roads or postcard historical monuments, the volatile camera
lingers on. There is a directness to it all, which greatly dynamizes the action
and gives depth to the characters. However, this realistic style greatly
contrasts with the more artificial elements of the film, namely its
melodramatic narrative, FX-ridden soundtrack, and theatrical acting. Obviously,
one could be said to compensate for the other, but it all matters very little in the end for everything here is made solely in the name of entertainment. And what is more exciting
than crossing a war-torn country while being chased by cops and mobsters? Hell,
the Vietnam War is not really an issue here. It merely provides an “exotic”
background for the action, not unlike in a James Bond movie. As for the ethical
implications of the savage assassinations carried out by the protagonist, they
are imperiously waved off in exchange for their dramatic power within the narrative, which further proves the chauvinistic nature of the entire enterprise.
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| Poor photography and a heightened sense of realism are two opposite sides of the same coin. |
While it is earnestly, if somewhat candidly entertaining, this film would have surely vanished from memory if it wasn't for its incidental documentation of the Vietnam War. Depending on the level of enjoyment you can derive from watching a 1970s-style action film, this might be the only incentive for you to seek out a copy. Don’t get me
wrong. There are no actual war scenes in there, just the chilling anticipation
of war, with explosions resounding in the far background and army jeeps
frequently crossing the protagonist’s path. But then, there is also the beauty of
Vietnam, its traditions, humble monuments and life-saving swamps. To better celebrate all of these rare assets, the film eventually transforms into a road movie as Toshio and Lan Sing team up with charismatic half-Japanese gangster Taro on their way to Hue. The film thus becomes an exciting travelogue for both the screenplay's urban archetypes and the spectators watching from abroad, using the portable camera to heighten our involvement, making us not only a part of the unfolding narrative, but of history itself.
3/5 Undeniably entertaining and
energetically produced, this conventional exploitation caper also benefits from
some rare images of war-torn Vietnam.
