Samurai and Farmer: A Tale of Two Contrasting Men
*Kill!* is a 1968 period film directed by Kihachi Okamoto and released by Toho. Based on Shūgorō Yamamoto’s *Seventeen Days at Fort Mountain*, it won the Art Direction Award at the 23rd Mainichi Film Awards. It is also known as actor Takeo Chii’s film debut.
Set in 1833, the fourth year of Tenpō, the story unfolds in the Okonogi domain of Kōzuke Province, where a dry wind whips up clouds of dust. Two men wander in. One calls himself Genta the Yakuza but is really Yagenta Hyōdō (Tatsuya Nakadai), who abandoned the samurai after duty forced him to kill his best friend two years earlier. The other is Hanjirō Tabata (Etsushi Takahashi), a farmer tired of his life who has sold his fields and hopes to become a samurai.
The story centers on these contrasting men. Soon after their arrival, young samurai assassinate a senior retainer, drawing both into the turmoil. Genta sides with the seven youths, while Hanjirō joins a band of rōnin recruited by the second-ranking retainer.
Alongside Tatsuya Nakadai and Etsushi Takahashi, the distinctive cast includes Yuriko Hoshi as Chino, Atsuo Nakamura as Tetsutarō Oikawa, Shigeru Kōyama as Tamiya Ayuzawa, Eijirō Tōno as Hyōgo Moriuchi, and Shin Kishida as Jūrōta Arao.
Kihachi Okamoto’s Direction: Fusing Rhythm and Humor
*Kill!* is highly regarded as a full expression of Okamoto’s signature qualities, particularly his light touch and rebellious spirit. It has earned strong support from film fans, with an average rating of 4.0 out of 5 on a film-review site.
Its greatest attraction is the humorous interplay between Nakadai and Takahashi. Nakadai, associated with intimidating roles in Kurosawa films, gives Genta a disarmingly vague, almost mascot-like air with his absent-minded “Huh,” creating a superb contrast with Takahashi’s hot-blooded character.
Okamoto uses rhythmic cutting and sharp imagery to achieve a cool style reminiscent of spaghetti westerns. Inserts such as cawing crows and a Silkie chicken in a deserted town show attention to fine detail and help construct a distinctive world.
The film fully displays Okamoto’s brisk editing, consistently striking images, and mischievous defiance of authority embedded in exhilarating entertainment. It has been called both the essence of his lively period films and, without exaggeration, a textbook for entertainment cinema.
Comparison with Akira Kurosawa’s *Sanjuro*: Different Flowers from the Same Root
The film’s similarity to Akira Kurosawa’s *Sanjuro* (1962) is intriguing. Its basic plot closely resembles that film: loyal young men assassinate a retainer to correct corrupt domain rule, assisted by a skilled rōnin. The structure corresponds to the relationship between Toshirō Mifune and Yūzō Kayama in *Sanjuro*.
The similarity is attributed to their common author, Shūgorō Yamamoto. *Sanjuro* is based on his *Peaceful Days*, while *Kill!* draws on *Seventeen Days at Fort Mountain*. Many of Yamamoto’s short stories use similar settings, which is thought to explain the overlap.
Yet although made by Toho personnel, the films possess distinct charms and have been described as “two works this similar and this different.” Nakadai takes the role occupied by Mifune in *Sanjuro*, but moves with an effortless, elusive nonchalance.
Against Kurosawa’s sharp and tense direction, Okamoto offers something lighter and more playful. Although both are Toho period films, their directors’ personalities produce entirely different results—an intriguing phenomenon in Japanese film history.
A Rebellious Period Film in Kihachi Okamoto’s Career
One of Okamoto’s major films, *Kill!* remains a black-and-white period work with modern appeal. Okamoto debuted as director with *All About Marriage* in 1958, followed hits including the *Desperado Outpost* series and *Japan’s Longest Day*, and then shot *Kill!* in 1968.
Okamoto’s films always contain rebellion and humor, and both flourish here. Even while addressing a grave power struggle within a domain, his humorous direction and quick pace keep audiences engaged.
The film also reveals Okamoto’s recurring criticism of power. Its mischievous spirit of “to hell with authority,” rooted in his wartime experience, became an important motif throughout his work.
Through its accomplished entertainment and skillful inclusion of defiance toward power, *Kill!* retains its attraction more than fifty years after release. As one of the clearest expressions of Okamoto’s character, it remains beloved by many film fans.
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