Goemon (2009)

Based on a Japanese folk legend that echoes the tale of Robin Hood, this ninja thriller follows the exploits of Goemon Ishikawa (Yôsuke Eguchi), who leaves his fighting clan after its chief... See full summary »

Director:

Kazuaki Kiriya

Writers:

Kazuaki Kiriya (original story), Kazuaki Kiriya (screenplay),

Stars:

Yôsuke Eguchi, Takao Osawa, Ryôko Hirosue

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yôsuke Eguchi	...	Goemon Ishikawa
Takao Osawa	...	Saizo Kirigakure
Ryôko Hirosue	...	Chacha Asai
Jun Kaname	...	Mitsunari Ishida
Gori	...	Sasuke Sarutobi
Mikijirô Hira	...	Rikyu Sen
Masatô Ibu	...	Ieyasu Tokugawa
Tetsuji Tamayama	...	Matahachi
Hashinosuke Nakamura	...	Nobunaga Oda
Eiji Okuda	...	Hideyoshi Toyotomi
Choi Hong Man	...	Gao
Susumu Terajima	...	Hanzo Hattori
Eriko Satô	...	Courtesan Yoshino
Erika Toda	...	Courtesan Yukiri
Mayu Tsuruta	...	Koheita's mother

Storyline

Based on a Japanese folk legend that echoes the tale of Robin Hood, this ninja thriller follows the exploits of Goemon Ishikawa (Yôsuke Eguchi), who leaves his fighting clan after its chief is murdered and uses his skills as a thief to help the poor. But after learning the identity of his leader's killer - the traitorous Hideyoshi (Eiji Okuda) - Goemon sets out on a bloody path of vengeance, joined by his loyal friend, Saizo (Takao Ôsawa).

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Plot Keywords:

one word title | martial arts | character name in title

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [jp]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

1 May 2009 (Japan)

Also Known As:

The Legend of Goemon

Filming Locations:

Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cell, Daiichi Shokai Co., Dentsu

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Rosa"
Lyrics and composed by Yoshiki Hayashi
Performed by Violet UK

User Reviews

Superb ninja action-comedy-drama all-rounder

This fantastic tale of Goemon, a master-less shinobi turned master-thief, is a compelling action drama, with some genuinely funny light-hearted moments.

Like a mixture of Batman and Robin Hood, Goemon is a man unto himself, and a national hero. He lives by his own rules until his self-proclaimed freedom meets his past, and one robbery starts a chain of events set to turn his life upside down.

It's a great story of vengeance and betrayal, and if you add that to some great acting by the leads Yôsuke Eguchi (Goemon), and Takao Osawa (Saizo), and put it all through the beautifully shot stylings of Japanese cinema, you get this enthralling piece.

Only a couple of clichés in plot development and editing stop me from scoring the film higher, but with such minor faults, I couldn't recommend it more!