Lost & Found… ‘Red Sun’ (1971)

I am so glad I happened to stumble upon this movie. ‘Red Sun’ has possibly taken it’s place amongst my top ten all-time favorite western genre films. I want to tell anyone interested in classic films from the 70’s or of the western genre to rush out and pick this one up if you haven’t seen it already, but I need to warn you it’s rather difficult to get a hold of and… when you do find it, be prepared to pay for it!

‘Red Sun’ (1971) is a film that truly deserves to be seen on the big screen. Despite the inability to do so, I still found myself amazed at this little-known production that holds up to the same quality standard, if not higher, than your average well-known westerns. Chinese-born director Terrence Young (The Jigsaw Man) made a quintessential western film that brilliantly combines what was formerly America’s favorite genre with one of the most popular genres from Japan.

Charles Bronson (Death Wish) stars as Link, a lone-wolf train robber who finds himself double-crossed by Gauche (Alain Delon) during an attempted heist of a train, which just happens to be carrying a small envoy from Japan. Toshiro Mifune (Yojimbo) stars as Kuroda, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States of America. He is traveling with the envoy on Japan’s first trip to America and plans to offer the President a golden samurai sword of great significance as a gift. The scene in which Link and Kuroda first make eye contact as Kuroda exits the train during a stop in town is classic, creating a wonderfully foreshadowing moment of mystery and suspense, simply with a relatively static stare between the two characters.

‘Red Sun’ is an adventure story of revenge and a story of two rival men who ultimately part as unlikely friends. When the golden samurai sword is stolen during the train robbery, Kuroda and the surviving members of the Japanese envoy are desperate to retrieve this relic. If they do not, they will be forced by their code of honor to commit hari kiri (self-sacrifice). The leader of the envoy pleads for Link to assist Kuroda, but all Link is interested in is finding Gauche and reclaiming the stolen riches which were stolen from him. Kuroda finally develops a reluctant partnership with Link under continually “renegotiated” terms.

Kuroda insists he will kill Gauche on sight, but Link wants him to wait until he can get Gauche to reveal the location of the stolen loot. The ensuing journey across the dry and barren western landscape is a masterful telling of two characters from two different cultures learning from one another. ‘Red Sun’ has some great scenes that illustrate this odd pairing, like when Link comes at Kuroda with a large stick but is handled as easily as a child by Kuroda, or when Link takes Kuroda to his favorite brothel, which is where Kuroda is “pleasured” by Pepita (Capucine). Link’s on-and-off prostitute/lady-friend Cristina (Ursula Andress) also works from this brothel, but Link is certain she’s secretly been with Gauche and Link uses this to his benefit in tracking Gauche down.

‘Red Sun’ is a monumental film of sorts, melding the American western with the samurai genre, the “western” films of Japan. Several aspects of ‘Red Sun’ manage to incorporate this east/west hybrid. The cinematography was carefully chosen and shot with this in mind, seamlessly comparing many traditional shots and shooting styles of the American western with those of the Japanese samurai films, such as duels in tall grass. The music chosen for this film is equally important in developing this association, once again experimentally breeding traditional music of the American western genre with traditional Japanese sounds and instruments. As if all of this isn’t enough to give your skin goose-bumps, ‘Red Sun’ also manages to include some stylistic elements of the spaghetti western that was so popular in the 70’s, creating a violent western with a truly international appeal.

If you’re a fan of either Charles Bronson or Toshiro Mifune, then ‘Red Sun’ is a must-own for your collection… if you can find it. The film was also released under the title ‘Soleil rouge’, the film is more readily available outside the US than it is within our borders. Those with region-free DVD players will find themselves in a much better position as eBay generally has several copies available from China and Thailand for $18-25. You may find ‘Red Sun’ in the States on VHS, but it’s so far out of print you’ll even pay handsomely ($25+) for this antiquated technology.