SABU Reviewer - Rod Barnett

In 17th century Japan two young boys named Eiji and Sabu grow up as best
friends and enter into apprenticeship together as paperhangers. When Eiji
(Tatsuya Fujiwara) is accused of the theft of a piece of gold cloth worth
100 Ryos he is tossed into an island workhouse/prison. Enraged by his
incarceration he becomes withdrawn even refusing to speak to the other
inmates.

When Sabu (Satoshi Tsumabuki) tries to learn why Eiji has been
kicked out of their place of work he is told to keep quiet with his boss
even attempting to set him up with his own business. Sabu can't bring
himself to abandon his best friend to his fate even though Eiji refuses
to see him the first several visits he makes to the island. Sabu finally
gets Eiji to speak to him by sending Osue (Kazue Fukiishi) to the prison
with a care package of food. Osue is the woman Eiji was planning to marry
and he tells her so during her visit.

Eiji thinks that he was set-up by his employer because of false rumor
that he was going to marry the boss'daughter. It's the only explanation
he can imagine for how the cloth ended up in his possession and he informs
Sabu that when he's released he will seek violent revenge. Complicating
matters is Nobuko (Omoko Tabata) who tragically seems to love both men
and knows she might never have either one. Meanwhile, in the society of
the prison Eiji's true nature comes to the fore as he saves the life another
inmate during a violent storm. He becomes so well thought of that the
prisoners petition for his early release. When it is granted Sabu decides
that he must lie to his friend to keep him from killing someone and
ruining his future.

Made for Japanese TV this is a lavish looking film that belies its short
shooting scheduale. SABU is a beautiful, quiet story told in a slow,
deliberate fashion harkening back to the classic films of Kurasawa and
Ozu. The story is adapted from a classic Japanese coming of age novel and
the depth of character is evident throughout. Even minor characters are
given the opportunity to reveal more than one dimension, which makes for
some touching scenes of unexpected redemption. Director Takashi Miike
shows that he can not only handle a period piece but also tell a
non-violent story that relies more on what isn't said than what is spoken
aloud. With gorgeous cinematography the film captures a mood and sense of
place that gives the actions of the various characters a feeling of
sadness and longing that is very well bolstered by good performances. I
was certainly not expecting such a calm, thoughtful film from the maker
of AUDITION but I'm very pleased to have been caught off guard. SABU is a
good but not great movie that is well worth the time and patience it asks
of the viewer.

Artsmagic has done a good job bringing this subtle film to DVD. The movie
is presented letterboxed at roughly 1.85:1 and is enhanced for 16X9
televisions. The soundtrack is the original Japanese with optional white
English subtitles. The sound is strong and clear and the subtitles very
good even though I counted about half a dozen minor spelling and grammar
errors. The extras on the disc include two short interviews with Miike.
The one done during production of SABU is pretty empty but the other is
longer and more in-depth. Here we get a little more insight into the
director's thoughts but his ever-present sunglasses always make me wonder
if he's taking things seriously. There's a nice 20 minute "Making of"
short that quickly walks you through the production and demonstrates just
how many wigs these types of film require actors to wear. I have to admit
the removal process looks uncomfortable! We also get very brief
interviews with both the male and female leads that are nothing more than
promotional puff pieces. Rounding out the extras are brief biographies
and filmographies and trailers for the film. The extra listed as
"Artwork" is nothing more than an advertisement for three other Miike
films released by Artsmagic.

Available from Artsmagic dvd at http://www.artsmagicdvd.com