Line #18 Film/Bunraku


1	[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/000_1577.jpg]]
2
3	->''A civilized weapon for uncivilized times.''
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5	''Bunraku'' is a bizarre 2010 film, described as a "computer-animated live-action fantasy" that revolves around a NoNameGiven stock character who goes around fighting crime and taking names. Directed by Guy Moshe, the title of the film is based on a 400-year-old form of Japanese puppet theater.
6
7	The plot is as follows: In a post-apocalyptic future, a mysterious [[TheDrifter drifter]] (Creator/JoshHartnett) and the ardent young [[EverythingsBetterWithSamurai samurai]] Yoshi (Creator/{{Gackt}}) both arrive in a town terrorized by outrageous and virulent criminals. Each is obsessed with his separate mission and, guided by the wisdom of TheBartender (Creator/WoodyHarrelson) at the Horseless Horseman Saloon, the two eventually join forces to bring down the corrupt and contemptuous reign of Nicola (Creator/RonPerlman), the awesomely evil "woodcutter", and his mistress Alexandra (Creator/DemiMoore), a FemmeFatale with a secret past. Heroes triumph here only because the force of their will transforms and transcends both space and time.
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9	----
10	!!''Bunraku'' provides examples of:
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12	* AffablyEvil: Nicola is actually a pretty nice guy when he wants to be, quite happy to chat and play poker with his potential victims.
13	* AfterTheEnd: The movie is set some time after a nuclear war.
14	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: The Drifter's philosophy is that nobody can stay on top forever -- sooner or later someone stronger is bound to come along. [[spoiler:He learned this from his father, who said the same thing to Nicola before Nicola killed him.]]
15	* AnachronismStew: It's pretty much JidaiGeki meets TheWildWest ''and'' TheGreatDepression. Fashions meanwhile seem to have gotten stuck in TheForties at best.
16	* AndTheAdventureContinues: [[spoiler: The movie ends with Drifter and Yoshi riding off to future adventures.]]
17	* AntiHero: The Drifter is a classic of the JerkWithAHeartOfGold tradition. Apparently his mother raised him that way.
18	--> "Hold your head up high, keep your eyes on the prize. Never let your guard down; the world is filled with bad people. If you play your cards right, you'll always be quicker on the draw. Lonesome... but alive nonetheless," she said every night, before putting him to sleep. And he listened.
19	* BadBoss: Killer #2 kills his own men left and right.
20	* BadassInANiceSuit: Killer #2 is always impeccably dressed. His minions and some of the other killers also wear nice suits.
21	* BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil: Its existence is why the Bartender believes there is always hope.
22	* BarBrawl: Both the Drifter and Yoshi get involved in these at the Horseless Horseman. By the time they wanna fight each other, the Bartender tells them to take it outside.
23	* TheBartender: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Bartender]]. In fact, the Drifter at one point calls him [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep barkeep]].
24	* BatheHerAndBringHerToMe: Killer #2 tells the prostitutes to get [[spoiler:Momoko]] ready for him later that night. Alexandra is also bathed before being sent back to Nicola.
25	* BatterUp: Bartender takes on a whole army of goons [[CombatPragmatist wielding only a baseball bat]].
26	* BattleInTheRain: The Drifter and Yoshi have round two of their fight in a rainstorm.
27	%%* BigBad: Nicola, the EvilOverlord.
28	* BrokenBird: Alexandra. She's a HookerWithAHeartOfGold, tough as nails and seeking redemption.
29	* BroomstickQuarterstaff: Not only does Yoshi use one of these against a gang of Red Suits, but later he fights the Drifter with a wooden umbrella handle!
30	* CaneFu: Killer #2 is a skilled practitioner with his CaneSword.
31	* CaptainErsatz: The Bartender shows Yoshi a pop-up book he made about [[ComicBook/SpiderMan a guy who is bitten by a spider, receives its abilities and becomes a superhero]].
32	%% * CharacterFilibuster: The Woodcutter sure loves to talk.
33	* ChaseScene: With both cars and motorcycles.
34	* CharacterTics: The Drifter touching the brim of his fedora to the cue of the sound of a revolver's chamber spinning.
35	* ChekhovsGunman: Before the showdown that begins the film, the Narrator points out several scouts from the Proletarian League of Defense watching from the rooftops. They are promptly forgotten until late in the film when the Bartender brings Yoshi and the Drifter to the League to recruit them for the climactic attack on Nicola's training camp.
36	* CombatPragmatist: Nicola. He even lampshades it.
37	-->'''Nicola''': "You want to kill a man like me, you better stab me in the back. That's the catch. See, honorable men, they die hard. But they still die. It's men like me that survive and conquer."
38	* ConservationOfNinjutsu: The film features a rare inversion when the Drifter is attacked by about 50 mooks and is getting overwhelmed before Yoshi shows up and evens the odds.
39	* CoolOldGuy: Uncle takes on eight guys with only [[DualWielding a pair of]] [[ImprovisedWeapon kitchen knives]].
40	* CoolShades: Killer #2 switches out pince-nez of different colors.
41	* CueTheSun: The film ends with a Japanese sunrise.
42	* CycleOfRevenge: Which is human nature, as far as the narrator is concerned.
43	-->'''Narrator''': “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, will forever make better grammatical balance than turning the other cheek.”
44	* DamselInDistress: [[spoiler:Momoko]] for most of the second half.
45	* DanceBattler:
46	** Tap-dancing Killer #2 pulls this off nicely at one point fighting with his back towards the enemy. His movements were based on Fred Astaire.
47	** The Killer No.6 utilizes UsefulNotes/{{Capoeira}} as his fighting style. He is played by an actual capoerista.
48	* DeathSeeker
49	-->'''Nicola''': "There's a part of me that's hoping they pass through the camp and kill you all, and that there's no one left for them to fight but me. And if I die, it'll be how I always imagined. In battle, while I'm still craving life."
50	* DefeatMeansFriendship: The Bartender wants Yoshi and the Drifter to team up and take down Nicola and the Killers. So he lets them beat the crap out of each other. Outside.
51	* {{Determinator}}: The Drifter and Yoshi. It takes a lot of damage to put these two down, and even then they'll get back up and keep going.
52	* DoubleEntendre: When Killer #2 has Momoko in his grasp, he talks suggestively about a ginseng tree that's given him a "hard idea". Traditionally ginseng has been used as an aphrodisiac.
53	* TheDragon: Killer [[NumberTwo #2]], who's even referred to as this by the narrator.
54	* DragonWithAnAgenda: Nicola points out Killer #2 clearly wants to replace him, but doesn't have the courage to.
55	* TheDrifter: Take a guess.
56	* DualWielding: Killer #4 wields a pair of Chinese broadswords which Yoshi later takes. Uncle wields a pair of kitchen knives when Killer #2 and his mooks come to question him and Momoko about Yoshi. Some random fighters in the final fight between the Defense League and the Red Shirts dual wield various combinations of blades.
57	* DueToTheDead: Yoshi makes a point of closing Killer #4's eyes.
58	* EarnYourHappyEnding
59	* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: Heavily implied to be down to the NuclearOption, the world was wrecked but not completely destroyed, and civilisation had to rebuild itself.
60	* EvenEvilHasStandards: Despite being violent and bloodthirsty himself, Nicola still disapproves of Killer #2 showing off his box of dismembered fingers in front of Alexandra.
61	* EverythingsBetterWithSamurai: Yoshi mainly, plus Killer #5. There's Japanese culture everywhere, and ''bushido'' is mentioned a couple of times.
62	* EvilBrit: Killer Number #2.
63	* EvilCounterpart: The Drifter and Yoshi meet killers with mirroring fighting styles, attitude and clohing in the final battle.
64	* EvilGloating: Killer #2 and Nicola both stop their NoHoldsBarredBeatdown to gloat at their victims. Nicola seems to be doing it on purpose. [[spoiler: It proves to be fatal for both of them.]]
65	* EvilSoundsDeep: Ron Perlman as Nicola.
66	* EverybodyWasKungFuFighting: You would be hard-pressed to find a character in this movie who doesn't know how to fight.
67	* EvilVegetarian: Killer #2 makes a point of noting he's vegetarian.
68	* EyeScream: [[spoiler:Eddie]] covers his eyes in fear of this in one scene. His fear comes true when he [[TooDumbToLive stupidly reveals one of them]] and Killer #2 puts a knife in it. As threatened earlier.
69	--> [[ShapedLikeItself Does the edge look... edgy?]]
70	* FantasyGunControl: Firearms were banned by the survivors in the hopes of reining in the violence that nearly wiped them out. It didn't ''quite'' work out as planned.
71	* FemmeFatale: Alexandra. Nicola states that in a way she is more powerful than him.
72	* {{Fingore}}: Killer #2 cuts the fingers off of the mooks he dispatches and presents them to Nicola in a cigar case.
73	* FireForgedFriends: Yoshi, The Driffter and The Bartender.
74	* ForcefulKiss: Momoko bites Killer #2 when he attempts to plant one on her.
75	* ForeignCussWord: Yoshi says the Japanese equivalent of 'shit' when he realises he's surrounded in the bar. Unlike the rest of the Japanese in the film, it's not subtitled.
76	* FreudianTrio: Yoshi is [[TheMcCoy honorable to a fault]] in his heroism, The Drifter is [[TheSpock coldly practical]], while the Bartender strikes [[TheKirk middle ground peacefully]].
77	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Killer #2 getting pampered during the poker scene.
78	* GenreBusting: ''Bunraku'' mixes aspects from dozens of genres. Including, but not limited to: Jidai Geki, Film Noir, Old West, Japanese puppet theater (one style of which it gets its name from) and Comic Books.
79	* GiveMeLibertyOrGiveMeDeath: According to our narrator, the only worthwhile reason to die is for freedom.
80	* GoodOldFisticuffs: The Drifter's preferred weapon. It's notable since everyone else uses acrobatic fighting styles but he proves to be one of the best fighters in the city while using standard punches. Even near the end when everyone is arming themselves with swords and such, he just takes a pair of brass knuckles.
81	* GoryDiscretionShot:
82	** When Valentine takes an axe to the face.
83	** Also when Yoshi kills Killer #9 behind a paper screen, spattering it with blood.
84	* GreatEscape: The Drifter breaking Yoshi out of prison ([[ItMakesSenseInContext video game style]]), all done in one single, badass take.
85	* HandicappedBadass: Bartender has a pretty bad limp, but that doesn't stop him braining opponents left and right.
86	* HonourBeforeReason: The narrator considers this standard practice for the Japanese.
87	--> "Life, every man holds dear; but the dear man holds honor far more precious than dear life... especially if that man happens to be Japanese."
88	* HumansKillWantonly: The opening credits state this quite clearly, on the grounds that humans have "a perverse fascination with violence", coming up with "more ways of killing a man than making bread, or making love".
89	* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:Killer #2]] ends up pinned to a tree.
90	* ImportantHaircut: Nicola shaves his unruly beard in preparation for the FinalBattle against The Drifter. And in a subtle VisualPun, he does so with his bearded axe.
91	* InTheBack: The only way Nicola says he can be killed.
92	* InvulnerableKnuckles: The Drifter can kill a man with one punch, and it doesn't seem to affect his hands aside from one or two instances of him giving them a quick shake.
93	* JumpPhysics: The movie verges on WireFu at times.
94	* KlingonPromotion: One of the ways for Killers to get promoted is to pick off someone higher up the totem pole.
95	* LaResistance: The Proletarian League of Defense. The Drifter and Yoshi are a reluctant example; the Bartender prefers to call them 'Gang Busters'.
96	* LemonyNarrator: It's Music/MikePatton, no less.
97	* LetsYouAndHimFight: The Drifter and Yoshi have a professional duel when they meet. They end up being pretty evenly matched.
98	* LickingTheBlade: Killer #2 licks some of Yoshi's blood off his sword in the finale.
99	* LonelyAtTheTop: Nicola seems to be pretty bored and longs for a decent challenger to take him on.
100	* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Yoshi has a SamuraiPonytail.
101	* MacGuffin: The dragon amulet Nicola stole from Yoshi's clan.
102	* ManBitesMan: When one of the Killers has the Drifter in a grapple, he opts to simply bite him in order to force him to let go.
103	* MediumBlending: The opening scene uses puppets controlled by people in black, like ''bunraku'' theatre. Scene changes have buildings and landscapes open like a pop-up book, and Alexandra's flashback is styled like a Roy Lichtenstein-esque ComicBook. Heck, even the sky is made of origami paper.
104	* TheMentor: The Bartender to some extent, though rather than being old he's got a limp instead. He takes the heroes under his wing, sets them up and plays MrExposition.
105	* MetaGuy: The Bartender summarizes archetypes to a Tvtropes-level extent.
106	* MirrorMatch: Before they confront Nicola each hero faces off against an EvilKnockoff.
107	* MrFanservice: The two leads are played by Creator/JoshHartnett and Creator/{{Gackt}}. This should tell you something.
108	* MsFanservice: Alexandra wears some revealing outfits, and has a bathing scene.
109	* MySisterIsOffLimits: Yoshi certainly looks less than happy when he sees his cousin Momoko smiling at the Drifter.
110	* NeckSnap: Killer #7 attempts this on the Drifter. The Drifter later does it to a couple of Killers.
111	* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: Almost everyone. Special mention to the punk rock motorcycle gangster acrobat clown assassins.
112	* NoNameGiven: The Drifter, The Bartender, Uncle, and Killer #2 (though technically this goes for all the Killers, and even many of the lower level henchmen...the Chief of Police is introduced not once, but twice as just "The Chief of Police").
113	* OneManArmy: Most of the main characters qualify.
114	* ThePianoPlayer: There in one at the Bartender's place, who originally is playing a soulful piece of music until the Bartender throws a piece of fruit at his head. After that, true to the Western form, he plays a jaunty ragtime, then runs out when it looks like the Drifter is going to start a brawl. Later on, he is replaced by a stereo and a sign: "Piano Player Wanted".
115	* PluckyGirl: When her father is killed, Momoko attacks Killer #2 with her bare hands and even throws an (ineffective) roundhouse kick.
116	* QuirkyMinibossSquad: The nine Killers, all of whom have their own gangs who share the same fighting (and fashion) styles. Killer #2 is the most prolific along with his Red Suits.
117	* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Alexandra.]]
118	* RedShirtArmy: Literally in this case as the mooks supporting the BigBad wear red suits.
119	* ReluctantHero: Neither of them are happy about getting involved, though Yoshi is initially a bit more willing than the Drifter.
120	* RidingIntoTheSunset: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]]. The Drifter laments that he can't seem to find a sunset to ride off into.
121	* RuleOfCool: The film itself runs on this principle. What would you think about a film shot with paper decorates, Cirque du Soleil-esque choreographies and Ron Perlman playing a lumberjack who rules the world? Lampshaded by the Narrator.
122	* SamuraiCowboy: It has samurai. It has cowboys. [[spoiler:The Bartender and Momoko even end up serving sushi and sake at the Horseless Horseman.]]
123	* SchizoTech: The technology is confusing. Characters wield blunt weapons, but drive cars (car models from different decades, mind you), use telegraphs alongside phones, e.t.c
124	** The technology only seems schizophrenic if you forget that they use these weapons because using a firearm carries a death sentence.
125	* SceneryPorn: While extremely unrealistic, the cityscape is [[http://bunraku.tumblr.com/image/9668492020 highly detailed]] and, in the movie itself, colourful too.
126	* ShoutOut: The Drifter has a tattoo of [[VideoGame/AmericanMcGeesAlice American McGee's]] [[Literature/AliceInWonderland Cheshire Cat]] on his wrist. The tagline is also a reversal of a classic line of ''Film/ANewHope'' ("an elegant weapon for a more civilized age").
127	** When the Barkeep finally sees [[spoiler:Alexandra]] again, she's too stunned and ashamed to move anywhere as the burning house collapses on her, which also happened in ''Film/SevenSamurai''.
128	* SingleStrokeBattle: Two samurai. Two katana. One strike. Awesome.
129	* SmokingIsCool: The Drifter is constantly sniffing cigars and cigarettes, but never smokes a real cigarette until the end of the film. The one that the bartender gives him is fake. It seems that he's denying himself the pleasure of smoking until after his vengeance is complete.
130	* SuddenVideoGameMoment: The prison break and car chase scenes contain bleeps and chimes that sound like they were lifted from ''VideoGame/PacMan'' or ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong''.
131	* SuperSenses: Killer #2 is implied to have super-human hearing. Alexandra uses it against him.
132	* TakeMeInstead: Revealed to have been the reason why [[spoiler:Alexandra became Nicola's woman]] in the first place. It was to save [[spoiler:her lover]]'s life. [[spoiler:By the ending it's all but confirmed that the Bartender was said lover.]]
133	* ThrowingDownTheGauntlet: Yoshi during the wasabi scene.
134	* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Nicola's favorite move is simply throwing a handaxe at his opponents before they're even ready to fight.
135	* ViceCity: Nicola's town is described at the very outset as "God-forsaken". Crime and corruption are rife of course, with the main characters being mob bosses, drifters, mercenaries, {{ronin}}, prostitutes and assassins.
136	* ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption
137	-->'''The Bartender''': "Life's not all about fighting."
138	-->'''The Drifter''': "Come on, you know that ain't true."
139	* WarriorPoet: Nicola shows off a lot of poetic nature.
140	** In true samurai fashion, Uncle's last words are a haiku about his daughter.
141	* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: It's established very early on that the Drifter is good at punching people in the face. So getting enlisted to do battle against a cunning and vicious crime lord with a whole army at his command means he's going to be punching lots and lots of people in the face. [[spoiler:It pretty much works.]]
142	* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: The Drifter has a fear of heights (which Josh Hartnett invented to make him seem more human), yet is forced to go RoofHopping and fight while [[InterestingSituationDuel swinging on a trapeze]].
143	* WickedCultured: Nicola is quite a learned man.
144	* WorldOfBadass
145	* WorthyOpponent: Yoshi and the Drifter play this to each other, treading the boundary between friends and rivals. It's implied that [[spoiler:The Drifter's father]] was one for Nicola, and Nicola laments that The Drifter isn't as worthy as he had hoped when they finally fight.
146	* WrestlerInAllOfUs: The Drifter uses a few clotheslines and spears Yoshi. He also delivers a couple of spinebusters to Yoshi, while Yoshi at one point retaliates with a sidewalk slam.
147	* YouHaveFailedMe: Killer #2 regularly slits the throat of any Red Suit who fails him.
148	* YouKilledMyFather: [[spoiler:The Drifter's]] motivation for taking down Nicola. A similar case for Yoshi fighting Killer #2, except the victim was [[spoiler:his uncle]] instead.
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Context Film / Bunraku