Rakuyô

There's a lot going on here, so much that one might well find it necessary to pause every now and again just to take stock of what the film has been presenting us with. It's a surprising international co-production, with no few recognizable names and faces from a few spots around the globe. That Diane Lane stars in a major role catches one's eye; that the born-and-raised white American is cast as a Chinese woman in this Japanese-Chinese-Taiwanese production raises one's eyebrow, and one is made to wonder the process by which she came to be cast. Plot development is often pointedly direct, progressing with emphatic beats like a speaker driving their fist into their hand to enunciate, and this is driven above all with dialogue that's usually so forthright as to feel overly simplified. With that lack of sophistication in mind the feature runs the risk of some ideas being unconvincing if they are not fleshed out, and I do think that comes to bear at sometimes, such as, oh, the central romance. Weirdly, at the same time the dialogue and scene writing is sometimes kind of vague about establishing plot elements, or identifying characters, to the point that it may take a little while for the narrative to begin to feel cogent for some viewers. All this is aggravated by some regrettably curt, almost brusque and sloppy editing; mostly Inoue Osamu does a fine job, but there are enough weak areas to definitely take notice, extending even to the audio that abruptly cuts out at some times. Moreover, on a like note, 'The setting sun' is the only credit in cinema of Tomono Rou, adapting his own novel as both writer and director. Generally speaking his direction is quite capable, yet just as there are rough spots in his screenplay - and in Inoue's editing - some scenes are unmistakably troubled as they are executed, somewhat coming across as gawkily aimless, and confused, as if Tomono was unsure of how he should shoot a given moment.

This is a lot of criticism I'm leveling at this picture, but don't take it to mean I dislike it. On the contrary, there is much to appreciate. I can't speak to Tomono's novel, but I love the concept: amidst the backdrop of the Mukden Incident that especially set off Japanese military involvement in Manchuria, the mounting war between Japan and China throughout the 1930s, and the progression of World War II in the 40s, a tableau unfolds around a Japanese operative in love with a Chinese rebel (that's Lane), leading to a conflict of loyalties. Underworld figures on both sides serve the interests of their nations as much as their own; espionage, manipulation, assassinations, and a low-key game of cat-and-mouse ensue, not to mention reflections of tenuous alliances. Japanese, English, Mandarin, and even German greets our ears throughout the length as Tomono weaves a broad tapestry within a certain historical context; much more than not the characters are interesting, and the scene writing strong and flavorful. Whatever one might think of some choices that were made, overall the cast give perfectly solid, admirable performances commensurate with a saga that blends drama, action, and thriller vibes, and maybe even a bit of film-noir. This includes, among others, Kato Masaya, Lane, Yuen Biao, Nancy Lalleman Heynis, and still more whose characters are less well defined (e.g., Donald Sutherland), or whose roles are smaller (?). The filming locations are gorgeous, and wonderful detail was poured into the production design and art direction. The sets, costume design, and hair and makeup are all superb, befitting a period piece. Given the nature of the movie there are plentiful stunts, effects, instances of choreography, and otherwise action sequences all throughout, be they gunfights that erupt into even bigger spectacles (including the climax), or smaller bursts of martial arts straight out of a Hong Kong kung fu flick - and all of them are outstanding and exciting. Maurice Jarre's score is fantastic, dramatic complement for the proceedings; Yamazaki Yoshihiro's cinematography is vibrant and steady; even the use of archival footage here is fairly sharp in its discrete provision of narrative context. This is pretty well made when you get down to it, and firmly entertaining.

And still, however enjoyable it is and overall appreciable, 'The setting sun' has flaws. I said I can't speak to Tomono's novel, but I love the concept, and I do: it's intriguing, and overall engrossing. In all regards, however, the minutiae that round out the film are questionable. The core romance between Kato and Lane's character's seems shaky from the outset, and despite the presumption of loyalties being tested, this isn't particularly pursued in the plot. In fact, though Kato's "Kaya" is written as the protagonist, and it would be compelling storytelling for his principles to be tried, his isn't the character with the most significant change to come, and because the plot develops along the indicated emphatic beats, there really is no anticipated character/story "arc" to speak of. Just as much to the point, the drama that should ensue as Kaya finds himself in ethically dubious, politically complicated, personally compromising situations simply doesn't materialize; Kaya is interesting on paper, but he is not built out as a character any more than the story is, or too many other characters and ideas. The relationship between Kaya and Lian Hong (yes, that's still Lane) is less than sure-footed as written; it continues to be the case all throughout the runtime that figures are introduced without much elucidation of who they are, or why they are important to other characters, if indeed there's any elucidation at all. I think I observed exactly one scene in which Lane, cast as a Chinese woman, speaks anything other than English; meanwhile, as far as I could tell, blond-haired Dutch beauty queen Heynis - appearing in a smaller supporting part in what is her only acting credit - speaks only Mandarin herein. All the issues that first raise their head within early scenes continue to be a problem all the way through to the end, and as this mostly (but not exclusively) falls to the writing and direction of Tomono, even the acting is impacted in turn at some points. I would have to learn more of Tomono to get a better sense of his skills, but again, this is his only venture in film-making, and his novel isn't exactly readily available for comparison.

I like 'The setting sun.' I think it's worth watching on its own merits, and if one is open to its blend of historical drama, action, and thriller - with tinges of romance and noir to boot - then it's worth checking out. It is also dogged by faults and shortcomings, however, and though the responsibility doesn't lie entirely with Tomono, it outwardly seems as if the production at large was grappling with too many moving parts to come together in the ideal manner. Watch if you have the opportunity, but be aware of how it struggles, and don't go out of your way for it.