Number 10 Blues/Goodbye Saigon (1975-2013)

Here's a lost review from Fantasia 2013. 

Number 10 Blues is a film shot in the war-torn Vietnam of 1975, but it was only completed in 2013 by the National Film Center of Japan, after which it was featured at the Rotterdam Film Festival.

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This rather conventional Japanese gangster drama from the 1970s scores big point for showcasing footage shot in war-torn Vietnam. With actual army trucks and foot soldiers parading in the background, the feeling of authenticity inherent to this piece of fiction skyrockets, despite some obviously fictitious characters and situations. Hence, the trials and tribulations of a crooked Japanese businessman, his Vietnamese mistress and the local mob boss will appear trivial in comparison with the real-life drama unfolding all around them. This greatly impairs the narrative insofar as it undermines the importance of the main storyline, but it also provides the film with some invaluable lasting power as an exclusive document into the heart of a famous civil war.

The protagonist's importance is relative to the
breadth of the conflict in the background.

Toshio is a Japanese businessman working in Saigon without a care in the world. Business is good, living is easy, and he’s got a gorgeous local girlfriend to complement the wife waiting for him at home. Everything is rosy as can be in his war-free haven until he finds a disgruntled former employee rummaging through his luxurious home. The two men duke it out and Toshio’s assailant is inadvertedly killed by a stray bullet. Skeptic about his chances with the local police after he has killed one of their own, the protagonist then hides the corpse, and wishes for the best. But he is soon found out by the departed’s young bride, who challenges him along with a crowd of locals, one of whom is brutally gunned down by Toshio to cover his escape. The last part of the film depicts the protagonist’s run from the law and mingling with the mob in the process. Most importantly, it takes the narrative out of Saigon, and on the way to Hue by means of infantry-ridden back roads. It is also time to expand on Toshio’s love story with cabaret singer Lan Sing, which will have exactly the dire results one would expect. 

With a limited budget to spend on such generic genre fare, Number 10 Blues is somewhat of a desperate production, shot under any conditions, no matter the results on the quality of the photography. Whether it’s in total darkness, crowded alleyways, the rural countryside, occupied roads or postcard historical monuments, the volatile camera lingers on. There is a directness to it all, which greatly dynamizes the action and gives depth to the characters. However, this realistic style greatly contrasts with the more artificial elements of the film, namely its melodramatic narrative, FX-ridden soundtrack, and theatrical acting. Obviously, one could be said to compensate for the other, but it all matters very little in the end for everything here is made solely in the name of entertainment. And what is more exciting than crossing a war-torn country while being chased by cops and mobsters? Hell, the Vietnam War is not really an issue here. It merely provides an “exotic” background for the action, not unlike in a James Bond movie. As for the ethical implications of the savage assassinations carried out by the protagonist, they are imperiously waved off in exchange for their dramatic power within the narrative, which further proves the chauvinistic nature of the entire enterprise. 

Poor photography and a heightened sense of realism
are two opposite sides of the same coin.

While it is earnestly, if somewhat candidly entertaining, this film would have surely vanished from memory if it wasn't for its incidental documentation of the Vietnam War. Depending on the level of enjoyment you can derive from watching a 1970s-style action film, this might be the only incentive for you to seek out a copy. Don’t get me wrong. There are no actual war scenes in there, just the chilling anticipation of war, with explosions resounding in the far background and army jeeps frequently crossing the protagonist’s path. But then, there is also the beauty of Vietnam, its traditions, humble monuments and life-saving swamps. To better celebrate all of these rare assets, the film eventually transforms into a road movie as Toshio and Lan Sing team up with charismatic half-Japanese gangster Taro on their way to Hue. The film thus becomes an exciting travelogue for both the screenplay's urban archetypes and the spectators watching from abroad, using the portable camera to heighten our involvement, making us not only a part of the unfolding narrative, but of history itself.  

3/5   Undeniably entertaining and energetically produced, this conventional exploitation caper also benefits from some rare images of war-torn Vietnam.

Friday the 13th Part III (1982)

Here's yet another bland exploitation quickie from the Mancuso/Miner team of jobbers. Aside from the 3D gimmick and some truly lovely ladies, the film has almost no redeeming quality. It's slow-paced, boring, devoid of suspense and atmosphere with no intriguing characters, situations or murders to keep you interested. The series' staple "cha-cha-chas" are back on the soundtrack, but the stalker shot is gone, along with the genre's whole perspective on the spectator's gaze. As for returning boogeyman Jason Voorhees, he is not interesting in the least. And while he now dons a shiny goalie mask instead of a gaping sack, he gains nothing in terms of personality, remaining but a lumbering hulk who could unlikely catch a one-legged blind man given a five second head start.

TV starlet Dana Kimmell is a rare asset to
this abysmal effort in redundancy...

... along with some truly inspired 3D sequences.

Having recently bought the 2009 "Deluxe Edition" DVD, I was able to see this stinky slice of cheese in its original 3D iteration, which allowed me to ward off absolute boredom with a few successful attempts at bringing visual depth to its shallow, predictable narrative. Strangely enough, the film opens with a 2D sequence featuring the climactic finale of the previous film meant to ease us into the present follow-up. I doubt that anybody really thought Jason dead from a machete to the shoulder, but it's never a bad idea to recap anyway. Following this dubious introduction, we are witness to Mr. Voorhees' first two murders as he offs the middle-aged proprietors of a nearby convenience store on his way to Higgins Haven, where lovely young Chris has elected to spend the weekend along with a bunch of brainless buddies. Hiding in a barn adjacent to the Higgins' cottage, Jason bides his time until he has regained enough strength to kill all the vacationing idiots in various gruesome ways, leaving Chris to fight him alone and liberate herself from her crippling emotional angst. There's some mild teenage frolicking in there too, and some cringe-inducing attempts at humor courtesy of a curly-haired butterball called Shelly, but very little in the way of narrative depth.

I struggle to find the appropriate metaphor to describe this film. Given its exclusive usage of archetypical characters and situations, and simplistic storyline, I would tend to compare it to a sort of mush, that is a flavorless, easy-to-digest type of food. But then, its uneventful narrative highlighted by the rare and predictable spectacle of swift executions put it squarely in the realm of the "date film", that is a non-film requiring minimal attention, hence favoring prolonged contact amongst teens, which is further made spontaneous by brutal scare scenes. At any rate, here is less of an earnest storytelling effort than a cheap commercial gimmick, one with no lasting value other than as a mere entry in a long-lasting series. But then, the very longevity of the Friday the 13th franchise stems directly from its lack of originality, and the minimal narrative prowess necessary to keep it alive over the years. So there is no actual reason for you to see this film other than utter completism.

As a horror film, Friday the 13th Part III, doesn't even get the basics right, eschewing any attempt at suspense to better focus on the swift execution of unidimensional characters, sheepishly expanding the series' murder portfolio without ever providing an endearing background in which to contextualize those executions. Filmed mostly in broad daylight, the film's idea of suspense is achieved by showing an open barn door, hinting at the presence of a boogeyman whom we know is the killer from frame 1. It's a shame to see such inane attempts at creating affect on the back of such an intriguing opening sequence (and I'm not talking about the embarrassing flashback to Part 2 here). Set amidst a maze of sheets drying in the wind, this scene takes full advantage of its secluded nighttime setting and the illusory depth provided by the 3D technology, pitting the two owners of a roadside convenience store against the machete-wielding maniac. The effect is great, but it is unmatched anywhere else in the film as the decors become more and more familiar and Jason's suspenseful stalking turns into systematic stabbing.

The outstanding opening sequence sets the
stage for a brutal fall from grace.

As usual in those films, almost all of the filmmakers' creativity is depleted in the design of elaborate murder pieces. Hence, we get meat cleaver, knitting needle, pitchfork, speargun, fire poker and machete wounds to the head and chest, as well as a bisection, an electrocution and an eye-popping head crush (see illustration above), the wide gamut of which requires the bothersome addition of some archetypical punk kids, whose presence in the sleepy countryside is perplexing at best. While these murders provide a chance for the FX people to pad their resumes, their stellar work isn't featured onscreen nearly long enough to compensate for the tedious wait therefor. As such, its simple presence hardly justifies our continued attention for the rest of the runtime, especially since the story is almost entirely confined to the Higgins' cabin and adjacent barn. Not unlike the summer camps from the previous chapters, these familiar settings are undoubtedly meant to remind the target teenage audience of their own summertime frolicking. Unfortunately, this makes for a rather underwhelming, shockingly constrictive film experience, which perfectly stands for this entire runaway series.

Scouring the web, I was surprised to discover that Part III is widely considered by fans to be one of the best in the series. And while I prefer Part I, X and XI (all of which showcase at least some measure of originality), I must say that the present film's amusing use of 3D does put it a cut above its competition. Obviously, it ultimately remains a trite exercise in repetition, a desperately commercial endeavor with no other pretension than to make yet another quick buck on the back of the shameless emulation of Italian giallo, but it does boast that little something special. And so I urge you to see the film in its original 3D iteration, or to not see it at all, the latter option remaining the most sound one.

God I hate this guy! If only there was an inkling of
personality behind this bland mask...

1/5   This tedious, lackluster exercise in repetition is saved only by its lovely leading ladies and some truly amusing use of the 3D technology.