Yukitaro (Kazuo Hasegawa), an actor who specialises in female roles in kabuki plays (an 'onnagata') uses his androgenous sex-appeal to maneuver himself closer to three men on whom he plans to take bloody retribution for the death of his parents. Meanwhile, Ohatsu and Yamitaro (Fujiko Yamamoto and Hasegawa in a second role), a pair of thieves lurking in the background catch on to his plans. The film is a remake of a 1936 film that also featured Hasegawa in the dual role. The story is complex and required that I pay careful attention the subtitles (worth the effort). While it may be a bit of a stretch for modern audiences to see a 55-year-old guy in traditional Japanese drag as being extremely alluring to both men and women, Hasegawa is excellent in the role and even a brief review of onnagatas and their role in the seedier aspects of Japanese theatre-culture supports the basic premise of the film. Both the production, which is quite stagy at times, and the music (mostly 60's American-style jazz) are excellent. Highly recommended for fans of Japanese cinema (and worth doing a bit of reading about the history of the film and the culture it depicts).
Review of An Actor's Revenge
