Hoodlum Soldier

I made a note of seeing Yasuzo Masumara's irreverent anti-war film Hoodlum Soldier (1965) after reading praise about it from Donald Richie in his book with Joseph L. Anderson The Japanese Film: Art and Industry. I'm glad that it took me a while to track it down, because I now know the context of Masumura in the New Wave pantheon and film industry as well as the star of the film- Shintaro Katsu (aka "Zatoichi") as the yakuza soldier who has trouble with authority. Katsu is a natural ham, so his presence automatically adds some humor and energy to the film. However, Takahiro Tamura as the bookish pacifist Arita is given equal time as they form a sort of odd couple in their opposition to the norms of the army and its pettiness and brutal reprisals for minor offenses. This film comes off as something like MASH or Catch-22 in the portrayal of an absurd army fighting an absurd war. These soldiers never even come in contact with the enemy, bu their lives are miserable and there is attrition due to suicides and desertion. It also openly shows how physical punishment was liberally dished out and the presence of comfort women was acknowledged, however, in this film they were all Japanese. Otomaru (Keiko Awaji) is cynical about her position in society and helps the two misfits escape in the end. It was an entertaining and subversive look at the war.