The Man With A Shotgun

The Man With A Shotgun (1961) is another selection from the Seijun Suzuki:The Early Years Vol.2 The Border Crossing and Action Movies boxset. It is something of a curiosity-a borderless western set in the mountains of Nagano. Ryoji (Hideaki Nitani) is the lone drifter who arrives at a sleepy mountain town run by mill owner Nishioka (Akio Tanaka). The few locals who still live in the village mingle uncomfortably with the work force who work at the mill while Nishioka dominates the local economy by owning the only bar in town. After getting roughed up by three of Nishioka’s henchmen on the way into town, Ryoji makes the first of many enemies when he stands up to fellow drifter Masa (Yuji Kodaka) when he threatens to throw a man’s daughter to the sex starved workers unless he pays up. The sheriff gets himself seriously wounded, which results in the position becomes temporarily open. Ryoji volunteers only for Masa to do the same, but the argument is eventually settled to one side of their continued male posturing after a duel. This film was made in color to capture the majestic mountain scenery and remains a curiosity in the oeuvre of Suzuki.