Bullet Points: The Sword of Bushido
What do you think of when you hear the date January 6th?
I always think of Richard Norton’s birthday! And that’s why I decided to celebrate Richard Norton’s birthday this year by going back and reviewing his 1990 film, The Sword of Bushido…
- Blast from the Past: Richard Norton plays Zac Conners a former Navy SEAL and a longtime student of the code of bushido. After attending the funeral for his grandmother, Zac’s mom tells Zac a story about his grandfather and how his grandfather’s plane (going from Japan to the Philippines) went down two days after the end of World War II, thanks to a typhoon. Zac also found out that the plane was never recovered and this gets Zac curious. That curiosity grows after Zac reads the last letter his grandfather sent to his grandmother, talking about a sword he was bringing back with him… a sword that was used by some of Japan’s greatest warriors…. and a sword that the Japanese government is now offering a $2 million dollar reward for its return.
- In the Navy: Zac is still a member of the Navy Reserves, so he pulls some strings to obtain the report that was filed concerning his grandfather’s plane going down. The file includes maps and meteorological reports and fortunately for him there is a more than willing clerk (information specialist) that is willing to help him with the technical details… her name is Billie and she pops over to Zac’s place to help him with his research when he is in mid-workout… Zac invites her in, pops off his tank top and finishes his workout. Then Zac gets her dinner order (she chose sushi) and he hops in the shower… Once Zac is all cleaned up, the two eat their sushi dinner before Billie determines the coordinates where she believes the plane ended up all those years ago… at the same time, Zac is slowly but surely getting Billie’s top off. His grandfather would be proud.
- Welcome to the Jungle: The movie then jumps to Thailand, where Zac and his guide Udom are making their way to the coordinates that Billie calculated… they find the plane but shortly after Zac uncovers his grandfather’s dog tag and remains, some bandits show up… kill Udom and then try to rob Zac, since they believe all Americans are rich. Before he could meet the same fate as Udom, Zac gets a huge assist from a trio of rebels including the lovely Suay (Rochelle Asana, Kickboxer). Zac then finds himself as part of the team… something that doesn’t sit well at first with Suay’s friend Chai, but it is nothing a little kickboxing session can’t resolve.
- Ghost Warrior: After his issue with Chai is settled, Zac has a chance to talk to Suay privately… he explains what he is doing in Thailand and she mentions the stories she heard about an old Japanese soldier that lived in a secluded cave not far from her village… that soldier may have ended up with the sword! There is one man who has been to the cave, Gerry… there is one problem, Gerry is a known asshole. Gerry lives up to his reputation, cutting a deal with Zac to take him, Suay and Chai to the cave so they could investigate… but when Gerry catches wind of the $2 million dollar reward it is really no surprise when he turns on everyone when they find the sword in the cave that the old Japanese soldier called home. Gerry ends up killing Chai, before running off with the sword.. Gerry doesn’t make it far as he falls victim to an explosive booby trap, allowing Zac and Suay to get the sword back and find an alternate escape route.
- Enter the Ninja: Now Zac and Suay travel to Phuket where Zac will deliver the sword to the Japanese ambassador… however there is a mole in the ambassador’s office and he gives the heads up to the movie’s big bad, Mr. Yamaguchi (Toshishiro Obata, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Yamaguchi wants the sword for himself and doesn’t see why Japan would pay a foreigner for something that rightfully belonged to them in the first place. So after a night out on the town Zac and Suay have an unexpected visitor in their hotel room… it’s a ninja! Fortunately Zac’s years of martial arts training have prepared him for an unexpected incident like this and before it is all said and done the ninja is run over by a bus…. now you would think an incident like this would spoil the mood, but Zac ends up closing the deal with Suay, if you know what I mean. His grandfather would be proud.
- National Treasure: The next day, Zac and Suay hail a cab and make their way to their meeting with the Japanese ambassador, they are so busy talking about the possibility of Suay coming back to America with Zac that neither realize they are being followed by some Yamaguchi goons. They realize it when the car following them pulls alongside their cab and shoots the driver… the cab crashes, Zac gets out and fights off some the guys (all while keeping the sword in his possession). Suay is snatched up and thrown in the goon car and they drive off… Zac tries to chase them down on foot, he actually manages to catch up to them but he doesn’t last long hanging on to the roof of their car, so he turns to Plan B which is borrowing a go-kart from a teenager and chasing the goons down in that… it was at that moment that this movie went from average action movie, to above action movie for me. The go-kart plan doesn’t end well either. Zac makes it back to the hotel and has a message to call Yamaguchi… it is here Yamaguchi proposes the trade, the sword for Suay… Zac agrees thus setting up our Zac/Yamaguchi face off and not surprisingly swords are involved!
The Sword of Bushido made some questionable decisions. Introducing Mr. Yamaguchi so late in the movie or the abrupt jump from Zac and Billie about to get it on to Zac and Udom in the jungles of Thailand were both odd choices. Still, the good choices in The Sword of Bushido far outweighed the bad… Richard Norton is a credible action hero and martial artist, seeing Rochelle Ashana, who I will always associate as the demure Mylee from Kickboxer, as a bad ass guerilla was entertaining. Adding a ninja to your movie is never a bad idea and as I mentioned earlier, the go-kart scene will make The Sword of Bushido stand out in my mind forever.
Hopefully these Bonus Bullet Points will stand out in your mind for years to come…
- If You Ever: …wanted to see Richard Norton and Rochelle Ashana scrape leeches off of one another, then The Sword of Bushido is the movie for you.
- Double Entendre Quote: “Thank goodness your equipment is compatible with mine.” – Billie to Zac
- AKA: The Sword of Bushido is also known as Karate Champ.
- Favorite Quote: “What’s your company called, Assholes Incorporated?” – Zac to Gerry
