Casting a household-name actor to headline a period epic would normally be seen as a safe bet, but the producers of “Muromachi Outsiders” were taking a risk when they picked Yo Oizumi for the project. The 51-year-old is an entertainer in the Ryan Reynolds mold, with a wisecracking persona that tends to vary little from one screen appearance to the next.
So perhaps the biggest surprise about Yu Irie’s film is how convincingly Oizumi inhabits the role of a 15th-century rebel leader. Sure, he benefits from some editorial trickery to pass himself off as a skilled swordsman, but this is a performance with real gravitas.
He plays Hasuda Hyoe, an obscure historical figure notable for being the first rōnin (masterless samurai) to lead a popular uprising. As portrayed in Ryosuke Kakine’s 2016 source novel — which Irie adapts himself — Hyoe is a Robin Hood-esque folk hero, moved to action by the callousness and corruption of the ruling class. He may not exactly rob the rich, but he’s certainly going to make sure that the poor get their debts canceled.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.