Mifune Toshiro (Shogun, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo) and Iwashita Shima (Harakiri, An Autumn
Afternoon) star in this hilarious epic of a man, a plan, and a large red wig!
When winds of change sweep Japan,
overthrowing three centuries of Shogunate Rule, Gonzo, a peasant, enlists in the Imperial
Restoration Force, which promises to abolish the oppressive practices of the past. When the
advance guard approaches his old hometown, he convinces his commander to let him ride ahead
and prepare the locals for the advent of the New World Order.
Triumphantly
riding into town wearing the Red Lion Mane of Office he borrowed from his commander, he
expects a warm welcome, but gets far more than he bargained for. His friends think he's
going to save them, the incompetent local officials think he's after their heads, a secret
band of Shogunate fanatics want him dead, and he can't even read his own proclamations!