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Very early Kurosawa (although it wasn’t released in Japan until 1952 because of the US censor’s sensitivity about ‘feudal’ subjects) and in no sense a major work. Based on a traditional assertion that exists in both Noh and Kabuki stage versions, and Kurosawa makes use of elements from both. A young nobleman has to cross a checkpoint in his flight from a vengeful brother, and impersonates a watchman to do so; one of his juniors has to overcome him to put out the deception more convincing, but thereby violates one of the prime tenets of the feudal code… Kurosawa’s chief contribution to the poke out was to add a second, comic gatekeeper to the plot.

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

An amateur production that has its heart in the right place but is
overwhelmed by its slight story and forced slapstick comedy, though the
enthusiastic cast give it the ‘ole college try.’ It’s advertised as “an
adventure comedy about thieves, whores and immigrants,” and is served up
as a gross-out black comedy about a band of misfits in the small New England
town of Pharisee. It has some appeal for those who relish raunchy Benny
Hill-like lowbrow comedies, except this one is too dirty for network TV.
It seems conceived as an Internet pic rather than a more polished theatrical
release. Thomas Edward Seymour (”A New Wave”/”Welcome to Earth”/”The Land
of College Prophets”) directs, writes, edits and costars. Clint Howard
acts as narrator.

Spunky recent arrival in Pharisee, London Betty (Nicole Lewis), is
the wide-eyed, eager-beaver new reporter for the local newspaper and finds
that her fearful homebound publisher Maury (Daniel von Bargen) refuses
to meet her. Left to her own devices, Betty soon stumbles on the town’s
obvious story that Mayor Plumb (Dick Boland) is corrupt and is a pervert.
The persistent reporter gets help from a pair of petty thieves (Thomas
Edward Seymour & Russ Russo), the whore friend of theirs with a heart-of-gold
(Margaret Rose Champagne) and a transvestite ex-Marine hitman (Phil Hall),
and the unlikely five teammates work together as outcasts to bring the
mayor down. 

It is what it is, a zany film filled with clichés, banality
and juvenile potty humor.