I dislike the people around you. They’re greedy and selfish… I wonder where you left behind your old self. All those headlines have rewritten your true character.
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My penultimate baseball film was a late edition to the list. It was a happy accident that I found it at all. I’d never heard of I Will Buy You, and it didn’t show up in any of the research I did. Then, by chance, I stumbled on it while randomly browsing the Criterion Collection. I’m so glad I did, because this movie is, without a close second, the best new film I watched for this series.
The story follows Diasuke Kishimoto, a scout trying to recruit the best young prospect in Japan, and his interactions with the various characters circling the soon-to-be mega rich superstar. Kishimoto struggles to decide how much of his soul he’s willing to give away to achieve his ultimate goal, as it becomes harder and harder to discern who’s using who, what ulterior motives are hidden beneath every surface, and if perhaps some characters are more (or less) sympathetic that he’d thought.
There is so much I love about this movie, and it would take a long-form essay to scratch the surface. Director Masaki Kobayashi is a legend (if you’ve never seen Samurai Rebellion, you should remedy that promptly). Keiji Sada is craaaaaaazy good in the lead role (he tragically died in a car crash at 37, robbing the world of the rest of his career). The script is rich, poignant, and timeless – it doesn’t lose a bit of relevance in the 64 years since its release.
Also, what is the deal with 40s and 50s Japanese directors and cinematographers being better at blocking than anyone else before or since?! You could follow the emotion of this film entirely through the positioning and movement of characters in each frame.
Fun fact: I subscribed to the Criterion Channel just to watch this movie. Now, it’s going to keep me warm on these cold Covid nights.
Next Up: Bull Durham, the greatest baseball movie of all time.
