The movie Usogui is a thrilling story about Baku Madarame, a mysterious gambler with the nickname Usogui or “The Lie Eater.” He has the ability to see through other people’s lies and challenges himself to high-risk games at an illegal gambling den called Kakero. In Kakero, the players compete to become the best among them.
The film is set in the year 2022 and falls under the psychological genre. Directed by Hideo Nakata, the movie features Ryûsei Yokohama as the lead actor. In this film, Baku Madarame is on a mission to reach the top of the gambling hierarchy and is willing to risk everything, even his life, to achieve his goal.
The Kakero organization is a shadowy underground gambling organization founded during the Azuchi Momoyama period. The first leader of this organization, Kageronosuke Kiruma, was a referee for the gambling Kings. He started punishing those who did not pay their debts and began collecting payments from those who lost, regardless of the consequences.
The organization’s financing and military might likely formed its foundation. In the past, all of the incidents like the Honnoji incident of Nobunaga, the Sakuradamon incident during the Bakumatsu period, and the 300 million yen robbery during the Showa era were nothing more than Kakero’s collection of bets.
Now, the Kakero organization continues to be the King of gambling, ensuring its members’ gambling bets. Its power even allows it to control the government. Amidst all this, Baku Madarame wants to become the top gambling king and is ready to risk everything to accomplish it.
Baku Madarame challenges the King, risking his life in the process. Even though he believed he could defeat the King, Madarame eventually loses due to strategy. According to the rules, Madarame should have died for losing the wager, but the King saves him despite being his opponent. However, his membership in Kakero is terminated, and he is forced to leave Tokyo.
Later on, while wandering in a small town, Baku Madarame engages in a small gambling game. Just like always, he makes his famous statement that he will eat a liar and quickly uncovers the leader’s trick. When he got thirsty, he met a young man named Kaji, who happened to win the jackpot from a vending machine. After seeing the surprise in Baku’s eyes, Kaji gave him a bonus drink.
Baku and Kaji strike up a conversation, and Kaji mentions that he is only lucky when it comes to vending machines. Moreover, his life is always surrounded by bad luck, such as when sudden debt collectors come looking for him. After Baku helps Kaji, he invites him to a gambling den and promises to double his money so that Kaji can pay off his debt.
In a few attempts, Baku ends up winning a huge prize, even though he knew the trick beforehand. Ranko, the owner of the gambling den, challenges Baku and Kaji with a wager for a bonus prize. But once again, Baku emerges victorious, and they escape from Ranko’s clutches.
In another location, Sadakuni Ikki is gambling with Onodera Masahiro as the referee, and Mekama Kiro as the spectator. Sadakuni easily defeats Onodera, who ultimately dies. Mekama then volunteers to be Sadakuni’s referee if he ever gambles again.
The next day, Baku meets Sadakuni, who is one of the potential kings in Ranko’s gambling den. However, Sadakuni refuses to accept Baku’s challenge, claiming that it will only waste his time. Baku then meets with Ranko, who offers to give him a membership to Kakero if he can find an old man who could grant him one. In no time, Baku finds the old man and challenges him to a gambling game, and despite being cheated and almost losing his life, he and Kaji triumph over the old man.
Although Baku managed to obtain a membership to Kakero, he cannot keep it. Kaji is the one who deserves it. Yakou Hikoichi offers to be Kaji’s referee, and despite being confused about all the events that have occurred until now, Kaji believes and trusts Baku. Baku and Kaji resume gambling, with Sadakuni as their opponent.
However, this time, the gambling game is much riskier and could even threaten their lives.
Conclusion:
Usogui is a highly entertaining movie for anyone who loves gambling and psychological plots. Ryûsei Yokohama’s performance as Baku Madarame is remarkable, and the story ‘s twists and turns keep the viewers engaged throughout the film. As the first-ever film adaption of the Usogui Manga series, it’s a must-watch for fans of the Manga franchise. Overall, the Usogui movie is an evergreen piece of storytelling that will continue to captivate audiences for years to come.
