Red Sun

Red Sun is a 1971 Franco-Italian international co-production Spaghetti Western film directed by Terence Young and starring Charles Bronson, Toshirō Mifune, Alain Delon, Ursula Andress, and Capucine. It was filmed in Spain by the British director Young, with a screenplay by Denne Bart Petitclerc, William Roberts, and Lawrence Roman from a story by Laird Koenig. The film was released in the United States on 9 June 1972. Plot Link Stuart and Gauche are leaders of a gang of bandits who decide to rob $400,000 from a train. There, a Japanese ambassador is on his way to Washington, carrying a ceremonial tachi sword meant as a gift for the president. Gauche steals the gold-handled tachi and kills one of the ambassador's samurai bodyguards. By Gauche's order, the bandits double-cross Link by throwing dynamite into the train car he is in, leaving him for dead. Before Gauche leaves, the surviving samurai bodyguard, Kuroda, swears to kill him. After Link is nursed back to health, the ambassador instructs him to assist Kuroda in tracking down Gauche. Kuroda has one week to kill Gauche and recover the sword; if he fails, both Kuroda and the ambassador will have to commit harakiri for allowing the tachi to be stolen and leaving the dead samurai unavenged. Link reluctantly agrees to help Kuroda. Once they set off in pursuit of the gang, Link repeatedly attempts to elude Kuroda, to no avail. Gauche and four gang members bury the money, then Gauche kills them so only he knows the hiding place. He pays off others, who go their own way, and the remaining gang stays with him. While tracking Gauche, Kuroda reveals that his countrymen's ancient links to their own culture and the samurai's values are disappearing, and he believes the only way to honor his ancestors and his own way of life is to bring back the sword. The two approach a ranch that has been taken over by some of the gang members, kill them and take their horses. Link then manages to escape Kuroda, but has a change of heart and returns, having grown to respect the strict code by which Kuroda lives. He warns Kuroda, however, that he will kill him if Gauche dies before revealing where the money is hidden.