Red Lion (赤毛, Akage) is a 1969 Japanese film directed by Kihachi Okamoto and starring Toshirō Mifune[1] and Shima Iwashita.

Gonzo (権三, Toshiro Mifune), a member of the Sekihōtai, is being asked by the emperor to deliver official news to his home village of a New World Order.

Upon his return, his attempt to tell the village about a brand-new tax cut is quashed when the townfolk mistakenly assumes that he is there to rescue them from corrupt government officials.

[2] The director, Kihachi Okamoto, is well known for introducing plot twists and surprising endings in his films,[3] and Red Lion is no exception.

What starts out as an almost comedic series of misunderstandings between almost comically drawn characters ends up turning far more serious as the film progresses.