Movielogr

Rating: 7.5 stars

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Japan yakuza tokyo nikkatsu train lounge singer piano night club Criterion

All movies seen on 06/01/2014

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Tokyo Drifter (1966)

Directed by Seijun Suzuki

Crime | Action

Most recently watched by sensoria, noahphex, leiabox

Overview

After yakuza boss Kurata dissolves his own criminal empire, a rival kingpin offers a position to Kurata’s top operative, Tetsuya “Phoenix Tetsu” Hondo. When the fiercely loyal Tetsu declines, Otsuka taps unstoppable Tatsuzo the “Viper”, a ruthless gun-for-hire, to assassinate him. As the Viper trails his target through the countryside, the agile Phoenix Tetsu grows concerned that one of his former associates has betrayed him.

Length 83 minutes

Actors

Tetsuya Watari | Ryuji Kita | Eimei Esumi | Chieko Matsubara | Tamio Kawachi | Hideaki Nitani | Eiji Gō | Tochiko Hamakawa | Takeshi Yoshida | Isao Tamagawa | Michio Hino | Shuntaro Tamamura | Hiroshi Midorigawa | Hiroshi Chô | Shinzô Shibata | Yuzo Kiura | Yû Izumi | Ikuo Nikaido | Masaaki Honme | Shiro Tonami | Wataru Kobayashi | Mitsuru Sawa | Iwae Arai | Yôko Yokota | Hiroshi Takao | Kiyoshi Ôba | Tessen Nakahira | Ken Mizoguchi | Tadayuki Kitagami | Tsuyoshi Izumi | Akira Hisamatsu

Viewing History (seen 3 times)

Viewing Notes

Not sure why I haven’t seen this sooner. Seems like I’ve had a copy of it forever. For this viewing I picked up the newish Criterion release, which is a good package. Print looks excellent and the colors really pop. Can see why this is a Top 100 and Criterion release. The colors, the angles, the framing. All terrific. The core story is the only weak spot for me but may improve after another viewing.

I watched the interviews with Suzuki and Kuzuu. Fascinating that Nikkatsu thought this was a bad movie. Probably more because it was so different than other yakuza films of the time. Crazy that Suzuki was blacklisted for 10 years following Branded to Kill.

I love the saturated monochrome opening! Suzuki said that someone had some spoiled monochrome sitting around that he could use so he shot the opening with it because he wanted to do something different. Such a great eye.

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