After “Carmen from Kawachi” had been one more unsuccessful attempt of production company Nikkatsu to get director Seijun Suzuki in line with the kind of movies they wanted him to make, they decided to reduce his budget even further for his next feature. In the wrong hands, “Tokyo Drifter” probably would have been just another gangster flick which the industry had produced a thousand times, but Suzuki created something truly special, widely regarded as one of his most interesting and visually arresting works. Instead of feeling ´restricted by the lack of financial support, the director relied on his skill of making ends meet and sticking to his creative vision, resulting in a much more abstract work which also fits perfectly in the age of pop culture.
Tokyo Drifter is screening as part of the Seijun Suzuki Centennial presented by Japan Society
In Tokyo, Tetsuya (Tetsuya Watari), nicknamed “Phoenix”, is the...
Tokyo Drifter is screening as part of the Seijun Suzuki Centennial presented by Japan Society
In Tokyo, Tetsuya (Tetsuya Watari), nicknamed “Phoenix”, is the...
- 1/28/2023
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Stars: Tetsuya Watari, Ryûji Kita, Chieko Matsubara, Hideaki Nitani, Eimei Esumi | Written by Yasunori Kawauchi | Directed by Seijun Suzuki
It would be easy to assume that Seijun Suzuki’s 1966 crime thriller is a construct of a TV series. With its strictly-defined three-act structure, divided by subtitles, it has the feel of a succession of episodes stitched awkwardly together across 90 minutes. But it actually is a cheesy, kind of likeable, complete film.
Tetsuya Watari plays Tetsu “The Phoenix” Hondo, an ex-mobster trying to go straight. He and his avuncular old boss Kurata (Ryûji Kita) live in peace in a building owned by a kindly landlord named Yoshii (Michio Hino). However, Kurata’s old foe, Otsuka (Eimei Esumi) isn’t done with him yet. They force Yoshii to sell the building to them, triggering a fight between the Kurata and Otsuka clans. Tetsu can’t help but get involved.
To save Kurata from further conflict,...
It would be easy to assume that Seijun Suzuki’s 1966 crime thriller is a construct of a TV series. With its strictly-defined three-act structure, divided by subtitles, it has the feel of a succession of episodes stitched awkwardly together across 90 minutes. But it actually is a cheesy, kind of likeable, complete film.
Tetsuya Watari plays Tetsu “The Phoenix” Hondo, an ex-mobster trying to go straight. He and his avuncular old boss Kurata (Ryûji Kita) live in peace in a building owned by a kindly landlord named Yoshii (Michio Hino). However, Kurata’s old foe, Otsuka (Eimei Esumi) isn’t done with him yet. They force Yoshii to sell the building to them, triggering a fight between the Kurata and Otsuka clans. Tetsu can’t help but get involved.
To save Kurata from further conflict,...
- 2/19/2019
- by Rupert Harvey
- Nerdly
“Why do all you big shots say the same stupid lines?”
Japanese director Seijun Suzuki is perhaps the greatest of all mavericks within the film industry of his country, certainly among the first voices bringing fresh ideas, images and above all a re-definition of the traditional genre the big studios like his employers at Nikkatsu churned out, year after year until the 1960s. Similar perhaps to French director Jean-Luc Godard, a comparison which is often mentioned in reviews or discussions about his body of work, his cinema, like “Branded to Kill” or “Youth of the Beast”, did not reach its audience at the time of its release, but survived over the years and have added to the reputation of Suzuki as an artist who simply grew tired of repeating the same formula because it meant a steady paycheck.
According to authors Frederick Veith and Phil Kaffen, it...
Japanese director Seijun Suzuki is perhaps the greatest of all mavericks within the film industry of his country, certainly among the first voices bringing fresh ideas, images and above all a re-definition of the traditional genre the big studios like his employers at Nikkatsu churned out, year after year until the 1960s. Similar perhaps to French director Jean-Luc Godard, a comparison which is often mentioned in reviews or discussions about his body of work, his cinema, like “Branded to Kill” or “Youth of the Beast”, did not reach its audience at the time of its release, but survived over the years and have added to the reputation of Suzuki as an artist who simply grew tired of repeating the same formula because it meant a steady paycheck.
According to authors Frederick Veith and Phil Kaffen, it...
- 11/14/2018
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
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