By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Director: Seijun Suzuki
Starring: Annu Mari | Jô Shishido | Kôji Nanbara | Mariko Ogawa
Original language title: Koroshi no rakuin
Country: japan
Year: 1967
Running time: 91
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061882/reference
Tom G. says: “Filmed in Black and White, this 1967 Japanese thriller is engaging, beautiful and confusing. Both Takashi Miike and Quentin Tarentino have cited director Seijun Suzuki as a major influence, and one can easily, easily see a logical progression from this movie up to GOZU, VISITOR Q, KILL BILL and JACKIE BROWN to name a few. The central story seems quite simple. Japan’s number three killer Goro (played by Jo Shishido, who oddly enough also played the lead in the MST3K crap-o-ramas FUGITIVE ALIEN 1 & 2 back in the legendary third season) is hunted down by the number one killer known as The Phantom (bwa ha ha).
“Goro alternates his time killing marks, berating and boning his consistently naked wife and obsessing over the smell of boiled rice. Along the way, he is hired by a femme fatale who it seems is never without a rainstorm falling on her and has a menagerie of dead birds and butterflies. I usually don’t have much of a problem following stories when they are presented non-linear, the internal becomes external and what is happening on the screen could no way fit into the story’s reality (as a matter of fact, I thrive on it), but man, this movie lost me a dozen times.
“Still, it’s beautifully shot, complex and has great acting.
“In the world of coincidences, I’ve just learned from the imdb that BRANDED TO KILL director Seijun Suzuki (also responsible for some other favorite films of mine, including TOKYO DRIFTER and PISTOL OPERA) directed the third series of Lupin III cartoons and the third Lupin movie. I’m about to watch the second Lupin III movie, CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO, which is the next movie I’m featuring in the Ghibli & me series I’ve been writing about.”