In the middle of viewing Arrow's two box sets dedicated to the film maker,I decided to check what other Seijun Suzuki titles had come out on disc. To my surprise,I found Arrow has put out a separate disc for a film which comes in the middle of the run in their sets! Leading to me joining Bureau.
View on the film:
Equalling the presentations in the sets, Arrow present a terrific transfer, with the colours on the print kept sharp,and the soundtrack remaining clean.
Descending into hell with a opening dialogue free shoot out between two gangs, directing auteur Seijun Suzuki reunites with his regular cinematographer of the era Shigeyoshi Mine and enters hell by making a huge progression in Suzuki's major recurring motif, that melts the hard edges of Film Noir into the ultra- stylisation of surrealist Pop-Art.
Hanging at the back of smoke-filled corridors covered in moody Art-Deco grey and blacks that Tajima becomes surrounded in, Suzuki twirls the dark corridors and thick trench coats into starling colour,splashing swift whip-pans and rugged zoom-ins onto the sharp reds darted across the screen as the gang wars are given a high kick, with delightfully unexpected Musical numbers at hip Jazz clubs (a major recurring location in Suzuki's credits.)
Keeping Tajima somewhat out of the loop from the police force by being a private detective who visits the station to listen in on tips from the cops, Iwao Yamazaki's adaptation of Haruhiko Oyabu's novel takes Tajima into the post WW-II Noir black market underworld of Japan with a wickedly biting comedic cynicism, as Tajima plays a sleight of hand on all the gang leaders who have their eyes on taking Manabe down, a move Tajima commits not for morals, but the hope of wiggling cash and a new identity out of the hands tied behind their backs police.
Gliding on Harumi Ibe's silky Jazz score, Jo Shishido gives a great performance as Tajima, who Shishido holds with a cocky swagger of a devil may care loner who goes to hell.
View on the film:
Equalling the presentations in the sets, Arrow present a terrific transfer, with the colours on the print kept sharp,and the soundtrack remaining clean.
Descending into hell with a opening dialogue free shoot out between two gangs, directing auteur Seijun Suzuki reunites with his regular cinematographer of the era Shigeyoshi Mine and enters hell by making a huge progression in Suzuki's major recurring motif, that melts the hard edges of Film Noir into the ultra- stylisation of surrealist Pop-Art.
Hanging at the back of smoke-filled corridors covered in moody Art-Deco grey and blacks that Tajima becomes surrounded in, Suzuki twirls the dark corridors and thick trench coats into starling colour,splashing swift whip-pans and rugged zoom-ins onto the sharp reds darted across the screen as the gang wars are given a high kick, with delightfully unexpected Musical numbers at hip Jazz clubs (a major recurring location in Suzuki's credits.)
Keeping Tajima somewhat out of the loop from the police force by being a private detective who visits the station to listen in on tips from the cops, Iwao Yamazaki's adaptation of Haruhiko Oyabu's novel takes Tajima into the post WW-II Noir black market underworld of Japan with a wickedly biting comedic cynicism, as Tajima plays a sleight of hand on all the gang leaders who have their eyes on taking Manabe down, a move Tajima commits not for morals, but the hope of wiggling cash and a new identity out of the hands tied behind their backs police.
Gliding on Harumi Ibe's silky Jazz score, Jo Shishido gives a great performance as Tajima, who Shishido holds with a cocky swagger of a devil may care loner who goes to hell.