Customer Reviews

Branded to Kill [VHS]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was inspired to seek out Branded to Kill as it's one of Jim Jarmusch's favorite films, and he's one of my favorite filmmakers. You could say that his interest in Japanese pop culture first came to the fore in Mystery Train, the darkly comic tale of two Japanese tourists on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Elvis. But it's Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, which mostly clearly takes its inspiration from Seijun Suzuki's bizarre, yet strangely beautiful Branded to Kill. Certainly, the external trappings are different (Suzuki's film is in B&W, it's set in Japan, RZA most definitely did not compose the soundtrack, etc.), but the central characters are cut from the same inscrutable cloth. Arguably, Ghost Dog also takes its inspiration from another non-American noir released in '67--Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samourai with Alain Delon as, you guessed it, a bird-loving hitman of few words (a film that, in turn, inspired John Woo's The Killer).

Branded to Kill plays like a cross between an American noir from the 1950s (Kiss Me Deadly), a French New Wave post-noir (Breathless, Le Doulos), and a Japanese "art" film (Woman in the Dunes). At first, you think Goro (Jo Shishido) is one odd dude (with his chipmunk cheeks, weird rice obsession, insatiable libido, etc.), but then you meet the women in his life... Both of them, his wife (Mariko Ogawa) and butterfly-obsessed mistress (Mari Annu), are about as strange as it gets (so strange--and downright kinky--that accusations of misogyny would not be completely misplaced).

If you've been looking for something different, you've found it in Branded to Kill. If the plot is as incomprehensible as that of The Big Sleep, it doesn't really matter. It's all about the look and feel of the thing, best exemplified by the set pieces, which can be quite spectacular (and were constructed more out of ingenuity than cash). Recommended as much to fans of Jarmusch and Melville as to fans of Takeshi Kitano, another helmer who's mastered the art of the silent, sympathetic hitman. And you'll never look at a butterfly the same way again--or a bowl of rice, for that matter.

Trivia note: Masatoshi Nagase (Mystery Train, the Suzuki-inspired Most Terrible Time of My Life) also appears in Pistol Opera (2001), Suzuki's sequel to Branded to Kill (released when Nagase was a year old!).

Honestly, I was expecting a New Wave film, but what I got was a film that, stylistically, compares with the New Wave, but fails to achieve New Wave pathos. But that doesn't mean "Branded to Kill" is a bad film, it just means you have to look at it from a different perspective: The film is fluff, substance is style. It's lack of cohesion seems to be an intellectual bluff rather than a conscious, "artistic" convention. Therefore, the film should be compared to the films of Roger Corman and the Blaxploitation era.

"Branded to Kill" seems like the Asian precursor to films like "Hard Boiled" and "The Killer". BTK's action scenes are inventive and frenzied. They are not "realistic", but they fit within the film's tone, which is unrealistic anyway. Everything is over the top, and the film has that "go for broke" feeling of the New Wave. You have to admire Suzuki's moxy, which suits the era and environment in which the film was created.

In the interview on this disk, Suzuki says his films were meant to be strictly entertaining. That they are. "Branded to Kill" is one of the most entertaining films I've ever seen, besting even some of Roger Corman's films. It's both maddening and exuberant, and a great example of perverse cinema.

Japanese Noir? If such a thing is possible, I guess this is it. Although I think that the more recent Beat Takeda movies are closer to the classic American form that Suzuki's stuff. Am I detecting the influence of the French New Wave in this film? Existentialism seems to manifest itself in different ways throughout the film particularly in the numbering of the yakuza killers. I was amazed by the really strong erotic content but found some of the violence cartoonish (not neccessarily a bad thing). If you buy this, and I strongly reccomend that you do,don't try very hard to figure it out as you go along. Just ride along with it and it will take you to some very dark, and bizarre, places.

The term "visionary" gets thrown around alot, but "Branded to Kill" redefines it. This '67 black and white will leave your jaw hanging. Yes, partly in incomprehension, but also in stunned awe. A stylistic tour de force that is still news and way hipper than anything you'll see at the mall multiplex. The coolest classic around.

I bought this DVD on a whim after doing some background research. Somehow the typical Japaneseyakuza action film cut-up and combined with surrealism and a Noirish sheen appealed to me. I certainly wasn't disappointed. I was Actually, I was amazed at how many levels "Branded to Kill" worked. Its over the top black humor (at time almost slap stick)was delightful. The characters were complex and the plot engaging though deliberately made hard to follow. I've haunted by the complexity of the ending for a few days now. Visually the film is a masterpiece, and heavily debted to the French New Wave. I disagree with the Widescreen Review of the picture and sound quality as the picture looks to be faithful recreation of the original. I think the washed-out contrastless black is quite beautifully done and portrayed.

This film was certainly a big influence on Tarantino and I'm pretty sure it is QT behind the camera on the exclusive interview of Seiuchi Suzuki (a great bonus).

Highly recommended for fans of gangster films, Japanese film-making, noir, and new-wave all rolled into one.

Here it is: BRANDED TO KILL is director, Seijun Suzuki's best movie. Japanese film lovers will tell you that Seijun is one of Japan's greatest filmmakers. A different style than Kurosawa. If you like action, then prepare yourself for a real treat. You will not regret owning this film.
Forget that this film is Japanese, has subtitles, and was released in 1967. This film is a classic masterpiece. Heck, even the director got fired after its release. The film is fast paced and beautifully shot. The musical score is so smooth and keep in mind, we're talking no special effects. There is a scene where a man is literally on fire for over 20 seconds.
All in all, the story is straightforward. A Yakuza gangster is hired to kill 4 people. He learns that he is the Yakuza's third best killer. He does not know who the #1 killer is but he wants his spot. The women in this film are beautiful and the action is intense. Take a chance and see why this film has inspired so many over the years.

An anti-hero hitman who sniffs steaming rice. How much more off-the-wall can you get?

Suzuki does some amazing stuff with this movie. Weird and amusing editing, and interesting and funny sequences blended with disturbing action.

I was amused to see that this film influenced Jim Jarmusch in his recent effort, GHOST DOG. There are at least two scenes from BRANDED TO KILL that ended up being reinterpreted in GHOST DOG.

A very fun film, and another Criterion triumph.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this review because, frankly, I don't quite know what to make of this truly odd movie. I like it, but I don't know why. The first time I saw this film, I was certain I had wasted the good part of $25 on a piece of stupid incomprehensible garbage. But I watched it a second time (hey, I might not have liked it, but I wanted to get my money's worth), and it all suddenly fell into place. The whole thing kinda sorta made sense, and the overall "look" and mood of the picture sunk in. The plot is fairly simple, although there is some confusion in a couple of scenes concerning the location of certain characters and how they got there, as well as some surreal scenes that simply defy logic. These scenes don't affect the overall plot per se, but they will have you tilt your head to one side and say, "huh?". The action is certainly over-the-top, with some of the strangest gun fights on film. How they manage to shoot at each other through windshields (without breaking them, mind you) is quite a mystery.

Other reviewers have compared director Seijun Suzuki to other contemporary directors. What I find interesting about this film is its apparent influence on one of Japan's biggest anime exports, "The Castle Of Cagliostro". From Killer #3's clothing style to the bad guys' castle hideaway to the comical gun-evading dance of his temporary sidekick, the influences are easy to spot. Given how the Japanese studio system worked in the 1960's, it's easy to understand why Suzuki was fired for making this film. It's so radically different in every way from the typical Japanese potboilers that were mass-produced.

The Criterion edition provides a clean crisp widescreen transfer with remastered sound. The optional English subtitles sometimes appear to have been greatly condensed, so you get the feeling during some scenes that you're missing something. There is an interview with Suzuki which is, as are almost all Criterion interviews, very interesting. One of the disc extras includes a gallery of movie posters (Branded To Kill and others) featuring the actor Jo Shishido and his famous collagen-enhanced cheeks. What's missing, in my opinion, is a commentary track for this film. How enlightening it would have been to get more background on the actors, production, or script. Oh well, you can't have everything. But it still doesn't detract from this fun and interesting film.

And check out the burning castle scene. A stone castle gets tranformed into a blazing inferno in mere seconds after the gasoline is lit. It's a hoot!

Branded to Kill('67) was way ahead of its time. Watching this movie once is simply not enough.

After being handed a basic cardboard script about a contract killer, Director Seijun Suzuki shattered all expectations of studio conformity. He presented an outrageous little yakuza film that shocked and enraged the powers that be. This blatant deviation from the typical routine got him promptly fired and blackballed in the industry for a decade.

Meet Goro Hanada, an expert assassin-for-hire. He's currently ranked #3 killer in the land, and he's quite an odd cat--a chubby cheeks sex maniac with a penchant for sniffing rice? Not quite what you'd expect. He accepts different missions as he aspires for that #1 ranking.

This film is very much a parody of the yakuza genre. The story moves fast and jumps quite a bit with a high level of surrealism and absurdity. It's crazy fun, but a bit hard to follow with your first watch.

There are several insane moments that will leave you shaking your head. Like when one of his targets gets a bullet hole in his head while washing his hands over the sink. Where'd the bullet come from?!? You later see Hanada screwing the pipe back together that leads up to the sink drain. Haha, that's a heck of a shot!

The story is continually a sporadic jumble of combustible madness, ready to explode at any moment. Brimming from beginning to end with crazy gun fights, comical buffonery, and wild sex scenes, this is a ground-breaking dose of madness that is well deserving of the Criterion treatment. Branded to Kill had a heavy influence on several filmmakers, including John Woo and Quentin Tarantino.

...the industry is really stupid sometimes. When this movie was first released it was released under the heat of controversy. The films director, Seijun Suzuki, was fired from the film for veering too far from the original script. His direction was deemed too extreme by the studio and he was basically blackballed from the industry for the better part of a decade. The funny thing is that it is his sublimely toxic direction that actually makes this film work so well. So, like I said; the industry is really stupid sometimes.

Years later `Koroshi no Rakuin' has become a cult classic, a film well regarded and lauded by many a cinephile. The reasons for this are obvious. The chaotic and infectious direction feels like a sick mixture of Darren Aronofsky and Martin Scorsese. The script is brilliantly constructed (conceptually it may be `cookie cutter' as some have accused it of being, but visually it is anything but). The acting is hit or miss, but the important aspects of the film are realized with sheer perfection and brutal imagination.

The film, in a nutshell, is fearless.

Goro is Japan's #3 Killer, and he loves what he does. He has very strange behavioral issues, not the least of which is his insatiable list for the smell of boiling rice. He has two equally `off-kilter' women in his life; his erotic wife and his butterfly obsessed mistress. When Goro botches a job he finds himself on the other end of the scope, fighting for survival against the #1 Killer who has been hired by the Mob to `off' Goro. What comes next is intense, dark and dazzling all at the same time.

As far as the acting is concerned, Jo Shishido is the only one who really commands his role; which is important since he is in practically every frame. Mariko Ogawa is borderline annoying with her over-the-top portrayal of Goro's wife, but I think that is the style with these Asian films so I won't fault her too much. Mari Annu is much more appealing and interesting in her role, in my opinion. The real star performer here is Suzuki though. He slays each scene with these intense bursts of testosterone that captivate and stimulate. There is not a single scene that doesn't grip you in one way or another. He is so good behind that camera that his eventual out-casting becomes all the more frustrating.

Today he would be bombarded with fans; easy.

I do have minor issues with the film. It did take me a little while to understand just what all was going on at first. Some of the plot points don't seem as connected as they could; and this may be where the direction got in the way of the story. It's few and far in between, but there will be moments where you may be scratching your head and taking double takes. Case-in-point is the beginning of the end, when the #1 and #3 Killers are shacked up in the same apartment. It took me a bit to understand just what was going on (and part of me isn't entirely sure I got it completely). Regardless though, this is a must see. It is artistically brilliant and conceptually fresh. Indulge in this finely crafted guilty pleasure.