Endless Desire (Hateshinaki yokubô)
Directed by Shohei Imamura
Written by Shohei Imamura and Hisachi Yamanouchi from a novel by Shinji Fujiwara
1958/USA
Nikkatsu
First viewing/Hulu
[box] I like to make messy films. — Shohei Imamura[/box]
Is this film noir or pitch black comedy? A bit of both really.
A group of veterans agreed to meet on a certain date to uncover a cache of morphine that had been buried by one of them, a lieutenant Hashimoto. From the start, things are not as they should be. Hashimoto’s “sister” and her thug husband tell them that he is dead and insist on joining in the hunt. Likewise, the band is unable to shake a hanger-on whom nobody recognizes. Finally, the group is required to hire the owner’s son in order to rent the building from which they plan to dig. They are under time pressure as the authorities plan to demolish the whole shopping area where the drugs are located.
The hapless team have nothing but trouble en route to the treasure.
Imamura could have picked up the pace a bit but basically this is an amusing romp.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu_5ME1uJAY
Trailer (no subtitles)
