Tokyo Drifter (1966)

Tokyo Drifter (Tokyo nagaremono)
Directed by Seijun Suzuki
Written by Yasunori Kawauchi
1966/Japan
Nikkatsu
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Tetsuya ‘Phoenix Tetsu’ Hondo: A drifter needs no woman.[/box]

This film is a feast for the eyes.  Not so much for the mind or heart.

Tetsuya Hondo is the right hand man to yakusa boss Kurata.  He follows Kurata in an attempt to go straight.  A rival gang tries to muscle in on Kurata’s legitimate business and Hondo decides to become a drifter to take the heat off.

Naturally, this doesn’t work and we follow the gunshots as they follow Hondo throughout Japan.

If it weren’t for IMDb I don’t know if I could have explained the plot.  This is all style and no substance.  The use of color is amazing.  Suzuki keeps the mood playful rather than pretentious so it went down easily.

I lost track of how many times this song is performed in the film.  Easily in the two figures.