Tattooed Life (1965)

Original Title: IREZUMI ICHIDAI
Japan.
Screened at the Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood.
Directed by Seijun Suzuki.

In 1965, we come to a period in which Seijun Suzuki was experiencing frustration with the studio system. In the following two years he would direct TOKYO DRIFTER and BRANDED TO KILL, his two signature classics that also resulted in the termination of his studio career.

But before that happened, in the year after he made GATES OF FLESH, he made TATTOOED LIFE. It's a very different film than UNDERWORLD BEAUTY, though it's also about criminals.

Upon orders from his superiors, Hideki Takahashi kills a rival gang boss. What he doesn't realize is that he's been set up, and that rivals in his own gang plan to kill him. His younger brother saves him by killing his would-be assassin, and is immediately wracked with guilt. He's not a gangster at all, he's a sensitive artist adverse to violence, but he couldn't just stand by and let his brother be killed. Now the lives of both brothers are in danger from the police, from older brother's gang, and from the rivals of older brother's gang. The brothers decide to run away to some place far away. Hearing of their plight, a man agrees to arrange passage for them on a ship. Unfortunately, the man turns out to be a con artist, and the brothers are left stranded. Eventually they are able to find work as miners. They hope to stay just long enough to earn money for their passage. Romantic attraction finds them each, however. Older brother must deal with the persistent entreaties of the mine owner's playful daughter (Masako Izumi), while younger brother becomes infatuated with the mine owner's lonely wife. They cross paths with the con artist again, this time allied with a rival gang that wants to take control of the mine. Trouble and retribution await.

For the most part, TATTOOED LIFE unreels in a straightforward way and is shot in a realistic manner. It's entertaining, and well made, but not exactly spectacular. That is, until near the end when a climactic fight is about to begin. Suddenly, with a clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning, the film departs into a never-never world of primary colors and highly stylized movements. We get one shot from under the combatants, looking up at them through a transparent floor, and many more that feature insanely bold shadows. At the end of the fight scene, we return to reality.

It's a shocking sequence because it seems to come out of nowhere. According to the program notes, it earned Suzuki "his first warning from the Nikkatsu [studio] bosses to stop pushing the envelope." The film is solid and worthy as it stands, but that one sequence elevates it to a higher level.

(Originally published by Kung Fu Cult Cinema.)

Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter (1970)

Original Title: NORA-NEKO ROKKU: SEKKUSA HANTA
Japan.
Screened at the Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood.
Directed by Yasuharu Hasebe.
With Meiko Kaji, Tatsuya Fuji

Here's a tip for all middle-aged men: if you see an attractive young woman in a schoolgirl outfit, run away, run away! In the opening scene of STRAY CAT ROCK - SEX HUNTER, a middle-aged salaryman ignores this advice and is soundly beaten by the young woman's friends. The ladies (some clad in thigh-high go-go boots and short skirts) saunter saucily down the street, with a crazy rhythm in their hips, and it's clear everybody should stay clear of this girl group.

The girls are led by Mako (Meiko Kaji). They are a tough group, ready to fight at a moment's notice, and Mako's job is to pick when and where to allow the eruption to happen. Mako's love match is The Baron (Tatsuya Fuji). He's all cool and distant, as a Yakuza should be, and is the leader of his own gang. Everybody hangs out in a dark and dank basement nightclub. One night The Baron realizes that Mako's girls would be perfect for the sex trade, and decides that his men must rape them in order to break their spirit and prepare them for the lucrative work ahead. This being unenlightened times (1970), some of the girls fight and fuss but kinda like it. Mako only allows this to go on for so long before she breaks it up. What really sets her off is when she sees The Baron and his gang tearing into some kids because of their mixed parentage (American and Japanese). Mayhem ensues.

The plot is a bit difficult to follow, but the film is such a gorgeous riot of lurid color, rippling with dangerous vibes, and fairly dancing with jazzy riffs, that it doesn't matter. STRAY CAT ROCK - SEX HUNTER gives off a contact high, and your brain is left pleasantly buzzing.

At the age of 23, Meiko Kaji displays charisma to spare and easily holds her own at the center of the picture. In the first sequence, her face erupts into a lazy, satisfied smile that electrifies the screen as she luxuriates in the power she has over her group and the power her group has against men and the world in general. She rattles off insults and retorts with the ease of a self-assured stand-up comedian. Later, when she realizes her girls are in trouble, she doesn't panic; she just needs a little time to figure things out on her own. She would later star in FEMALE CONVICT SCORPION: JAILHOUSE 41.

This was the third of five movies in the STRAY CAT ROCK series. Director Yasuharu Hasebe debuted with 1966's BLACK TIGHT KILLERS. Here he maintains a merciless pace and even contrasts the expansive outside world with the secretive basement nightclub by shooting nearly all of the latter scenes with a hard matte on the sides, giving those sequences a claustrophobic, clandestine edge. The film is pure joy in a comic-book, b-movie vein.

(Originally published by Kung Fu Cult Cinema.)

Love For All Seasons (2003)

Hong Kong. 93 minutes.
Mei Ah DVD. Region 0. NTSC.
Directed by Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai
Written by Wai Ka-Fai and four others
With Sammi Cheng, Louis Koo, Li Bing Bing

If you want a real Chinese New Year's comedy, look no further than LOVE FOR ALL SEASONS.

Tiger Hung (Louis Koo) is a successful Hong Kong businessman known as "The Heartbreaker" for his incorrigible womanizing. After several women express their anger by beating him up, he retreats to Omei Mountain in China for treatment from the all-female clan that lives in the temple there. (As a reference point, this was the home location for Tsui Hark's THE LEGEND OF ZU).

May (Sammi Cheng) is filling in for the missing Misery (Li Bing Bing) as Master, and she puts Tiger through the wringer. A crisis arises when Misery returns, thoroughly destablized from a fresh romantic heartbreak. Not quite in her right mind, Misery decrees that she will return in one month to "kill myself and then kill each of you."

May must master the "Heartbroken Sword Technique" in order to defeat Misery and save the Omei Clan, but she has never experienced a broken heart. The clan convinces her to travel to Hong Kong and get Tiger to break her heart. After all, he's the expert, right? But some hearts are not so easy to break.

Wai Ka-Fai and his writing colloborators (four others received script credit) have cooked up a souffle that is light on substance but pleasant to the taste.

Johnnie To directs with an easy and sure hand. He knows just when to add slow motion shots and extreme close-ups. He knows when to keep his camera stationary (rarely) and when to gently glide it around the characters to maintain visual interest.

And it's in the visuals that the piece really comes alive. The initial sequence on top of a city skyscraper pays homage to To's own RUNNING OUT OF TIME; the snowy landscape of Omei Mountain is used effectively; the red, blue, and yellow track suits of the Omei Clain provide sharp contrast to the holy setting; the indoors beach party at Tiger's apartment (no sand, but plenty of beach balls and bikinis) is inspired; the sumptuous appointments of the luxury hotel suite Tiger rents for May looks gorgeous; etc.

Sammi Cheng is not a very convincing martial artist, but she's equally good at conveying happiness and heartache. Louis Koo feels like he's in a LA BRASSIERE, jazzy, playful mood. Li Bing Bing effectively comes across as a ditzy maiden, but she doesn't look very dangerous. The swordplay action looks crisp and makes one wonder what Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai could do with a modern swordplay picture.

Not everything works — the "is he lying or telling the truth?" end game is a bit wearisome — yet overall it's gratifying to watch a film that knows its purpose is to entertain. And one in which the filmmakers treat the audience with respect.

* DVD Notes *

Mei Ah's Region 0 DVD looks quite good on my limited home equipment; it's said to be enhanced for widescreen televisions.

Four audio tracks are included (both DTS and DD 5.1 for Cantonese and Mandarin). The English subtitles use a font that looks more Times New Roman than Arial (if you know what I mean), but are easy to read and well timed.

Features include the original cinema trailer, a seven-minute "making of" (with Chinese subtitles only), trailers for BLACK MASK II and MY LUCKY STAR, and a "database" (brief synopsis and a bare-minimum cast and crew list).

* Recommendation *

Rent. Well-made entertainment that falters in spots but remains quite satisfying.