Seijun Suzuki's TOKYO DRIFTER - the final word in cool
October 27th 2010 12:01
“I hate constructive themes.....the images that stick in the mind are images of destruction.” - SEIJUN SUZUKI
Seijun Suzuki makes the kind of films that have to be seen to be believed, deliciously oddball, garish and bizarrely funked out, Suzuki gets stuck in at taking average material and turning it on it's head with an off the wall, flamboyant style that truly could never come from anyone else but him. Suzuki is most known for his outrageous imagery, but more importantly I should mention that few directors have been as prolific as him.
Suzuki has directed over 50 films (which includes the incredible distinction of directing 40 features for Nikkatsu Studios), spanning from the 1950's to 2005. Some of his surreal masterpieces of Japanese crime cinema include A Tattooed Life, Branded To Kill, Youth Of The Beast and Zigeunerwiesen - the latter was voted by film critics as the best Japanese film of the 1980's.
Released in 1966, Tokyo Drifter is an off-beat, tripped out gem that revels in it's bright pastel imagery and psychedelic pop art set pieces that turn a pedestrian story line of a Yakuza boss and his faithful right hand man into an iconoclastic, cheeky film that cart wheels to it's own rule breaking rhythm. This is actually one of the milder films from Suzuki compared to his surreal master work Branded To Kill and the kinky art-violence of Youth Of The Beast, and as a result is possibly a decent jumping point to explore his films, as his major works only gets more bizzare (or should I say visionary) from there.
Tokyo Drifter begins in Black & White, before it's vibrant, scorching colours boldly announce the film's signature palette. The opening scene visually feels like a foreruner to Robert Richardson's white hot cinematography on Kill Bill vol. 1. That's when we get a flash of searing neon that takes us into a pop gangster world where Yakuzas meet in bright purple rooms and each character slyly strong arms the next one, each with an inimitable style of his own. The film's main antagonist is identified simply by an ultra hip pair of shades, a bright red tux that is just one more colour to add greater visual flavour to this world of Yakuza bosses and hostile take overs.
Tetsu (Tetsuya Watari) has joined his Yakuza boss, Mr. Kurata in becoming legal and legitimate, but when a rival gang threatens to bring them back into the gang wars, Tetsu must become a drifter to keep the pressure off his old boss. Tokyo Drifter is a story of inseparable loyalty that Tetsu faithfully maintains toward his boss, clearly a notion lost on Western audiences, but Tetsu will give a meaningful threat to anyone who bad mouths a boss that may not do the same in return.
As I mentioned, Tokyo Drifter's subject matter is simply incidental in relation to it's expressionistic visual design. This is the kind of film where the room changes colour when someone gets shot, and the sound design is never far behind in it's audaciousness. Tokyo Drifter is slick and on guard, not only does it have a self conscious wit about it - it's also full of surprises. Few films are this much fun, it bops from one stylistic tone to the next, but always comes full circle. It's a film like this that makes me realize what Austin Powers meant by the term 'shagadelic', it's all indeed very groovy baby. Floors fold away under threatening pursuers and most of the action takes place against the back drop of a wild pop discotheque, full of Japanese kids shaking their rumps to muzak flavoured knock off tunes of popular songs that the film possibly didn't have the budget for, simply because they blew it all on green and purple pavements.
The acting from all the cast is suitably on par, although nothing incredible, Suzuki wasn't interested as much in character as he was in tone and the power of images, and Tokyo Drifter has a dynamic that springs between the playful and art-deco coolishness. Where the dramatic weight comes in is over the cultural realizations. Tetsu is a gangster, but only because his boss is one. He has sworn his honor to his boss and allegiance pumps through his veins. When his boss becomes legitemate so does he. If his boss were to, for example say, open a resturant..... Tetsu would be the first one to stick on the chef's hat. He is prepared to follow this man to the ends of the earth and what ultimately Tokyo Drifter explores is this notion of blind faith, it's just happens to explore it in a seriously cool way. This is cinema at it's most jazzy and free wheeling - as director Seijun Suzuki does what ever the hell he likes - it's quite awesome to witness.
All action scenes are delivered light on their feet, they arn't Suzuki's best, as he made many other films that had some dazzling action sequences, and a couple of camera moves are botched too on the way, but the film's some times comedic tone, especially during a free for all bar fight scene and the always fresh and hip take on the Gangster genre asure that you won't find anything quite like this. Each film of Suzuki's is stunningly unique from the next and is very likely to work better the more outageous it gets.
HERE'S A SERIOUSLY AWESOME FAN MADE TRIBUTE TO 'TOKYO DRIFTER', COMPLETE WITH COVER VERSION OF THE FILM'S THEME SONG
TOKYO DRIFTER
Seijun Suzuki makes the kind of films that have to be seen to be believed, deliciously oddball, garish and bizarrely funked out, Suzuki gets stuck in at taking average material and turning it on it's head with an off the wall, flamboyant style that truly could never come from anyone else but him. Suzuki is most known for his outrageous imagery, but more importantly I should mention that few directors have been as prolific as him.
Suzuki has directed over 50 films (which includes the incredible distinction of directing 40 features for Nikkatsu Studios), spanning from the 1950's to 2005. Some of his surreal masterpieces of Japanese crime cinema include A Tattooed Life, Branded To Kill, Youth Of The Beast and Zigeunerwiesen - the latter was voted by film critics as the best Japanese film of the 1980's.
Released in 1966, Tokyo Drifter is an off-beat, tripped out gem that revels in it's bright pastel imagery and psychedelic pop art set pieces that turn a pedestrian story line of a Yakuza boss and his faithful right hand man into an iconoclastic, cheeky film that cart wheels to it's own rule breaking rhythm. This is actually one of the milder films from Suzuki compared to his surreal master work Branded To Kill and the kinky art-violence of Youth Of The Beast, and as a result is possibly a decent jumping point to explore his films, as his major works only gets more bizzare (or should I say visionary) from there.
Tokyo Drifter begins in Black & White, before it's vibrant, scorching colours boldly announce the film's signature palette. The opening scene visually feels like a foreruner to Robert Richardson's white hot cinematography on Kill Bill vol. 1. That's when we get a flash of searing neon that takes us into a pop gangster world where Yakuzas meet in bright purple rooms and each character slyly strong arms the next one, each with an inimitable style of his own. The film's main antagonist is identified simply by an ultra hip pair of shades, a bright red tux that is just one more colour to add greater visual flavour to this world of Yakuza bosses and hostile take overs.
Tetsu (Tetsuya Watari) has joined his Yakuza boss, Mr. Kurata in becoming legal and legitimate, but when a rival gang threatens to bring them back into the gang wars, Tetsu must become a drifter to keep the pressure off his old boss. Tokyo Drifter is a story of inseparable loyalty that Tetsu faithfully maintains toward his boss, clearly a notion lost on Western audiences, but Tetsu will give a meaningful threat to anyone who bad mouths a boss that may not do the same in return.
As I mentioned, Tokyo Drifter's subject matter is simply incidental in relation to it's expressionistic visual design. This is the kind of film where the room changes colour when someone gets shot, and the sound design is never far behind in it's audaciousness. Tokyo Drifter is slick and on guard, not only does it have a self conscious wit about it - it's also full of surprises. Few films are this much fun, it bops from one stylistic tone to the next, but always comes full circle. It's a film like this that makes me realize what Austin Powers meant by the term 'shagadelic', it's all indeed very groovy baby. Floors fold away under threatening pursuers and most of the action takes place against the back drop of a wild pop discotheque, full of Japanese kids shaking their rumps to muzak flavoured knock off tunes of popular songs that the film possibly didn't have the budget for, simply because they blew it all on green and purple pavements.
The acting from all the cast is suitably on par, although nothing incredible, Suzuki wasn't interested as much in character as he was in tone and the power of images, and Tokyo Drifter has a dynamic that springs between the playful and art-deco coolishness. Where the dramatic weight comes in is over the cultural realizations. Tetsu is a gangster, but only because his boss is one. He has sworn his honor to his boss and allegiance pumps through his veins. When his boss becomes legitemate so does he. If his boss were to, for example say, open a resturant..... Tetsu would be the first one to stick on the chef's hat. He is prepared to follow this man to the ends of the earth and what ultimately Tokyo Drifter explores is this notion of blind faith, it's just happens to explore it in a seriously cool way. This is cinema at it's most jazzy and free wheeling - as director Seijun Suzuki does what ever the hell he likes - it's quite awesome to witness.
All action scenes are delivered light on their feet, they arn't Suzuki's best, as he made many other films that had some dazzling action sequences, and a couple of camera moves are botched too on the way, but the film's some times comedic tone, especially during a free for all bar fight scene and the always fresh and hip take on the Gangster genre asure that you won't find anything quite like this. Each film of Suzuki's is stunningly unique from the next and is very likely to work better the more outageous it gets.
HERE'S A SERIOUSLY AWESOME FAN MADE TRIBUTE TO 'TOKYO DRIFTER', COMPLETE WITH COVER VERSION OF THE FILM'S THEME SONG
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Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
I havn't seen the film you speak of. I'm planning on doing reviews in the next week for a few of Suzuki's films but motivation is indeed wearing thin, I'm very busy, very tired and my efforts these days on Orble seem to be achieving nothing more than a diminished readership.....
Who knows what goes on.....
thanks for reading - this is a hell of fun film. I can't decide which I prefer, this or the twisted nastiness of Youth Of The Beast.
Comment by Matt Shea
20/20 Filmsight
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
It's a bit of a stretch compating the over the top production design of Tokyo Drifter with the avante garde editing of Point Blank. They're both great though.
I could strongly recommend that a cold purchase of Tokyo Drifter or Youth Of The Beast would be worth your money. any other ones you can find of his have something to offer - as of yet, I havn't seen a bad film by him
Thanks for reading.
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
You know my passion for Suzuki's work and though "Branded to Kill" is my favourite all his films leave me giddy with joy.
Fine analysis of Tokyo Drifter's strengths, you mayhave just motivated me to review Branded in the next few weeks.
Comment by Matt Shea
20/20 Filmsight