TOKYO DRIFTER (1966)
Directed by Seijun Suzuki
Starring: Tetsuya Watari, Chieko Matsubara, Hideaki Nitani
Genre: Yakuza
Running Time: 89mins

Rating:

Tetsu is the right-hand man to boss Kurata, an ageing Yakuza whose only wish is to go straight and become a legitimate businessman. However, old habits die hard, and all it takes is an old foe in the form of Aizawa to put a stop to any plans of going straight. Cutting Kurata off at every chance he has to further his business, and attempting to convince Tetsu to switch allegiances, Aizawa threatens to put a stranglehold on Kurata's aspirations keeping him within the violent underworld for life. The stage is set for Tetsu, the Tokyo Drifter, to set the wrongs right.

From synopsis alone Tokyo Drifter's much replicated narrative would have you believe that it would play out like every other generic yakuza film ever made. However, this is a Seijun Suzuki film, and if there's one thing that Seijun Suzuki doesn't do its generic. The worlds that Suzuki creates are full of breathtaking imagery stretching logic to place his characters in a pastiche of wonderful, often shifting landscapes that play a part in the narrative as strong as the dialogue itself.

Much revered as a pioneer of "pop-art" cinema, Suzuki's work is effortlessly cool, style over substance maybe, but what style. Whether it be the opening monochromatic beating of Tetsuya Watari's charismatic powder-blue suit sporting protagonist Tetsu, or the simply stunning revelation as Kurata realises he has accidentally shot receptionist Mutsuko, replete with a rising red tide overwhelming the once white background, Suzuki's symbolism knows no boundaries making for exciting cinema even 40 years after its initial release.

The artistic design of Tokyo Drifter is exceptional to say the least and gives the tired plot a sense of vibrancy making it a fresh and thoroughly entertaining experience. However, aesthetics are not enough to carry a film, and so in steps the cast lead by the inimitable Tetsuya Watari. Effortlessly cool as he drifts through the film whistling and singing his own theme tune, Watari's performance is a mix of bushido-influenced ethics and loyalty offset by a subtle yearning to escape the violence of Yakuza life. Not, however, before his work for long-time boss Kurata is complete.

Surrounding Tetsu, are a host of eccentric characters each rounded with their own personal sense of loss and attachment within the structure of the film. Sub-characters that would normally just offer black and white morals are given a chance to display emotions usually reserved only for the principal cast providing this surrealist backdrop with a much needed sense of heart.

However, the standout has to be the iconic villain of the piece Aizawa (Hideaki Nitani) presented as a mysterious antagonist for the most part his identity is kept unknown with a multitude of framing techniques and the type of frenetic crash zooms indicative of 60's filmmaking. Giving little more to do than act as a constant thorn in Kurata's and Tetsu's side, the visual approach to the character gives Aizawa a much needed extra dimension.

There are mis-steps along the way, an extended bar room brawl sits uncomfortably grating with moments of broad humour, and object of Tetsu's affections Chiharu (Chieko Matsubara) is given little to do other than look pretty and forlorn failing to capitalize fully in a meandering romantic sub-plot that is strikingly simlar to Jean Pierre Melleville's Le Samourai of the same year. But Suzuki's sheer wealth of imagination as hitmen lock horns keeps the interest high, building towards a final shoot out in the wonderfully sparse nightclub.

The fact is, no-one makes films like Seijun Suzuki - creating worlds that have a vague, yet appealing artifice he may occasionally stumble, but the unforgettable imagery on display is thanks largely to his fierce conviction and belief in uniting all art forms to present something unique and memorable. A true auteur, Tokyo Drifter is the perfect film to begin, what will become an obsession with Suzuki's works.