JLRVancouver Like most of the other reviewers, I was struck by the similarities between this Japanese crime thriller, clearly modeled after 1950's American film noir, and Sergio Leone's iconic 'spaghetti' westerns. Briefly, hitman Shuji Kamimura (Joe Shishido) and his assistant Shun Shiozaki (Jerry Fujio) are hired to assassinate a yakusa boss only to be betrayed by their employer. On the run, they hole up in a seedy hotel, where Kamimura attracts the eye of former mob moll Mina (Chitose Kobayashi) who agrees to user her connections in the local merchant fleet to help them escape. The mob closes in and Kamimura has to make some tough decisions. Joe Shishido is very good in an atypical way as the impassive contract killer, as is the rest of the cast (especially Kobayashi), and the story moves along at a brisk pace to a satisfyingly bloody conclusion. The black and white cinematography is striking and, while the look is pure noir, the score is an unusual (but effective) mix of discordant jazz (typical of period crime thrillers) and music that is clearly an imitation of (or homage to) Ennio Marricione's iconic spaghetti-western themes. The climatic shoot-out, despite being fought between dapper Japanese gangsters, could have come from a '60's anti-hero western, with a stark landfill site substituting for the desert and choreographed gunplay featuring a variety of weapons and a number of ways to die. This was my introduction to the Japanese crime film (having run out of kaiju and tokusatsu films) and I was equally entertained and impressed and look forward to watching other films in the canon (many of which, I have noticed, have equally evocative titles).

Yashua Kimbrough (jimniexperience) Beautiful cinematography with a slow-paced story ;; Hitman hired to kill his boss rival gets double-crossed . He and his driver are now on the run and hide out in a hotel by the pier and fall for a woman who longs to escape Good concept , just slowly paced .

loader898 CHIPMUNK. The lead actor looks like a chipmunk. It needs too be said because that's all you see initially. Apparently it was a result of cheek surgery.Once you get past that this movie is a little treat. A Noir/Yakuza/Spaghetti Western mash-up that actually works. Like "The Killers" we are in the company of a two-man hit team. With a tricked-out car complete with a massive two-way radio they are much in demand from the Yakuza. Then the job goes wrong and it's time to get out of town. However there's a gal at the motel who complicates matters.The music is a combination of cool jazz (which could be in a contemporary Caine movie ) and a touch of the Morricones for the cowboy-like action sequences. It shouldn't work but it is really effective.

MartinHafer Jô Shishido, Chitose Kobayashi and Jerry Fujio star in this impressive fusion of styles. The film is a Japanese film noir movie with strong overtones of an Italian spaghetti western! Talk about an unusual combination--but it really worked well.Jô Shishido is a top assassin (like he was in "Branded to Kill") that has been recruited by the mob to kill a rival mobster. Watching Jô setting up and executing this hit was pretty exciting--like watching a master at his craft. However, in a twist, after completing the job, the son of the now-dead mob boss decides on a truce with the rival mob--and to cement the merger, the son demands the death of the assassin...as well as his assistant (Jerry). Suddenly two mobs are out to kill them and it looks as if there's absolutely nothing they can do to stop this. Along the way, the duo meet up with a young lady (Chitose)--a woman whose fiancé was killed by the same mobsters trying to kill Jô and Jerry. She befriends them and tries to help them...it it's possible. All this leads to one of the best film noir/action movie endings I've seen in a long time when it's just Jô and a team of dirt-bags out for his head.The film is very stylish and well made throughout. I wasn't the least surprised to see Jô Shishito in the film, as he made a ton of gangster films during this era. However, people not familiar with him might be a bit surprised, as he looks a bit like a chipmunk--thanks to cheek implants intended to make him look 'distinctive'. I could say more about this excellent film but won't, as it might tend to ruin the suspense--and the ending is very, very suspenseful.