A Tale of Sorrow

	Rating: 2 out of 5 Original Title: Hishu Monogatari Release Date: Director: Seijun Suzuki Netflix Link IMDb Link

Considering how many films Seijun Suzuki made in his career, it’s not surprising that there would be some abject failures along the way. Disappointing, but not surprising. This movie is about golf. Yes, golf. But it’s not even really about golf, it’s about golf spies and subterfuge, as if there is such a thing. It’s the story of taking a rising female golf star and turning her into a star so that they can make bank on merchandising contracts. Along the way, she gets lost. Boo hoo. It’s like a Japanese version of Rocky, only with golf and no redemption. Even Yoshio Harada (although he is the best part of the film) and Suzuki can’t save this one. It’s bloody awful.

Take Aim at the Police Van

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Original Title: Jûsangô taihi-sen ori: Sono gôshô o nerae Release Date: 1960 Director: Netflix Link IMDb Link

Take Aim At The Police Van is typical Suzuki; gorgeously shot in black and white with plenty of violence. The reason why Suzuki is one of my favorite Japanese directors is his ability to take a standard exploitation-type plot and turn it into a visual masterpiece with a turnaround time that would make your head spin. Most of his Nikkatsu movies were shot in a week with a month for completion. What’s different here is that the story is actually a fairly involved little murder mystery. In this film, we not only have the benefit of his intricate cinematography, but a plot that seems to match. If you are a fan of Suzuki, Take Aim At The Police Van is well worth the watch.

Detective Bureau 2-3: Go to Hell Bastards

	Rating: 3 out of 5 Original Title: Tantei Jimusho 2-3: Kutabare Akuto-Domo Release Date: 1963 Director: Seijun Suzuki Netflix Link IMDb Link

Usually, with Suzuki’s films, you can expect a standard type plot balanced with more than enough graphic visuals to overcome it, and in some cases, make it really interesting. That’s not really the case with Detective Bureau 2-3. There is a little bit of Suzuki-style cinematography (severe angles, cool use of shadows, etc.), but there wasn’t enough visual interest here to keep me entertained overall. It did have lots and lots of gun-fighting (not a single person ever ran out of bullets and nobody ever really got hit), a bizarre love triangle, a little bit of kung-fu cinema-esque comic relief (i.e. not really comical), some bad disguises, go-go dancing, and even a Jo Shishido musical number. After all is said and done, this movie was a bit of a let down. It is not one of Suzuki’s best. Still, considering that it was probably filmed in a week like most of Suzuki’s other Nikkatsu films, it’s not bad.

Princess Raccoon

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Original Title: Operetta tanuki goten Release Date: 2005 Director: Seijun Suzuki Netflix Link IMDb Link

A bizarre, visual feast of a musical about a love affair between a man and a tanuki, which is really more of a mischievous woodland spirit than an actual raccoon in the mammal sense of the word. But lack of bestiality doesn’t deter this film from its course into full-on surreality. Princess Raccoon is the last of Seijun Suzuki’s films and the only one I hadn’t seen. I put this one off for a while because, quite honestly, it sounded ridiculous. But, as soon as it started playing, I fell under its spell. Princess Raccoon is like a children’s story or a fable come to life with a good cast, interesting costumes, absolutely mind-blowing sets, and as with all Suzuki films, it is gorgeously shot. Even the song and dance numbers didn’t bother me. The visuals and direction are so theatrical in nature that it almost looks like three dimensional animation at times. This film is not for everyone, but if you are a Suzuki fan or like strange and beautiful Japanese films, Princess Raccoon is worth watching.

Yumeji

	Rating: 3 out of 5 Release Date: 1991 Director: Seijun Suzuki Netflix Link IMDb Link

The third and final movie in the Taisho trilogy is my least favorite of the three. Suzuki’s beautiful imagery is about the only thing I can gush about with Yumeji. Like the other two films, the pace is rather slow but almost painfully so with this one. The story is rather succinct at first but then it veers off the path into the area of the absurd. Other than the era in which the movies are set, they are not connected and can stand alone as individual pieces. If you’ve made it this far into the Taisho trilogy, Yumeji is worth watching but do so at your own risk. If you’re going to watch any film in the trilogy, I would recommend Kagero-Za.

Kagero-za

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Release Date: 1981 Director: Seijun Suzuki Netflix Link IMDb Link

Part two of Suzuki’s Taisho Trilogy is also set in the mid 1920′s with plenty of loose morals and more ghosts than Zigeunerweisen. As always with Suzuki, this film is beautifully shot with certain scenes that will positively blow your mind. Admittedly, the story is bewildering, to the point that I’m not entirely sure I understand the statement Suzuki is trying to make. And, unfortunately, there’s no interview in the special features like there usually is with this outspoken director. Watching Kagero-za is like strapping yourself in for a strange ride through someone else’s dream. With the ineffable Yoshio Harada as comic relief and Yusaku Matsuda in a brilliant performance as the male lead, Kagero-za is a nice follow up to its predecessor. The trilogy continues with Yumeji.

Zigeunerweisen

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Original Title: Tsigoineruwaizen Release Date: 1980 Director: Seijun Suzuki Netflix Link IMDb Link

Part horror film, part art film and part folkloric tale of love and conscience, Zigeunerweisen has a little bit of everything. The first film in the Taisho trilogy stars Yoshio Harada as an irresponsible ronin-type savage who wreaks chaos, destruction and unrequited love everywhere he goes. The only stable part of his life is his henpecked best friend, Toyojiro Aochi, played by film director Toshiya Fujita in his first starring role. Zigeunerweisen is packed with Suzuki’s signature visual aesthetic. The only downside to this film is that it does move rather slowly. Part of that is due to that fact that a lot of the film is conspicuously missing any sort of score. Set in the Taisho period from the 1910′s through the mid 1920′s, even the costumes display this clash of old and new as some characters are clad in traditional Japanese garb and some in modern dress. The Taisho era is called Japan’s roaring 20′s and was instrumental in the makeup of modern Japan. Coincidentally, this was the era in which Seijun Suzuki was born. Zigeunerweisen is not going to be understood or liked by the masses. But if you are a Suzuki or Yoshio Harada fan, it’s definitely worth viewing. The trilogy continues with Kagero-za and Yumeji.

Kanto Wanderer

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Original Title: Kanto mushuku Release Date: 1963 Director: Seijun Suzuki Netflix Link IMDb Link

While Kanto Wanderer isn’t as visually distinctive as some of Seijun Suzuki’s films, his style is apparent. Typical of the films he made for Nikkatsu Studios, he was given a relatively flavorless script full of thematic bits and pieces. As usual, Suzuki took those well-traveled 1960′s Yakuza scenarios and made a beautiful film with sublime cinematography and excellent performances. However, the story itself does leave something to be desired. In the end, it makes you wish the film focussed more on the main plot instead of several incongruous sub-plots which are never fully resolved anyway. While I really liked Kanto Wanderer, I wouldn’t recommend it as a starting place for moviegoers interested in Seijun Suzuki or the Yakuza genre in general. Suzuki made much better films even this early in his career. I would recommend Youth of the Beast or Gate of Flesh from the same time period.

Pistol Opera

	Rating: 3 out of 5 Original Title: Pisutoru opera Release Date: 2001 Director: Seijun Suzuki Netflix Link IMDb Link

Pistol Opera is a remake of Suzuki’s own film, Branded to Kill. Unfortunately, this one didn’t really improve upon the first. Like all Seijun Suzuki films, Pistol Opera is visually engaging to the point of being beautiful, but it is too complicated and convoluted for a film. This probably would have worked better as a play in a little independent theater where people who appreciate elaborate sets and costumes go to watch an art form rather than to be entertained. While Pistol Opera does have a story with some incredibly cool moments and even a few rather lyrical monologues, it just isn’t enough to carry the film. The bulk of it leaves you wondering where it’s going, if anywhere. I’ll still give it 3 stars because of its dazzling imagery and Suzuki’s uncanny ability to put together the most perfect shot possible but, unless you are in film school, I’d recommend watching pretty much any other Suzuki film instead.

Fighting Elegy

	Rating: 5 out of 5 Original Title: Kenka erejî Release Date: 1966 Director: Seijun Suzuki Netflix Link IMDb Link

Set in 1930, Fighting Elegy has elements of satire regarding the militaristic and conformist attitude of young Japanese men but, essentially, it is a coming of age tale. With tons of fighting, humor and plenty of masturbation references, Fighting Elegy is a really entertaining story of one boy’s clumsy teenage years. The awkwardness of Kiroku as he’s trying to figure out who he wants to be as a person and come to terms with his emerging sexuality while trying to stay in line with authoritative doctrine makes this movie all the more painfully realistic. Anyone who’s ever gone through adolescence should be able to relate. To tamp down his desire, Kiroku’s only outlet is violence. He winds up entangled with some fringe gangs only to fall out of favor with them. In an effort to elude trouble, he moves to the country where he eventually wreaks even more havoc. The only issue I have with this film is the rushed and unresolved ending since the events in the film only cover the first half of the novel on which it was based.