Noir, check. French New Wave, check. Spaghetti western, check. Yakuza, check. Rival bad #sses taking pot shots at each other. A Japanese femme fatale. Double crosses. Loyalty. An epic stand-off. Holy smokes this movie was fun.

Imagine, if you will, that instead of making westerns, Sergio Leone had decided to make crime thrillers on the model of RIFIFI, but set in Japan. That's something like what you get here. Jô Shishido is a hit man hired to kill a rival crime boss muscling in on other territory. While waiting for his flight out of town, the dead man's son shows up and offers to make a deal for the assassin's head. Jules Dassin might want us to think there is honor among thieves, but Leone never would, and neither does the director of this movie, Takashi Nomura.It had a deliberately 1950s 'B' movie look, with its b&w photography and "stolen shot" camerawork, but the constantly moving camerawork and stunt gags are clear signs that this is serious film making.... and talented, too; Nomura is not that well known, but this is a good flick. Harumi Ibe's soundtrack starts out sounding like Morricone, but then switches to jazz arrangements for the crime story.

Viewed on DVD. Restoration = ten (10) stars; score = three (3) stars; sound dubbing = (3) stars. Director Takashi Nomura's photo play places style way above substance. How the film looks seems paramount. All else is secondary, starting with the movie's title which is catchy but an illusion. The script is all over the place, but is basically trying to illustrate the lack of honor among gangsters as well as the stupidity within ranks of organized crime that reaches right to top management. (If you are a leader of a large, prosperous gang, would you risk your life by going into the field instead of just sending your foot-shoulder killers?) The Director seems obsessed with attributes (mostly invented by early American movie makers) of the mythical American "Wild West," and is striving hard to cast Japan of the middle 1960's as some sort of "Wild East." (Silly and nonsensical as it may seem.) Acting is no great shakes with the lead male actor (Jo Shishido) looking like he has a very bad case of the mumps (or a kilogram of cotton stuffed into his cheeks). This facial distortion does not add to his hit-man "ganger persona," but, instead, seriously distracts from his performance (apparently he underwent plastic to achieve this look!) The score apes music from contemporary Italian/Spanish westerns; it is out of place, usually irritating, and distracts from scenes when on the sound track. Sound effects are impoverished, seem to be an after thought, and often unintentionally humorous especially when male actors are always made to sound like they are wearing high heals, even when climbing gangways! Cinematography (wide screen, black and white), lighting, and editing are okay. Subtitles are about right for line readings, but often fail to translate signage even when the camera lingers on it. Yet another film that gives Yakusa (Gokudou) a bad name. WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.

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.