Directed by Takashi Nomura • 1967 • Japan
Starring Joe Shishido, Chitose Kobayashi
One of Japanese cinema’s supreme emulations of American noir, Takashi Nomura’s A COLT IS MY PASSPORT is a down-and-dirty but gorgeously photographed yakuza film starring Joe Shishido as a hard-boiled hit man caught between rival gangs. Featuring an incredible, spaghetti-western-style soundtrack and brimming with formal experimentation, this is Nikkatsu at its finest.
The following interview with critic Imogen Sara Smith was recorded in 2020.