Directed by Seijun Suzuki • 1961 • Japan
Starring Hideaki Nitani, Izumi Ashikawa, Yuji Odaka
A relatively rare example of a Japanese western, THE MAN WITH A SHOTGUN stars Hideaki Nitani as the titular drifter who arrives in a remote mountain town carrying a shotgun and claiming to be a hunter. There, he soon becomes embroiled in a web of trouble involving the local lumber mill and a gang of roughnecks. With its striking alpine scenery and entertaining action set pieces, this is a solid example of the “borderless action” pictures that Nikkatsu produced in the 1960s by gleefully remixing tropes from American and European genre films.
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Directed by Seijun Suzuki • 1963 • Japan
Starring Jo Shishido, Reiko Sasamori, Tamio KawachiThis ultrastylish, rapid-fire yakuza thriller plays almost like an anarchic parody of the genre. Cult icon Jo Shishido stars as a detective tasked with tracking down a consignment of stolen firearms—an i...
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Youth of the Beast
Directed by Seijun Suzuki • 1963 • Japan
Starring Joe Shishido, Misako Watanabe, Tamio KawajiWhen a mysterious stranger muscles into two rival yakuza gangs, Tokyo’s underworld explodes with violence. YOUTH OF THE BEAST (YAJU NO SEISHUN) was a breakthrough for director Seijun Suzuki, introducing...
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Gate of Flesh
Directed by Seijun Suzuki • 1964 • Japan
Starring Joe Shishido, Yumiko Nogawa, Satoko KasaiIn the shady black markets and bombed-out hovels of post-World War II Tokyo, a tough band of prostitutes eke out a dog-eat-dog existence, maintaining tenuous friendships and a semblance of order in a worl...
