#tokyo drifter

Tokyo Drifter

Dir. Seijun Suzuki

Directed by Seijun Suzuki in 1966, this film exemplifies one of the most prominent "taboo" topics highlighted throughout Japanese New Wave cinema -- Japanese gangsters!

Mainly followed through the character Testu, gang life slowly tries to call him back after a rival member of his former gang offers him a position (and rather forcefully). Through action, violence, and thrill, Tetsu must face his past and decide for himself whether or not to fall back into gang life, all while trying to avoid the rival members after him.

Suzuki uniquely uses bright art-pop-like colors throughout many of the violences, all while extravagant jazz ensemble music plays. His use of color, over-the-top action, and music diverges from what you would expect from a seemingly dark topic such as gang violence, making the film entertaining on the surface while remaining true to the nature of the subject at hand via the characters' emotional progression and language. "Tokyo Drifter: The Art of Not Making Sense" by Amanada Hartsell does a great job at delving into a lot of details Suzuki thought of that may be missed upon first watch.

While making this all the more thrilling for the audience during the scenes, the sorrowful, emotional points in the film are cut with a high contrast B&W. The final end battle is one of the key moments in the film, where *SPOILER WARNING*

Tetsu makes the decision to walk alone and leave everything he once knew behind.

This scene is emotional, yet it feels like retribution for all of the pain Tetsu endured, and for the people he felt he had hurt. I loved the simplicity of this scene, with minimal background and the characters in black, minus Tetsu in a white suit. To me, this symbolizes his changed person, a man free of gang life and delinquency.

Another Article if you're interested in learning more about Suzuki's approach to color in this film:

Here's a brief YouTube video that I felt encapsulates the emotional appeal of Seijun Suzuki's directorial techniques, as well as information on Suzuki himself and how his films are a form of retaliation from strict production companies and their disdain for his style and lack of budget.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film and truly felt it was ahead of its time. Its thoughtful script, appealing bright visuals, and action-packed storyline were enjoyable while still having me feel empathy for Tetsu and the turmoil he had gotten himself into. I would not only recommend watching this film, but also listening to the soundtrack separately, as I feel it adds much more to the film, especially with Suzuki's use of recurring ballads.

Tokyo Drifter was released in Japan on 10 April 1966.

After directing films for nearly a decade, Seijun Suzuki had increasingly developed a personal, "difficult" style that displeased the studio, and was issued a warning after 1965's Tattooed Life and told to "play it straight." Suzuki's budget was cut, thinking this might force him to be more constrained. Instead, Suzuki pushed the art direction and cinematography, creating a "jaw-dropping, eye-popping fantasia" (from the Criterion Collection release), a "flabbergasting assemblage of tough-guy kitsch, poetry, and self-mockery."

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