BLIND WOMAN'S CURSE (1970) 怪談昇り竜 directed by Teruo Ishii Production: Nikkatsu Distribution = Dainichi Utsuhai June 20, 1970 85 minutes Fujicolor Cinemascope Meiko Kaji as Akemi Tachibana Hoki Tokuda as Aiko Gouda Makoto Sato as Tani Shouichi Toru Abe as Dobashi Shiro Otsuji as Senba-tatsu Before Lady Snowblood and before Female Prisoner Scorpion movies - in fact, around the time she was first getting noticed in the Stray Cat Rock series, SOMEONE had already figured out that the soft spoken, demure Meiko Kaji had an onscreen intensity about her that was suited for the oncoming stylistic shift in Japanese cinema. (Meiko Kaji) Blind Woman's Curse is the story of Akemi (Meiko Kaji) who has assumed the role of her father's crime organization in pre-modern Japan. While fighting a rival clan, she accidently blind's the leader's sister. She notices a stray black cat lapping up the blood from it - cursing her... (Meiko Kaji ) After getting out of prison, she tries to tak...
COPS VS THUGS (1975)
県警対組織暴力
directed by Kinji Fukasaku
Production: Toei (Kyoto studio)
April 26, 1975
100 minutes color
April 26, 1975
100 minutes color
Bunta Sugawara as Tokumatsu Kuno
Hiroki Matsukata as Kenji Hirotani
Mikio Narita as Katsumi Kawade
Tatsuo Umemiya as Shoichi Kaida
Hideo Muroya as Tsukahara
Shingo Yamashiro as Yasuo Kawamoto
Reiko Ike as Mariko
Continuing his cold, hard un-glorified look at the world of the yakuza, director Kinji Fukasaku, surprises us half way through the movie when a new no nonsense Chief (Tatsuo Umemiya) decides to try and clean up the police department.
It seems there's some corruption going on, not to mention some outright fraternization ad he's there to put an end to it!
(Tatsuo Umemiya and Bunta Sugawara)
It really makes it tough for Detective Kuno (Bunta Sugawara), who’s deep ties to the Yakuza threaten his career, marriage, and friendship with under boss Kenji Hirotani (Hiroki Matsukata).
Prior to the new Chief, things got done the street way: bribing and beatings and... the Cops did it pretty much the same way the Yakuza did!
(Hiroki Matsukata and Bunta Sugawara)
All three are superb, and it’s this dynamic that really kicks it into high gear and makes the movie work. Bunta Sugawara (Battles Without Honor and Humanity) is his usual, enjoyable, hard nosed character who fits more nicely into Hiroki Matsukata's yakuza world than he does Tatsuo Umemiya's by-the-book police force - but his conflict is - he doesn't WANT to be a yakuza, he prefers to be a cop - on the right side of the law - enforced in a way he sees that works.
(Bunta Sugawara roughs up a suspect)
But it can't work that way, and the added scrutiny threatens all of things he has in place to appear to be an upholder of the law - his job, his marriage.... And naturally when the new chief puts pressure on him, it puts pressure on his relationship with the yakuza - and they are not one's you want to make mad!
(Japanese DVD box art)
Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have Reiko Ike play Sugawara’s mistress, and I don’t know when they started to show pubic hair in Japanese cinema, but we get a bit of a peek at hers in a rough bedroom scene.
(Ed. Note: An expert source of mine says it was probably in the mid-90's - emphasis on probably - that Japanese film first started showing the pubes.)
(Bunta Sugawara and Reiko Ike)
Leading to a final showdown, Matsukata's character tells us, “If necessary I’ll go to jail. But what about the mayor, assemblymen and the cops? They’re all foxes in the den. Why should only the yakuza be sent to jail?"
(2-Disc Special Edition BluRay/DVD)
Bonus pics:
Popular Posts
Comments
Post a Comment