Review of Tokyo Drifter (1966) by Rick R — 06 Jun 2009

If an excess of hip artifice was all that was necessary to create a memorable film, Seijun Suzuki would be the Cecil B. DeMille of Japanese gangster pulp. For lovers of psychedelic, overstylized set pieces, bizarre self-aware humor and characters free of any sort of dimension, "Tokyo Drifter" is a Godsend. Suzuki's only concern is how to cram as many crazy visuals as possible into 83 lethargic minutes; he is quite successful at achieving this meager goal, but is forced to sacrifice the plot altogether. There's some squabbling between rival Yakuza factions over the deed to a skyscraper. Backstabs ensue. Low-level enforcer "Phoenix Tetsu" is forced to go on the lam, at which point "Tokyo Drifter" morphs into a strange Acid Western populated by many shady yet snappily dressed characters.

The theme music is wonderful, repeating through several variations as the film's mood caroms between dramatic extremes almost at will. One scene starts off as a serious battle with dozens of participants, then the proceedings are interrupted when Tetsu walks by, singing his own theme song! Insane. There're also lots of overly choreographed, bloodless gun battles and an epic bar brawl that might rival the climactic backlot fracas of "Blazing Saddles" in its scope and craziness. Once the bad guy is revealed after yet another Arbitrary Betrayal, he makes sure to go down in a geyser of bright red stage blood as per the tradition. There are a few musical numbers in a very yellow night club, and a final duel set before Roman columns and a brightly lit backdrop that sporadically changes colors. Since there is no organic connective tissue between the self-contained sequences, however memorable they are, the overall affect is almost nil, like most of the disposable gangster programmers churned out by Nikkatsu Studios.

Stylistic overkill is preferable to prosaic cookie-cutter filmmaking, certainly. Quentin Tarantino, avowed fan of "Drifter", would not have found his own 'vision' if not for Suzuki's guiding light; whole stretches of "Kill Bill Volume 1", from the B&W prologue to the relentless repetition of the Bride's theme to everything set in Japan, pay tribute to "Drifter". Both directors also take joy in spitting in the face of linear storytelling, and doing so with flair. While the "Too Cool For School" aesthetics are fun, the shallowness of "Tokyo Drifter" becomes the very reason for the flashy facade. A colorful Band-Aid might disguise a flaw, but when your whole structure is supported by these Band-Aids, there may be a problem.