Film description

Tetsuya is a member of a yakuza clan which recently fell apart. Rivals from another gangster family are trying to recruit him, but do not succeed. He is determined to set his life straight, but his past keeps haunting him.

Suzuki creates an intelligent, ironical depiction of the ethos of gangster films, using pathos to portray mob loyalty and its honor code. He makes fun of the genre, sharpening and exaggerating the convention, and uses the elements of westerns, kitschy Hollywood musicals, and the surreal pop mannerism of the 1960s. But "Tokyo Drifter" is more than just a pastiche. It combines modernist film aesthetics with effects taken straight from the traditional Japanese theater – unnaturally sharp colors and meticulously composed, ostentatiously fake set design, create a unique, original visual spectacle. The addition of a dark sense of humor and a generous amount of violence explains why Suzuki’s masterpiece inspired filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, Takeshi Kitano, Jim Jarmush, and John Woo.

Jagoda Murczyńska