Tokyo Drifter

Tokyo Drifter(1966) - Seijun Suzuki

I had a strange experience with this movie. I was aware of it for a while but I thought that I had already seen it. I think I mixed it up with a Japanese crime movie I watched when I was in High School. Imagine my surprise and delight when I thought I was watching a mediocre movie I had seen years ago and found this firecracker of a movie. When Tokyo Drifter was released, the style was considered so audacious that Suzuki’s studio took color away from him, forcing him to make his next film in black and white. Suzuki is probably in my top 5 directors, and while I could be convinced that Branded to Kill is his best movie, I will always prefer Tokyo Drifter. This movie is a huge influence on me as an artist. It's not just the use of color or the shot compositions, but in how strangely accessible this crime/thriller/musical is. You owe it to yourself to check out Tokyo Drifter if you haven't already.