Kanto Wanderer

In this film from director Seijun Suzuki, Mr. Katsuta, a bodyguard for a crime boss named Izu, spends most of his time keeping a watchful eye on his employer's archrival, Yoshida. A dangerous threat, Yoshida repeatedly tries to expand his territory into those currently run by Izu. Unwilling to give up so easily, Izu has Mr. Katsuta working overtime to secure his terrain, and things worsen when a woman from Mr. Katsuta's past resurfaces.

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codeslinger

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While Kanto Wanderer isn't as visually distinctive as some of Seijun Suzuki's films, his style is apparent. Typical of the films he made for Nikkatsu Studios, he was given a relatively flavorless script full of thematic bits and pieces. As usual, Suzuki took those well-traveled 1960's Yakuza scenarios and made a beautiful film with sublime cinematography and excellent performances. However, the story itself does leave something to be desired. In the end, it makes you wish the film focussed more on the main plot instead of several incongruous sub-plots which are never fully resolved anyway. While I really liked Kanto Wanderer, I wouldn't recommend it as a starting place for moviegoers interested in Seijun Suzuki or the Yakuza genre in general. Suzuki made much better films even this early in his career. I would recommend Youth of the Beast or Gate of Flesh from the same time period.
- pterosaur