Assassin Nanjo goes on a solitary mission to take revenge on the man who trapped him into a complicated drug deal.
Acting
Takakura's minimalist rage — he barely blinks, you feel everything.
Cinematography
Expressionist shadows that would make Weimar Germany proud.
Director
Teruo Ishii
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Ken Takakura's breakout year; he'd become the definitive face of ninkyo eiga (chivalry films) for decades. The genre was Nikkatsu Studio's answer to declining audiences, trading samurai codes for modern yakuza honor.
Teruo Ishii shot this in twelve days flat, typical for Nikkatu's B-picture factory. The rushed schedule shows in the plot holes, but somehow adds to the fever-dream quality.
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