Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Hitman Hanada (Joe Shishido) sniffs the aroma of hot-boiled rice like other film anti-heros drink whiskey. He always keeps a straight face. He wears sunglasses at night. Hanada is a professional assassin for hire with the ranking of "Number Three Killer" in the Yakuza (Japanese mob) underworld. He's not the best, he's not even the second-best, but he gets the job done.

Hanada's cheating wife perfectly summed up his personality when she said, "He has a peculiar quirk, I hate it." Indeed, the Number Three Killer does have a peculiar quirk, but we just can't put our finger on what that quirk is. Perhaps the "quirk" is his professionalism and drive to be the best hitman in the Yakuza, even better than the so-called Phantom Number One Killer.

Branded To Kill revolves around three stories born from three different jobs (think Pulp Fiction minus the clear separations between stories):

For the first job, Hanada helps escort a mysterious businessman across the country. On a secluded part of the highway, they get ambushed by the Yakuza's Number Two and Four Killers. During the ensuing shootout, the mysterious businessman holds his own and proves that he is more than able to defend himself against assassins. So why does he need Hanada to escort him?

For the second job, Hanada is hired to assassinate four men no questions asked. There is scandal and betrayal behind the job, a mystery Hanada will soon uncover.

For the third job, a beautiful nihilistic woman Misako (Annu Mari) hires Hanada to kill a foreigner. He'll only have three seconds in which to shoot, lest his target should slip out of view of his sniper scope. Hanada botches up the assassination and the foreigner escapes alive. Because it's "kill or be killed" in the Yakuza, Hanada is stripped of his Number Three ranking and the underworld puts a price on his head.

Hunted by the Phantom Number One Killer, Hanada must regain his lost professionalism in order to keep from getting shot. An awkward competition between the Number One Killer and Hanada ensues and the two assassins engage in a duel of wits, ultimately climaxing in the most appropriate of places. Who is really number one, the Phantom or Hanada?

Of course the three jobs are totally intertwined. I only separated them for simplification purposes. The fact of the matter is that Branded To Kill is extraordinarily intricate due to its absence of time and space. Western audiences in particular will find director Seijun Suzuki's narrative awkward and confusing at first. For this reason, repeat viewings are all but required to properly digest this movie.

Nikkatsu Studios is famous for their Yakuza eiga (mobster films) and Seijun Suzuki was arguably the genre's best director. With his dark/surreal/zany style, the studio was constantly at Suzuki's throat for him always adding ill-advised dimension to his projects. Branded To Kill's insanely bizarre flavor proved to be the last straw on the company's patience - Suzuki was fired for what Nikkatsu Studios officially coined "incomprehensibility."

Branded To Kill is an exceptionally robust film. Its beautiful dark photography combined with the plot's intricacy makes it a delightful experience that survives multiple viewings. I'd like to say we'll never see anything like it again, but that would be a lie. Suzuki's disciples (Coppola, Scorsese, and especially Tarantino among others) have all incorporated Suzuki's style into their own films, and in doing so, have created some of modern America's best cinema.

This is perhaps the most difficult recommendation for me to make. It's impossible to guess which profiles will enjoy this film and which won't. To illustrate this point, I know a casual film viewer who absolutely loves Branded To Kill. On the same note, I know a high-brow critic who utterly despises it. For me, this 1967 Yakuza-fest is the best organized crime movie of any time period of any country (yes, even better than The Godfather, or Goodfellas, or any other mafia movie you can throw my way). I don't completely know why Branded To Kill appeals to me like it does. Maybe it's because it balances simplicity with elegance and art with entertainment so perfectly, I can't resist loving it.

I guess the only way to recommend or not recommend Branded To Kill would be to set up two prerequisites for watching it:
1) You must be tolerant toward subtitled films.
2) You must enjoy organized crime movies.

If you pass those two simple rules, go ahead and give Branded To Kill a try. You've got nothing to lose and who knows - you might love it.







Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age