Tôkyô nagaremono, internationally known as Tokyo Drifter, is a melancholic gangster drama from the mid-sixties by renowned experimental director Suzuki Seijun. The movie tells the story of loyal enforcer Phoenix Tetsu who becomes a drifter in order to protect his former boss and respected father figure. Our protagonist however gets hunted down by former rivals and is even abandoned by the person he tried to protect at any cost. Phoenix Tetsu thus decides clear his name, redeem himself and have his vengeance.
This movie convinces on numerous levels. First and foremost, the film's characters are intriguing with a haunted protagonist and his father figure who shifts from a benevolent protagonist to a betraying antagonist. Up next, the film finds a refined balance between entertaining action sequences and emotional depth. The dialogues in particular and the scriptwriting in general deserve particular praise. The settings of the movie are remarkably colourful thanks to wonderful costumes, intriguing pieces of equipment and elaborate lighting techniques. The soundtrack focusing on jazzy lounge sounds and a catchy title track deserve much acclaim.
On the negative side, the film's pace is at times rather slow, particularly in its overlong middle section. The story could have been fleshed out a little bit more as the movie would be more complete if about fifteen minutes were added to develop side characters in particular. The film was made with a heavily restricted budget and despite the creative innovation of the director, such a lack of resources is obviously visible and makes the movie look particularly old-fashioned despite its intellectual elements of avant-garde cinema.
At the end of the day, Tokyo Drifter is a gangster movie that should appeal to intellectual audiences. Instead of focusing on brutal action sequences like many other films of its time, this movie focuses on melancholic atmosphere, avant-garde cinema and themes such as friendship, isolation and loyalty. This film certainly still deserves acclaim, attention and recognition because it thinks outside the box and innovates the gangster movie genre.
This movie convinces on numerous levels. First and foremost, the film's characters are intriguing with a haunted protagonist and his father figure who shifts from a benevolent protagonist to a betraying antagonist. Up next, the film finds a refined balance between entertaining action sequences and emotional depth. The dialogues in particular and the scriptwriting in general deserve particular praise. The settings of the movie are remarkably colourful thanks to wonderful costumes, intriguing pieces of equipment and elaborate lighting techniques. The soundtrack focusing on jazzy lounge sounds and a catchy title track deserve much acclaim.
On the negative side, the film's pace is at times rather slow, particularly in its overlong middle section. The story could have been fleshed out a little bit more as the movie would be more complete if about fifteen minutes were added to develop side characters in particular. The film was made with a heavily restricted budget and despite the creative innovation of the director, such a lack of resources is obviously visible and makes the movie look particularly old-fashioned despite its intellectual elements of avant-garde cinema.
At the end of the day, Tokyo Drifter is a gangster movie that should appeal to intellectual audiences. Instead of focusing on brutal action sequences like many other films of its time, this movie focuses on melancholic atmosphere, avant-garde cinema and themes such as friendship, isolation and loyalty. This film certainly still deserves acclaim, attention and recognition because it thinks outside the box and innovates the gangster movie genre.