100 Years Nikkatsu

Jo Shishido is Goro Hanada, a seasoned hit-man with a twisted penchant for boiling rice. After botching his latest job, commissioned by the enigmatic Misako, he goes from executioner to target, betrayed by his colleagues and by his frivolous wife. Hanada’s fall from grace and subsequent descent into madness is the back story of this disjointed venture into psychosexual reverie, a foray which ultimately cost Seijun Suzuki his job at Nikkatsu. The studio executives, expecting the usual yakuza fare, were taken aback by Suzuki’s blatant mockery of the genre’s conventions and immediately shelved the film. Still, Branded to Kill went on to become a cornerstone of Japanese New Wave, inspiring the likes of Jim Jarmusch and Quentin Tarantino.

In this masterful film, Suzuki lets his flamboyant style go wild. A descent into the brutal universe of the Japanese Yakuza, exploding in a wash of visual imagery and hallucinatory colours.

In a decrepit postwar Tokyo, crooks and hookers run amok in the shambles of the city, consorting with the American occupants and viciously staking out their turf. Young Maya, a starving and abandoned war casualty, makes her way into the ranks of a sassy, self-sufficient gang of prostitutes whose inner group solidarity is spiked with a menacing golden rule: never sleep with anyone for free, or face humiliation and brutality at the hands of your peers. Enter Shintaro Ibuki (played by the ever-puffy Joe Shishido), a callous ex-soldier whose sudden infiltration of the prostitutes’ squat becomes a source of tension between the women and a disturbing presence for Maya, who sees in his hardened ways a painful reminder of happiness past… A visually stunning exercise in early pinku, Gate of Flesh is a kaleidoscopic mindblower jammed with garish settings, sweaty torture scenes and savage sensuality, making it a crass yet striking treat rendered even more appealing thanks to Suzuki’s camera work and technical prowess.

With an introduction by Jasper Sharp.

A young woman follows in the footsteps of her prostitute mother, both working to share the patrons. Beneath this ’roman porno’ undeniably influenced by the French nouvelle vague, an intense drama unfolds along the slow rhythm of a sticky, summer day.

With an introduction by Jasper Sharp.

A geisha falls in love with one of her clients even though it’s strictly forbidden by mama-san. A great classic of the ’roman porno’ genre, combining steamy erotica with pure drama.

With an introduction by Jasper Sharp.

A young thug gives in to a devastatingly violent and anarchic outburst of anger to the tune of some wild bebop. A classic in Japanese New Wave cinema brimming with untamed energy.

With an introduction by Jasper Sharp.

A hit man is trapped between two different clans when his client reveals the identity of the victim’s family. Gorgeous black and white photography punctuated by a soundtrack inspired by the Italian spaghetti westerns.

With an introduction by Jasper Sharp.

A voyeuristic look into the merciless battles between Yakuza families, told through energetic cinematography and sudden violent outbursts. This rare film features a supporting role for the beautiful Meiko Kaji ("Female Convict Scorpion").