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There's a already a similar thread on the General Cinema side, but I think it would be nice to have a sister thread just for Asian stuff. Let's get started.
Diamonds of the Andes (Japan/Brazil, 1968) [35mm] - 2.5/5
Director Buichi Saito directed one of the best Lone Wolf and Cub films: Babycart in Peril (1973). His 1960's films can be quite different, as showcased by this Nikkatsu flick filmed in Brazil. Akira Kobayashi stars as a former criminal living a new life in South America, but haunted by old enemies. The film is visually stylish and features bits of solid action at the beginning and end, but the emphasis is on the storyline, which consist of not-so-inspired character drama and love triangle. Tetsuro Tamba co-stars as a Japanese detective.
The Elder Sister (Anego) (Japan, 1969) [35mm] - 2/5
Toshio Masuda once said that audiences went to Toei's yakuza films for the action, and to Nikkatsu's crime films for the stories. That springs to mind when watching Buichi Saito's Anego (Elder Sister), a feminine yakuza drama with very little action in it. Unfortunately it's not a very memorable story, nor is there anything special about the execution. Akira Kobayashi pops up a number of times to save the day, always just on time. Note: IMDb lists an English aka The Woman Gambler, but that's likely to be a mistake. There are no gamblers in the film.
Also caught two films in the Yuzo Kayama retrospective in Jimbocho in Tokyo
Contract Killer (Japan, 1968) [35mm] - 2.5/5
Two professional killers battle in a highly stylized and very 1960's action drama. The film opens quite well and can get pretty trippy along the way, including a bizarre dance sequence set in a hotel room, but the ending doesn't live up to the expectations. Despite the two men being top sharp shooters, the film concludes with them running on a beach and shooting at each other from close distance. Yuzo Kayama stars, former Nikkatsu starlet Ruriko Asaoka plays his girlfriend.
The Creature Called Man (Japan, 1970) [35mm] - 3.5/5
Here's a Toho action film John Woo has probably seen more than once. It follows a policeman who is determined to stop a professional killer who has been hired to assassinate a political figure. The killer then, unexpectedly, falls in love with a lonely American woman. It all leads to a heroic bloodshed finale in which both men put half dozen bullet holes into each other. Add slow motion, freeze frame, jazz tunes on the soundtrack, mutual respect between two professionals, and a car that is (nearly?) identical to the one Tony Leung drive in Hard Boiled. The film starts a bit slow and does have its clumsy moments, but it keeps getting better and better. The last 20 minutes is superb. There's also a lot of English dialogue. Lead actor Jiro Tamiya either had some skills to begin with, or the common courtesy to learn to pronounce his lines. The same can't be said about many Japanese actors these days.
Diamonds of the Andes (Japan/Brazil, 1968) [35mm] - 2.5/5
Director Buichi Saito directed one of the best Lone Wolf and Cub films: Babycart in Peril (1973). His 1960's films can be quite different, as showcased by this Nikkatsu flick filmed in Brazil. Akira Kobayashi stars as a former criminal living a new life in South America, but haunted by old enemies. The film is visually stylish and features bits of solid action at the beginning and end, but the emphasis is on the storyline, which consist of not-so-inspired character drama and love triangle. Tetsuro Tamba co-stars as a Japanese detective.
The Elder Sister (Anego) (Japan, 1969) [35mm] - 2/5
Toshio Masuda once said that audiences went to Toei's yakuza films for the action, and to Nikkatsu's crime films for the stories. That springs to mind when watching Buichi Saito's Anego (Elder Sister), a feminine yakuza drama with very little action in it. Unfortunately it's not a very memorable story, nor is there anything special about the execution. Akira Kobayashi pops up a number of times to save the day, always just on time. Note: IMDb lists an English aka The Woman Gambler, but that's likely to be a mistake. There are no gamblers in the film.
Also caught two films in the Yuzo Kayama retrospective in Jimbocho in Tokyo
Contract Killer (Japan, 1968) [35mm] - 2.5/5
Two professional killers battle in a highly stylized and very 1960's action drama. The film opens quite well and can get pretty trippy along the way, including a bizarre dance sequence set in a hotel room, but the ending doesn't live up to the expectations. Despite the two men being top sharp shooters, the film concludes with them running on a beach and shooting at each other from close distance. Yuzo Kayama stars, former Nikkatsu starlet Ruriko Asaoka plays his girlfriend.
The Creature Called Man (Japan, 1970) [35mm] - 3.5/5
Here's a Toho action film John Woo has probably seen more than once. It follows a policeman who is determined to stop a professional killer who has been hired to assassinate a political figure. The killer then, unexpectedly, falls in love with a lonely American woman. It all leads to a heroic bloodshed finale in which both men put half dozen bullet holes into each other. Add slow motion, freeze frame, jazz tunes on the soundtrack, mutual respect between two professionals, and a car that is (nearly?) identical to the one Tony Leung drive in Hard Boiled. The film starts a bit slow and does have its clumsy moments, but it keeps getting better and better. The last 20 minutes is superb. There's also a lot of English dialogue. Lead actor Jiro Tamiya either had some skills to begin with, or the common courtesy to learn to pronounce his lines. The same can't be said about many Japanese actors these days.
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